Fair participants enjoyed kickoff day Wednesday by perusing animal entries and assorted art pieces, indulging in classic fair treats like cinnamon-roasted nuts, corn dogs and cotton candy, and eagerly diving into the first of several days of community connection.
The fair’s opening day saw the 4-H and open class sheep show in the afternoon, with swine showmanship and the True West Roundup following.
Animal pens were filled Wednesday with steers, swine, sheep and goats, many of them with themed names like “Ross, Chandler and Joey” from “Friends,” and “Carlos, Vito and George” from “The Sopranos.”
Some 4-H participants excitedly decorated their animal’s pens with flowers, flags and handmade signs, while others worked to shear, wash and prepare their animals for judging.
Molly Cheese and her children, Kylee and Colton Cheese, are with 4-H, and are the owners of the three-pig “Sopranos” crew. Care for the hogs before judging includes close attention to the animals’ health, as well as in-depth daily skincare routines involving brushing and oiling the pigs’ coats, Molly said. Carlos, Vito and George will also be painted with black and white paint just before judging.
“For my kids, they run it as a business,” she said. “As the summertime goes along, we walk them, and give them baths, and do skin and hair, and they get fed twice a day on a specific regimen – lots of supplements. They get all the good stuff. And then, before the fair, they actually get a haircut, so that they look little more sophisticated.”
Though many animal pens were filled, and a good number of shelves in the exhibit hall were occupied, the consensus at the fair on Day One was that numbers of entries – both for animals and throughout other categories, like canned goods and crafts – were on the low side overall.
The Catch-It contest has reportedly been downsized to feature only chickens this year, said Fair Director Amy Peterson, and though the flower, vegetable and fruit, as well as quilting and painting displays had largely filled shelves and tables, entries for assorted crafts, such as woodworking and handmade fans, for both the adult and child categories, were on the low side on Wednesday in relation to last year.
“It’s been slow today,” Peterson said. “But we have the judging tomorrow, and then after the judging, that’s when people come in to look to see what they got, so Friday and Saturday should be pretty busy.”
Edible entries such as pies and cakes were on par with entry numbers from last year, but jarred entries, such as jams and jellies, saw lower numbers Wednesday afternoon, said Gwynna Reinhardt, who was working in the edible entries section Wednesday. Some of that, she said, could be because of the especially dry and hot weather this year affecting crops and harvesting.
Barb Morgan of the La Plata Quilters Guild, affectionately called “Captain Morgan“ by her quilting crew, has been pleased with the turnout for quilt entries this year.
“We’ve had 106 entries so far, and we usually aim for around 80. So, we’re doing great,” she said.
Tracy Harwood, the superintendent for art entries, has seen a good amount of entries in the art room this year. According to Harwood, art submissions have been plentiful, coming from people of all ages – from 1 to 97 – and all parts of the county.
“It’s been fantastic,” Harwood said. “It’s open to everybody, and the whole county can enter (art), which gives a lot of kids who don’t have the opportunity to join 4-H a chance to participate.”
Durango local and longtime fair participant Rebecca Crouch was the first to submit an art entry this year for the 1- to 2-year-old section, on behalf of her 1-year-old daughter, Marilynne.
The Crouch family has been entering art in the fair for over 19 years.
“I like being able to share our creativity and artwork with the community,” Crouch said. “We home school, so we do lots of work through the year, and this is a great way to be able to share it with others.”
Peterson said numbers at the fair will likely only rise as the days march on, and despite lower entry numbers having been seen in certain categories this time around, the morale, passion and excitement for the fair on its opening day was just as high as ever.
epond@durangoherald.com
La Plata County Fair schedule of events
For the complete schedule and more information, visit https://laplatacountyfair.com.
- Beer Garden open.
- 8:30 a.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA Breeding and Market Swine (Livestock Pavilion).
- Following 4-H/FFA: Open Class Swine, all classes (Livestock Pavilion).
- 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.: Exhibits Open to the Public (Exhibit Hall).
- 9 a.m.: Judging Open Class Home Economics, Horticulture, Floriculture, Creative Arts (Exhibit Hall).
- 9 a.m.: 4-H Poultry Judging followed by Open Class (Small Animal Barn).
- 1 p.m.: Judging 4-H/FFA Goat Show (all classes) (Livestock Pavilion).
- Following 4-H/FFA: Open Class Goat Show and Alpaca Demonstration (Livestock Pavilion).
- 4 p.m.: 4-H/FFA Animal Fashion Show (Patio).
- 5 p.m.: Fair Royalty Speeches & Modeling (Patio).
- 7 p.m.: Talent Contest (Patio).
- 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 12 a.m.: 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.
