Madison Messenger - July 25th, 2021

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PAGE 6 - MADISON MESSENGER - July 25, 2021 By Dedra Cordle Staff Writer Belle Morris knew she had to sleep. In just a few hours’ time, the 8-year-old from London would be going to the Madison County Fair not as a regular attendee but as a participant in an inaugural event called Livestock 101. She knew she would be getting a crash course in showing an animal, but it wasn’t the prospect of learning a new skill in front of strangers that kept her awake. It was knowing she would be working with equines. Morris said she remembers her reaction the first time she came across a horse. “I was looking through a book, and that’s when I saw a picture of it,” she explained. “I fell in love with them right away.” Their grace and strength mesmerized her. “They were so majestic to me,” Morris said. “I think they are the most magical, beautiful creatures.” Though she has a passion for horses, Morris rarely has the opportunity to come into close contact with them. “That’s why I was really, really looking forward to this,” she said of Livestock 101. “I wanted to be able to see them up close.” Morris didn’t know it at the time, but her participation in the event would end up allowing her many more close encounters of the equine kind in the future. After gathering with the more than 140 children ages 4 to 17 at the Eby Arena for a brief introduction to the program, Morris broke off into a smaller session with 20 individuals and a handful of 4-H mentors who specialize in showing equines. For close to an hour, Ellie Edwards, a 19-year-old resident of Grove City, taught Morris and Skyler Mayabb the intricacies of showing the animal and basic patterns to impress judge Colleen Martin. “It’s all about being calm and confident,” said Edwards, a 2020 graduate of Central Crossing High School and a former member of the LFS Riders 4-H Club. After Edwards ran her mentees through the patterns multiple times, it was time for Morris and Mayabb to demonstrate their newly acquired showmanship skills. Edwards said she was a little worried about how it would go. “Though they did listen to me, they spent a lot of time petting Harvey,” she said, laughing. Much to her delight, Morris was one of six participants chosen for the main showman of showmen event. Buzzing again with nerves and excitement, Morris smiled for the judge and capably ran Harvey through the basic pattern. Then came the moment Morris hadn’t necessarily been waiting for, primarily because she never thought it would happen. When the judge named her as the budding showman of showmen, the normally talka- www.madisonmessengernews.com Livestock 101 draws 140 youths from 10 counties tive girl was rendered speechless. As the first-place finisher in the equine event, Morris received a certificate for a free lease on a horse at Martin’s Lost Fortune Stables. Not only will she be able to show that horse at next year’s fair, she also will be able to spend months working with horses. “It’s a dream come true,” Morris said. That sentiment was shared by many of the participants in the Livestock 101 event, which saw children from 10 counties show equine, cattle, swine, goats, rabbits, poultry and alpacas. Most of the budding showmen received leases similar to the one awarded in the equine competition. Fair board member Quinton Keeran said when fair organizers decided to offer this free program to non-FFA or non-4-H members, they were not sure what the level of interest would be. “We were hoping for 100 kids to sign up, but we would have been happy with 50,” he stated. As word spread about this event and its mission, the community rallied around it. “The community really got behind this event,” Keeran said. “And when I say ‘the community,’ I don’t just mean the kids who signed up to participate. “The parents were interested, former 4-H and FFA members were interested, our local state representatives were interested, businesses were interested. Everyone was interested in seeing this event become a success.” Judging from the reaction from the children, feedback from parents, and inquiries about local FFA and 4-H clubs, Keeran said Livestock 101 looks to be an event that will be replicated throughout the state. “I think this event will have a snowball Messenger photo by Dedra Cordle Grove City resident Ellie Edwards (left) and Harvey the horse keep the atmosphere loose as Belle Morris (center) and Skyler Mayabb (right) prepare to show Harvey during the first annual Livestock 101 event held at the Madison County Fair. The mission of the July 16 event was to introduce children aged 4 to 17 to animal showmanship. Ava Moore, 8, shows a goat. effect,” he said. “It was infectious, and I think it will generate a lot of thought for future fair planning.” Keeran said he felt fortunate to witness it firsthand. He said he was especially touched by the number of current and former FFA and 4-H members who signed on to be mentors for the first-time event. “The leadership that was on display is what these clubs are all about,” he said. “This country needs leaders who are willing to step up, share their expertise, be kind and help people when they need it. And we all saw that here with this event, and that is a true testament to what our mission is all about.”
