4-Hers prepare for Plymouth County Fair
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Sunday, July 20, 2008
Kyle Vondrak washes a calf that he will be showing at the Plymouth County Fair. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
HINTON, Iowa -- Alexandra Vondrak won't be showing calves this year at the Plymouth County Fair.
"I don't do them because they're kinda big," the 10-year-old confessed.
But that doesn't prevent Aly (as she's called by everyone) from showing sheep and pigs and taking part in a variety of other competitions with dozens of others as the fair kicks off this week.
Over the last few months, young people from 10 to 21 have fed, trained, and nurtured their animals in hopes of winning that prized purple ribbon.
In addition to Aly, the sons of Kevin and Jody Vondrak are in the midst of fair preparations. Kole, 16, will be showing cattle and pigs. Kyle, 14, will be showing cattle and sheep.
"We've both been doing it since fourth grade, so this is my sixth year and Kyle's fifth year," explained Kole.
The boys came naturally into 4-H, since their dad was also active in the Liberty Prairie Pacers 4-H program.
Of the livestock, Kole and Kyle agreed that pigs are the easiest to prepare for the show.
"You don't have to break or lead them," Kyle explained of the term that refers to an animal that will walk with you. "You guide them. They're more likely to follow you."
"The others, you have to work with almost every day to tame them," Kole pointed out.
That walking with the owner is something judges will look for Kole added.
"They're also looking for the amount of muscle and how wide the pig is," he explained. "They don't look as much at weight as they do width."
"There's weight classes," Kyle clarified. "Most pigs weigh between 220 to 280 pounds."
Last year, Kole took the purple with his Angus Heifer and Kyle with his White-Faced Breeding Ewe. This year, they hedged on whether or not they would again garner ribbons. Aly felt most confident about her pigs.
"It depends on the judges," Kole said, but there are tricks to the presentation.
"You can make a calf look better if you use a certain oil on its hair so it stands up in the judging ring," he confided.
Aly explained it was easier to prepare the pigs -- you just feed, water and wash them. Sheep, on the other hand, are a lot more time consuming because of the grooming.
Aly is also participating in some non-livestock events. For example, she has entered a doll-size dresser that she painted and decorated. For the Fashion Review, she put together an outfit of a black jacket with pink polka dots, a tank top, Capri jeans and a white bag. Judges will look for elements of design when evaluating that, she said.
"Then another category is a $15 challenge where I had to buy an outfit that's and I bought brown overalls with a Dalmatian dog on it and I had a pink striped shirt under it," she explained.
And what fair would be complete without food.
Aly and her cousin Mallorie Huebner, 10, have entered the 4-H Pride of Iowa competition on July 27 which must include an Iowa product in their recipe. Aly has two: the ham is obvious but the sour cream is from Wells Blue Bunny.
"It teaches you responsibilities," Aly said of her involvement with Lucky Liberty Lopers 4-H Club.
"It also looks good on a college resume," Kole noted.
Come to the Fair
The Plymouth County Fair runs July 23-27 at the fairgrounds in Le Mars, Iowa
A Season Car Pass is $25.00 for a car and occupants up to a maximum of 4 adults.
One Day Admission is $6 per person, plus car parking for $1
Children 12 years and under are $1
Gates open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
For more information visit www.plymouthcountyfair.org
"I don't do them because they're kinda big," the 10-year-old confessed.
But that doesn't prevent Aly (as she's called by everyone) from showing sheep and pigs and taking part in a variety of other competitions with dozens of others as the fair kicks off this week.
Over the last few months, young people from 10 to 21 have fed, trained, and nurtured their animals in hopes of winning that prized purple ribbon.
In addition to Aly, the sons of Kevin and Jody Vondrak are in the midst of fair preparations. Kole, 16, will be showing cattle and pigs. Kyle, 14, will be showing cattle and sheep.
"We've both been doing it since fourth grade, so this is my sixth year and Kyle's fifth year," explained Kole.
The boys came naturally into 4-H, since their dad was also active in the Liberty Prairie Pacers 4-H program.
Of the livestock, Kole and Kyle agreed that pigs are the easiest to prepare for the show.
"You don't have to break or lead them," Kyle explained of the term that refers to an animal that will walk with you. "You guide them. They're more likely to follow you."
"The others, you have to work with almost every day to tame them," Kole pointed out.
That walking with the owner is something judges will look for Kole added.
"They're also looking for the amount of muscle and how wide the pig is," he explained. "They don't look as much at weight as they do width."
"There's weight classes," Kyle clarified. "Most pigs weigh between 220 to 280 pounds."
Last year, Kole took the purple with his Angus Heifer and Kyle with his White-Faced Breeding Ewe. This year, they hedged on whether or not they would again garner ribbons. Aly felt most confident about her pigs.
"It depends on the judges," Kole said, but there are tricks to the presentation.
"You can make a calf look better if you use a certain oil on its hair so it stands up in the judging ring," he confided.
Aly explained it was easier to prepare the pigs -- you just feed, water and wash them. Sheep, on the other hand, are a lot more time consuming because of the grooming.
Aly is also participating in some non-livestock events. For example, she has entered a doll-size dresser that she painted and decorated. For the Fashion Review, she put together an outfit of a black jacket with pink polka dots, a tank top, Capri jeans and a white bag. Judges will look for elements of design when evaluating that, she said.
"Then another category is a $15 challenge where I had to buy an outfit that's and I bought brown overalls with a Dalmatian dog on it and I had a pink striped shirt under it," she explained.
And what fair would be complete without food.
Aly and her cousin Mallorie Huebner, 10, have entered the 4-H Pride of Iowa competition on July 27 which must include an Iowa product in their recipe. Aly has two: the ham is obvious but the sour cream is from Wells Blue Bunny.
"It teaches you responsibilities," Aly said of her involvement with Lucky Liberty Lopers 4-H Club.
"It also looks good on a college resume," Kole noted.
Come to the Fair
The Plymouth County Fair runs July 23-27 at the fairgrounds in Le Mars, Iowa
A Season Car Pass is $25.00 for a car and occupants up to a maximum of 4 adults.
One Day Admission is $6 per person, plus car parking for $1
Children 12 years and under are $1
Gates open at 7 a.m. and close at 10 p.m.
For more information visit www.plymouthcountyfair.org
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