32nd Annual Western Pennsylvania 4-H Goat Show

It was an early morning ride for Adeline and Ali (and me!) yesterday to get to the Fayette County Fairgrounds for the 4-H Small Animal Show. The event included three shows - dog, goat and rabbit.

Hard to believe that three weeks ago we were enjoying blue skies and warm sun at the beach. The temperatures have dropped over 30F since the beginning of the week, and twenty in the past 48 hours. We were holding in the low 40's F. Add to that the rain that has made the word damp sound like a joke.Judge Joan Serwinski donated her fee to help keep this 4-H program in the black.
Thank You!The dog and rabbit shows happened to be in enclosed areas that the poor, frail animals and their owners got to enjoy, along with close proximity to the soup and hot beverages at the concession stand. Sound a bit bitter? Nah! We goat idiots are tough. Well, at least we had to be yesterday, because we had a roof over our heads, and that was about it.

Speaking of concessions (How many ways can I use that word in one blog?), the kids were allowed to wear their winter coats or extra layers with their proper show attire. Even the goats came with extra coats on till they showed. Our first event was Goat Showmanship, and in the Juniors (8-10), Julia was able to show Adeline to a second place. She really displayed how much she had learned since her first show in August. Nice job!

Her Grandma was there to see her work. She was quite impressed.

Part of this 4-H event includes a poster and photo communications contest. So look who cleaned up in photography!
Now Grandma is totally blown away! Speaking of impressed, here is the winner of "Best Udder".
That would be a dairy goat event. Both our does were in the 6 to 9 month Breeding Meat Goat Class, and this was the largest group. Julia's 4-H friend Sienna showed Ali (4th from left) for us, and Julia had Adeline(2nd from left). In this contest Ali took the fifth place ribbon and Adeline came in ninth. It seems their growth has flip flopped them in the rankings in the eye of this judge. So that's likely it for these two does for competition, although who knows. Next year we will have new young does to show, but we will see how the 2011 kids mature, and what the interest is until then. Its a lot of work to get goats ready for show and as they get older they will be more to handle also.

This was a first for us, and Julia and her family. I think we will all enjoy the boring winter routine of waiting for new kids and shoveling snow. OK. I'll make a concession on the last thing, but we are definitely looking forward to the 2012 kid crop.