The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG-Sunny weather and bright skies prevailed for the Waitsburg Livestock Show and Fair this past Saturday. The fairgrounds were packed to the brim with pigs, ducks, chickens, goats, sheep, artists and, of course, cats.

Festivities got underway shortly after 9 a.m. with the livestock judging contest, followed shortly thereafter by the FFA tractor driving exhibit and rabbit competition.

Seamus House and Koby Harris from the Waitsburg FFA took first and second place in tractor driving for their impressive handling.

The rabbit competition was judged by Kelsi Ramos. Ramos is relatively new to judging, having only taken on the role this past year, but has long history with bunnies.

"I've been breeding rabbits for about ten years. I did 4-H when I was younger, too," Ramos said.

The Lions Club Cook Shack was open for breakfast and lunch, keeping hunger at bay for contestants and patrons.

Not only was the fair enlivening, it was enlightening. Onlookers learned some differences between feeds in Grass vs Grain, Fitting and Showing Champion Preston Hinchliffe's display. While grass fed steer are leaner, grain fed steer are more tender.

"I feed my steers a mix of grain and grass. By feeding my steer both I get a mix of both qualities," read Hinchliffe's display.

Goats were among the more popular exhibits. Sarah Daves from the Home Grown Go Wild 4-H club was excited to be there.

"My favorite part of showing goats is actually hanging out with the goats. If you're like me, you would never want to forget a goat," she said.

Overall, Daves considers the fair a rich learning experience.

"I honestly think, the more I work with the goats, the more I'm going to get better," she said. After all, practice makes perfect.

The applied arts categories had a healthy turnout this year. Among the displays in the Lions clubhouse, high marks were given for excellent craftsmanship in clothing design, painted tiles, woodwork, photography and visual arts (paintings).

Moving between exhibits, the breadth of talents in Waitsburg is hard to deny. The differences between winners and champions made the judges' job more than a little bit challenging.

For fair board member Kevin House, the day was an absolute success.

Join in next June as the 66th annual Waitsburg Fair gets underway. It's never too early to start preparing!

See fair results on Page 8.