Dog day afternoon
Fair begins with ARF-ly lovely competition
Staff writer
Luna blazed through the first obstacles of the dog track and hopped up on the mid-course podium to sit for a required five count. There she stayed, posing.
Her owner, Ruby Schmidt, 15, implored her to move on to the final obstacles, finally urging the tiny 8-inch Havanese Yorkie to abandon her perch and finish the course.
Luna and six other dogs opened the Marion County Fair on Monday after a rain delay scrubbed Sunday’s horse show. The fair will continue through Saturday, with traditional livestock exhibits, project displays, a rodeo, and a Saturday night demolition derby.
Ruby, who also will be exhibiting a pig, was pleased with her dog’s performance. “Getting her off the block was a problem,” said the Marion ninth-grader. “But it was good.”
Training 3-year-old Luna for obstacles had come fairly naturally. “She jumps up on a lot of things, like recliners, couches, beds. So I just kept making her jump,” Ruby said.
Also showing their dogs’ abilities Monday morning were Abby Erwin, Arlie Erwin, Aaron Carlson, Ryan Carlson, Henry Reinhardt, and Sawyer Stephens.
Many initial events were for 4-H youths, 18 years old or younger. Leann Klenda brought four horses to the fair to be shown and ridden by her kids, Grace, 8; Wessley, 10; and Kollin, 12.
“My first show was at age 8, showing horses and cattle,” said Klenda, 39, of Lincolnville. She’s pleased her children are continuing the tradition and raising horses.
“They learn responsibility” she said. “They learn to do chores, keeping the horses exercised and healthy. And I like the camaraderie between the farm kids and others.”
County extension agent Rickey Roberts agreed.
“I have three grown kids and I raised my kids in a barn,” he said while waiting for the rain to stop Sunday night. “The lifelong skills they learned in the barn is why they are successful today.”
Wednesday’s events at the Marion County Fairgrounds on D Street in Hillsboro include dairy cattle and goat exhibit, food judging, a 6 pm parade, and rodeo events for ages 10 and under. Thursday’s events include sheep, rabbit and bucket calf exhibitions, and a rodeo at 8 pm.
Friday will feature barnyard Olympics, and lawnmower and dirt bike races. The fair will end Saturday with a demolition derby at 7 p.m.