MOUNT VERNON – After nearly five hours of competition, the crowd grew silent in the Swine Arena at Knox County Fairgrounds on Sunday night.
There were no loud squeals, no whip cracks, and no laughs from the audience. These showmen had their hogs under control, and the crowd would expect nothing less. This competition was for the honor of being named ‘Master Showman,’ the grand prize for hog showmen after 12 months of hard work.
But it didn’t take long for judge Jamie May to make his decision. One showman had stood out from the pack, as he did the year before: Luke McKee, champion of the oldest age division.
This marked the second year in a row McKee won Master Showman for swine, although it didn’t make the night any less emotional. He smiled widely when accepting the award and hugged his parents tightly afterwards, staying for pictures and thanking old friends who came to watch him compete one final time on Knox County’s biggest stage.
“He’s on cloud nine right now,” his mother, Karen, said after the competition.
As May said when explaining his decision, McKee simply couldn’t miss on Sunday night.
May noted McKee’s control over his hog, the way he kept its head up and kept it moving at the same time, which was something that showmen of all age groups struggle with. He noted how McKee always found a way to make his hog stand out, consistently making himself visible to the judge.
“When all the hogs seemed to go one way, he would go the other (way),” May told the crowd.
McKee gave most of the credit to his hog, who he said “never gave up” on him.
“It feels unbelievable,” McKee said while leaving the arena, still in shock nearly 30 minutes after competition. “It was a tough competition tonight, there were lots of good showmen, and it feels great, all the hard work paying off.
“I think I drove my barrow well, he never quit. He just kept moving, kept his head up, and as a pair we worked really well together tonight.”
McKee will now move on to the Showman of Showmen competition on Wednesday afternoon, which will pit him against the Master Showmen of each species at the fair. Last year, McKee was reserve champion in the competition, which is second to the champion.
“Wednesday is going to be a tough competition. Usually, I have some friends in it also, and everyone that’s in there is good at at least one species – some are pretty well-rounded and they have other species (they) are very good at.”
At 18 years old, this will be McKee’s last year competing at the Knox County Junior Fair. On Sunday night, he said he was just trying to soak it all in.
“It’s great,” said McKee, who will be back on Monday morning to show his cattle. “I was nervous because I didn’t want to not win, but being able to win was fantastic.”
The Showman of Showmen competition will be Wednesday at 2:45 p.m.
Age group results
Here were the top three showmen in each age group on Sunday night (the winner of each age group competed in the Master Showman competition):
18 years old
- Luke McKee, Gambier
- Brittney Ehret, Fredericktown
- Bradyn Burke, Mount Vernon
17 years old
- Kaylie Crouch, Howard
- David Hilton, Centerburg
- Taylor McCann, Mount Vernon
16 years old
- Alexis McMullen, Gambier
- Dylan Severns, Mount Vernon
- Maria McKinley, Fredericktown
15 years old
- Hannah Chadwick, Butler
- Gavin Burke, Mount Vernon
- Lydia Stute, Mount Vernon
14 years old
- Anna Patterson, Fredericktown
- Kendall Mortimer, Butler
- Alexandria Magers, Howard
13 years old
- Emily Friel, Howard
- Raelyn Todd, Bellville
- Hailey Ehret, Fredericktown
12 years old
- Bryce Boeshart, Danville
- Brock Stute, Mount Vernon
- Grace Laymon, Mount Vernon
11 years old
- Wyatt Kain, Centerburg
- Jacklyn Auker, Mount Vernon
- Grace Gronberg, Danville
9 and 10 years old
- Ethan Moore, Mount Vernon
- Ella Bouton, Mount Vernon
- Ella Divan, Frazeysburg
First-year showmanship
- Molly Kain, Centerburg
- Jace Daubenmier, Mount Vernon
- Chase Justice, Fredericktown
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