Day Two of the La Plata County Fair began with multiple open class judging sessions, including for 4-H and open class swine, fleeces and poultry, home economics, horticulture, floriculture and creative arts.
The afternoon kicked off with the 4-H and open class goat show, followed by the alpaca demonstration and the 4-H Animal Fashion Show. Willie Nelson the sheep, a fan favorite, took first place in the show.
The evening saw the Fair Royalty Speeches and Modeling, and the Talent Contest.
Mackenzie Swanemyr, 16, has been involved with 4-H for 8 years. Her steer, Pope, will be judged today.
“This is my life,” said Swanemyr as she blow-dried a calm and collected Pope on Thursday afternoon. “This is all I’ve ever been. My family’s always been a part of (the fair).”
Cathy Seibel, third-year volunteer and this year’s superintendent of food preservation for both the adult and kids categories, placed dozens of ribbons on jarred, dried and canned food Thursday.
Seibel wants the community to enter even more food preservation entries next year.
“It’s a dying art, and something that needs to be revived for the betterment of our community,” she said.
Accomplished sewer and quilter, and trained judge Judy Case from Pueblo, was one of several people judging quilt entries this year.
Case said aspects like piecing, appliqué, special techniques and visual impact all come into play when determining a prizewinning quilt.
“My favorite part is the people that I get to know, and seeing the beautiful work that they did,” she said of her work as a judge.
Determining which quilts ultimately take away the titles of Champion and Grand Champion, Case said, can come down to minute details.
“You have to look at the degree of difficulty, and the complexity of the design,” she said. “There may be one element that the other did just a little better. All the things I evaluated (for the two quilts in the running for Grand Champion this year) were very even. So, I found one thing that was more complex, and then one thing that was done just the tiniest bit better.”
Kim Goodwin took away the Grand Champion title in the Advanced quilting category this year.
Cadence Witt, first-time judge, artist and 4-H photographer, said the judging up in the art room took a lot of thought this year.
“It’s really hard, especially when there’s so many different forms of art that they use,” she said. “But I’m an artist, and a few other judges are artists, too, so it’s easy for us to see how much work was put into it, what kind of time was put into it, and then just the overall quality of either the painting, or drawing or whatever was submitted.”
Witt said judging for the 1-to-2-year-old category was especially difficult.
“The kids are the hardest to judge, especially when it’s this kind of stuff, because you want to encourage it – like, ‘wow, you did a really great job,’” she said. “But then at the same time, it’s like, ‘I don’t know how to judge this!’”
Longtime community member and fairgoer Rebecca Crouch is the mother of 1-year-old Marilynne, whose artwork was featured in a Wednesday Durango Herald article. Marilynne won first place Thursday in the 1- to 2-year-old art category.
Witt said the decision to award Marilynne Grand Champion ultimately came down to the bright, pastel colors of her painting being the most pleasing to the judges’ eyes.
Community member Sandy Wade has been going to and working at the fair for over 60 years, and has volunteered in almost every capacity the fair has to offer.
“My dad was a superintendent, so I started coming here when I was 3 or 4 years old,” she said. “Since then, I have been a judge, a superintendent ... You have it, I did it.”
Some of Wade’s past volunteering endeavors at the fair include being a superintendent for horses and rabbits, and judging leather craft and shooting sports. This year, she judged wool entries.
Her favorite part of volunteering at the fair is educating the community about the importance of agriculture and farming – and supporting the children who have worked so hard on their projects leading up to the fair.
When asked how many kids she’s influenced over her 60-year involvement with the fair, Wade replied, “probably a few hundred.”
“Oh, lordy, let’s put it this way,” she said, “when I was sitting behind the table over there, helping, and watching people walk by, I went, ‘oh my gosh, I remember that girl when she was in 4-H, and now she’s got a girl that’s in 4-H.”
“It’s so important, because kids learn responsibility and respect,” Wade said of the importance of the fair and 4-H. “They learn how to budget. I mean, all those projects, they have to know how much it costs, what expenses are involved, right? They learn (about) real life.”
The Day Three lineup of events today is set to include the 4-H and open class rabbits, breeding beef, market beef and beef showmanship judging, as well as all class dairy cattle showing, Pee Wee Showmanship and the 4-H/FFA Livestock Round Robin Showmanship.
The Firefall and Orleans concert will take center stage tonight at the Rodeo Arena to bring some moonlit merriment to fairgoers.
epond@durangoherald.com
La Plata County Fair schedule of events
For the complete schedule and more information, visit https://laplatacountyfair.com.
- 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Exhibits Open to the Public (Exhibit Hall).
- 9 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA Rabbits (Small Animal Barn).
- 10 a.m.: 4-H/FFA Breeding Beef & Beef Showmanship (Livestock Pavilion).
- 1 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Market Beef; Grand & Reserve Champions (Livestock Pavilion).
- 2 p.m.: All Classes Dairy Cattle (Livestock Pavilion).
- 3:15 p.m.: Pee Wee Showmanship (Livestock Pavilion).
- 4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Livestock Round Robin (Livestock Pavilion).
- 6 p.m.: Firefall & Orleans Concert (Rodeo Arena. Advance general admission $30, reserved seating $45, and VIP seating $65).
- 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Exhibits Open to Public (Exhibit Hall).
- 9 a.m.: 4-H Dog Show (Exhibit Hall).
- 9 a.m.: Judging Open Class Beef, all classes (Livestock Pavilion).
- 10 a.m.: Rooster Crowing Contest (Small Animal Barn).
- 10 a.m.: FFA Showmanship (Livestock Pavilion).
- 11 a.m.: No Limits Livestock Show (Livestock Pavilion).
- 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Saturday at the Fair Youth Carnival (Durango Baseball Field).
- 2 p.m.: Rabbit Costume Contest (Small Animal Barn).
- 5 p.m.: Silver Awards Presentation (Patio).
- 5:45 p.m.: Fair Royalty Crowning (Patio).
- 6 p.m.: Junior Livestock Sale (Livestock Pavilion).
- 9 p.m. to noon: Fair Family Dance (Patio. $5 per person at the door to benefit La Plata County 4-H).
- 8 a.m.: Cowboy Church (Pavilion).
- 8 a.m.: Carcass Animals Loaded (Livestock Barns).
- 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Exhibits Open to Public (Exhibit Hall).
- 11 a.m.: 4-H/FFA Catch-It Contest (Livestock Pavilion).
- 1 to 2 p.m.: Payment of Premiums (Fair Office).
- 1 to 2 p.m.: Exhibits Released (Exhibit Hall).
- 1 to 4 p.m.: Booths Taken Down (Exhibit Hall).
- 1 to 2 p.m.: Poultry & Rabbits Released (Small Animal Barn).
- 1 p.m.: Animals Released (Livestock Barns).
- 4 p.m.: Demolition Derby (gates open at 2 p.m.), Sky Ute Fairgrounds, Ignacio. $15.