www.madisonmessengernews.com July 25, 2021 - MADISON MESSENGER - Page 7 Smith shocked to win Grand Showman of Showmen By Kristy Zurbrick Madison Editor Cade Smith has never thought of himself as a showman. Instead, his focus has been on breeding his birds and seeing them win. But there’s no denying it now. The 2021 London High School graduate walked away with this year’s grand showman of showmen title at the Madison County Fair. “I am still in shock that I won,” said the 18-year-old, who qualified for the contest as the Junior Fair’s top poultry showman. He was named the top poultry showman last year, too, but due to COVID-19, the fair did not hold the grand showman of showmen contest in 2020. The grand showman contest pits the best showmen from all of the species against one another. The contest caps off fair week competitions and requires qualifiers to not only show the specie by which they qualified, but all of the other animals, too. “I thought that since I’d only ever shown poultry and rabbits before that I wouldn’t really have a chance at winning,” Smith said. “The other showmen have shown a lot of the other species before.” After winning the poultry showman title early on in fair week, Smith went to work learning how to show everything from swine and sheep to horses and steers. Other 4-Hers and FFA members, including some with whom Smith would be competing for the title, were happy to lend a hand and offer pointers. “It’s really cool the way that everybody helps everybody out. When I was younger, I always saw it as, “Why would they help their competition out?’ Now, I see it as everybody wants everybody to do well,” Smith said. In the days leading up to the grand showman contest on July 16, Smith worked with each animal type at least once. He discovered that many of the species were easier to show than he expected. “I just see a larger animal and think it’s going to be harder than it is,” he explained. “I was most nervous about swine. You don’t have a halter or any other way to control it other than a pig whip, and some pigs can get annoyed with it and act up. The most practice I put in was with swine.” Messenger photos by Jeff Pfeil Cade Smith, shown here during the equine portion of the Grand Showman of Showmen contest, came home the winner of the event. He earned his ticket to the Grand Showman contest as the top poultry showman. He is a member of the Helping Hands Happy Hearts 4-H Club. The practice paid off, along with the many years of experience Smith has accumulated as a 4-H and FFA member who has been a very active participant in open class and Junior Fair contests. “I went in there pretty nervous, but once I got in that ring with an animal, all those nerves were gone, and I was focused on showing those animals and nothing else,” he said. “It shows that if you really want something and you work hard at it and you practice, you can accomplish what you want.” Smith got his start in 4-H through the Cloverbud program 13 years ago. When he reached show age, he followed his older siblings’ lead, showing poultry. He has done so every year since then, also showing rabbits when he was younger and taking an active role in showing and promoting alpacas when the fair added the specie to its lineup five years ago. Smith has one more year of eligibility to show animals at the fair. He’s on the fence as to whether he will; his decision depends on his college schedule. Smith plans to study turf grass management starting this fall at Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster. “My dream has always been and still is to be the head greenskeeper at Augusta National Golf Course in Georgia where they hold the Masters every year,” he said. Smith was a four-year letterwinner on London High School’s golf team. He served as president of London’s FFA chapter his senior year and is a member of the Helping Hands Happy Hearts 4-H Club. Smith is the son of Julia and Brian Smith. Prepare for unexpected power outages with a Generac home standby generator REQUEST A FREE QUOTE! 844-334-8353 FREE 7-Year Extended Warranty* A $695 Value! Limited Time Offer - Call for Details Special Financing Available Subject to Credit Approval A FREE ESTIMATE 15 10 5 YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE * 1-855-995-2490 % % % OFF + OFF + OFF *To qualify, consumers must request a quote, purchase, install and activate the generator with a participating dealer. Call for a full list of terms and conditions. SENIOR & MILITARY DISCOUNTS YEAR-ROUND CLOG-FREE GUARANTEE TO THE FIRST 50 CALLERS! ** | Promo Number: 285 Contestants in the Junior Fair Grand Showman of Showmen event wait for the competition to begin on July 16: (from left) sheep showman Olivia Seaburn from Fairfield Rascals 4-H, swine showman Corey Cress from Madison-Plains FFA, beef showman Kelsey Beachy from LFS Riders 4-H, rabbit showman Anna Drewes from Beginners to Winners 4-H, poultry showman Cade Smith from Helping Hands Happy Hearts 4-H, dairy showman Olivia Finke from Born In A Barn 4-H, goat showman Molly Barber from Fairfield Rascals 4-H, and equine showman Alli Moore from Darby Riders 4-H.
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Madison Messenger - July 25th, 2021

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