There’s nothing like the auspicious silence that precedes a night at the La Plata County Fair.
A morning glance into the fairgrounds shows people setting up shops of fried foods, old-fashioned sodas, ice cream cones, flea-market-style boutiques and the more obvious mechanical rides in anticipation of a spend-friendly nighttime crowd.
The fair, which began Thursday, will conclude Sunday. Today is traditionally one of the fair’s highlight days, with the popular demolition derby in the afternoon and the junior livestock sale in the evening.
Beyond the shops and rides on Friday morning, tucked away in a small shed, was a group of hopeful children who had been waiting for the rabbit competition. They were eager to show off their bunnies.
So what does it take to breed an award-winning rabbit?
“It’s important that the shoulders aren’t too wide,” said Maddy Mortimer, 12, who entered 11 rabbits in this year’s competition.
She had high hopes for her mini rex rabbit named Pride and Joy.
The American Rabbit Breeders Association recognizes 48 different breeds. Teri Peterson, a judge certified by the association, was in attendance with her handy Standard of Perfection association book, which has everything you need to know about judging individual breeds for competition.
“First, we look for ‘DQs’ or disqualifiers,” she said.
A rabbit is disqualified for imperfections such as mismatched nails, teeth condition, incorrect sex or color in a category and health conditions, Peterson said.
Then, she said, rabbits are evaluated by body type, fur and posture, depending on the breed.
For instance, Himalayans are laid across the table and evaluated cylindrically, while Holland Lops – a floppy-eared rabbit – are postured in a sitting, upright position.
Peterson has been a judge with the association for five years and had been into rabbit breeding for 24 years, starting when her children were small and entered youth competitions, she said.
It’s pretty evident that the children take good care of their rabbits and are excited to show them off in competition, she said.
Also, breeding rabbits is not an easy task, especially when trying to raise the ones that will take home the trophy.
“You’ve heard the phrase ‘breed like rabbits,’ right? Well, it’s not true,” Peterson said.
Apparently, it’s not like people imagine on television where you leave two rabbits in the basement for a month, come back and you’ve acquired an infestation.
Female rabbits can have fertility issues, and any number of other problems can hinder the reproductive process, she said.
As the youths were getting ready, they were also helping each other sweep, add shavings to the cages and refill food and water bowls.
Kaylee Egger of Ignacio was making sure each one of her entries was properly brushed and groomed.
And though most of the rabbits looked cute and friendly, owners warned of scratching and biting.
Peterson has been bitten and scratched several times through her years in the business, she said.
The breeding experts confirmed that most of the rabbits aren’t used as pets. Many of them will enjoy their 15 minutes of fame until they are no longer show-worthy and will be used for breeding. Others, such as the Creme D’Argent rabbits, will be sold and consumed.
“These will go to market once they make weight, but once someone buys them, they can keep them as a pet if they want,” Maddy said, pointing to her cage of market rabbits.
While some rabbits are merely poked and prodded, some are made to perform a task.
Checkered Giants, which weigh between 12 and 14 pounds, are made to run across a table for evaluation.
Peterson wouldn’t recommend those as pets because they are large and not well-mannered. They are mostly used for show. If one really wants a pet bunny, Peterson recommends the Himalayan, because they are well-mannered, friendly and make good first-time pets.
Some people have been participating in the competition for several years and others dabble.
T.C. Rockwell, 11, had 14 entries. His hope was to win best of show, which is the highest honor in the competition.
T.C. entered several Holland Lops and said the bigger the head, the better. Ear length is crucial to breeding an award winner, he said.
“They can’t be too long but not too short. I guess medium but shorter ears are probably better,” he said.
Others were first-timers who were hoping to remember everything on the show checklist: Carry, pose, ears, turn over, eyes, nose, teeth, front legs, belly, back legs, sex, tail and fur.
The youths are also judged on their overall presentation – manners, clothing, hair – and handling of the animal. Then, the judge asks questions about the breeds before answering questions.
“I do enjoy teaching all of (the children),” Peterson said.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
La Plata County Fair Schedule
All events take place at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, 2500 Main Ave. For more information, call 247-4355 or visit www.co.laplata.co.us.
Today
9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Exhibits open to the public.
9 a.m. Judging open class beef for all classes.
9 a.m. 4-H Dog Show on the grassy area west of the Extension Building.
10 a.m. Rooster crowing contest.
10 a.m. FFA Showmanship.
10 a.m.-3 p.m. 4-H Marketplace offering 4-H youth products for sale.
11 a.m. Open-class dairy cattle for all classes.
11 a.m. Poultry costume contest.
Noon Demolition Derby. Gates open at 10 a.m.
Noon-5 p.m. Community 4-H Barbecue Cook-Off.
2 p.m. Rabbit Costume Contest. A costume parade of animals will follow.
5 p.m. Silver Steaks award presentation.
5:45 p.m. Fair royalty crowning.
6 p.m. Junior livestock sale in the pavilion.
9 p.m.-1 a.m. Fair family dance on the patio.
Sunday
8:30 a.m. Cowboy church will take place in the pavilion.
9 a.m.-2 p.m. Exhibits open to the public.
1:30 p.m. 4-H/FFA Catch-it Contest.
