High drama surrounds 4-H contests

COTTONWOOD - It was hotter than a spiced pig on a barbecue spit Thursday, and the swine in the 4-H livestock barn at the Idaho County Fair were none too pleased about it.

"There they go again!" squealed two little girls, hands over ears, fleeing the building as a deafening cacophony rose from the pig stalls.

Thursday was the first day of the 4-H livestock fitting and showing contests and high drama was seen everywhere - in the starched white shirts and nervous expressions of the youthful exhibitors to the starched attitude among the parents and judges.

Thirteen-year old Kayla Duclos of Ferdinand was trying to pacify her mottled gray, white and pink pig, Pumba, as they waited to advance to the show arena, but Pumba was having a fit.

"It's my brother's pig," Duclos said, explaining the two had been raised together and now that the other pig was away, Pumba was inconsolable without him.

This is Duclos' fifth year raising pigs as a member of the Camas Livestock 4-H club.

"I love it because you can learn how to do things on your own," she said. "Like, me and my brother, like, we each have our own pig and we get to work with them and I like it because I really got more responsible and organized."

It's easier than some people might think to become emotionally attached to a pig, Duclos said. They're smart, they have personalities and if a 4-H'er starts to think of the animal as a pet, come market time it's painful to watch the animal be sold.

Duclos takes a matter-of-fact point of view.

"My dad butchers pigs, so I just know how it is."

Even 15-year old Rees Majors of Kamiah was having a little trouble keeping his black-faced Suffolk lamb calm Thursday morning before the show. Majors is a four-year member of the Tahoe Hillbillies 4-H club, and he said he appreciates how the program teaches youngsters "just kind of how to take care of animals. Just how to prepare the stuff for the fair and the year ahead."

Duclos and Majors are two of more than 450 4-H club members in Idaho County, and their livestock projects were part of the 827 4-H projects entered in this year's fair.

Susie Heckman, head of the 4-H program, said the number of market livestock projects is about the same as last year. But the number of 4-H dog, rabbit and poultry projects has gone up, as well as specialty projects, such as photography, communications and photography skills and environmental sciences.

"That specialty area focuses on what the kids are interested in and so they find something that allows them to explore something they're already interested in or maybe something new that they've never thought about. So I like to see that area growing," Heckman said.

Longtime fair secretary Enid Newman was honored this year by having the new sheep barn named for her.

Newman, 88, began working for the fair in 1964 and retired in 2002, although she still helps out in the office every year.

She remembers when the fairgrounds consisted of one building, no permanent fences and the livestock contests were all held outdoors.

But each year the grounds are improved bit by bit. Newman said there were more home economic clubs back in the 1960s, but there are far more 4-H clubs now, and the number of participants in the fair seems to grow every year.

"So it's a lot more involved now than it was then," she said. "It has progressed every year. The fair board - they have wonderful members on the fair board. They're a conservative group and yet they plan for improvements every year, whatever their budget can handle. And they've done real well."

Newman said she still enjoys coming to the fair each August and helping out however she can.

Pam McIntire, secretary of the fair board, said it takes about $50,000 a year to run the fair, including paying for judges, premium ribbons and maintenance and upkeep of the grounds and buildings.

The sheep barn was added this year, and in the future the board is talking about figuring out how to cool some of the barns and exhibit halls, she said.

Even though harvest is in full swing on the Camas Prairie, McIntire said that doesn't seem to detract from the fair attendance and participation. Open-class entries for flowers and vegetables were up this year.

"We always have great entries," she said. "We had a good growing season for flowers and vegetables."

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Hedberg may be contacted at khedberg@camasnet.com or (208) 983-2326.

> Idaho County Fair schedule

Friday's activities include the 4-H livestock quality judging contests at 8:30 a.m.; the championship 4-H horse fitting and showing contest at 2 p.m. followed by the championship 4-H showmanship contest.

The kids' carnival will go from 2 to 7 p.m. at the city park, and the Prairie Booster Club will hold a potato bar at the city park from 4 to 7 p.m.

The fair royalty will be introduced at 7 p.m. and the 10th annual green swing dance, sponsored by the 4-H ambassadors, will be from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. at the Agee building.

Saturday concludes the fair with a Dutch-oven cooking contest at City Park at 9 a.m.; the Idaho County Fair parade at 10 a.m. and 4-H livestock awards at 11 a.m.

The 4-H market livestock sale begins at 1 p.m. and the 4-H pie bake-off will be held at 2 p.m. in the arena building.