Market animal sale big part of county fair
Aug. 14—JEFFERSON — The market animal show occurred at the main grandstand the Ashtabula County Fair for the third year in a row.
Prior to 2020, 4-H club members walked their animals into a show barn and displayed the animal for bidders. On Saturday, they walked back and forth holding pictures of their project for potential buyers to view as auctioneers waited for the bidders to show their green cards and up the price for a given animal.
Ashtabula County Fair Market Animal Sales Manager Bob Jackam said fair organizers decided to continue the sale at the grandstand instead of back in the barns as a precaution relating to the coronavirus pandemic.
Lively bidding and smiling youth are still the heart of the sale as the youth experience the highlight of their hard work and learn life lessons, said Bart Kanicki, president of the Market Animal Committee that organizes the event.
Kanicki said participation numbers were up this year.
"We can't ask for any better weather," he said of the relatively mild temperatures and a steady breeze.
While the event is a celebration of the long, hard road to complete the project, Kanicki said the growth in the lives of the individuals is what keeps him coming back each year.
"To me these will be the leaders of the future," he said.
Kylie Fuentes, of Ashtabula, showed in the dairy beef feeder class and said she learned a lot during her project.
"You kind of just have to be patient. ... It takes a lot of time to raise an animal," she said.
Jackam said hog numbers were down this year and haven't recovered from the pandemic, while other species are back to previous numbers or very close.
The atmosphere for buyers looking for information about their purchases is easier without the loud crowds outside the office where the sale is monitored, Jackam said. He said some buyers do miss seeing the animal before making a purchase.
Organization is still the key to a coordinated sale with competitors lined up under the grandstand waiting to make their presentation and get their photos taken to commemorate the event.
