BELLVILLE — When asked why she was attending the Bellville Street Fair’s junior fair livestock auction on Saturday morning, Theresa Wallace had one succinct answer: “To support the kids.”
As one of the more generous buyers at the auction, according to others in attendance, Wallace and Phillips Manufacturing made a significant donation towards the participants in the Bellville Fair’s junior fair program.
Wallace said she purchased six animals for $2,500 on Saturday.
“And it’s just fun to see the kids up there,” she added.
The livestock auction is the grand finale of months of hard work for the students involved in the junior fair throughout the week. A very shy Kaleb Thomas of Ontario said he had been raising his goat José since March.
The 10-year-old said he took time to feed, walk, bathe and groom his goat over the summer, and that his favorite part of the program was showing his animal – and the payday at the end. Thomas’ goat sold for $120.
Saturday’s sale included rabbits, pigs, dairy feeders, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, beef steers, dairy steer and lambs. Only champion animals and scholarship hog were shown in the sale ring.
The animals have been at the Bellville Street Fair since Tuesday, with livestock shows taking place in the evenings on Wednesday and Thursday.
After selling her grand champion chicken for $150, 7-year-old Chloe Lohr of Lexington said the key to her success was feeding her chicken, making sure he had clean water and a fan to keep him cool, and holding and petting him a lot.
“I was surprised when I won,” she said. “I wanted to show my teacher and my whole class.”
For many of the students participating in the junior fair program, the money they earn at auction is socked away for their future education. Another popular option is to put the money towards investing in another animal for next year, as is the case for 14-year-old Ethan Staley.
Staley has invested some serious time in his craft, having shown animals since he was 4 years old and traveling throughout the country to show all year round. His hard work pays off: Staley’s lamb and steer were both named grand champions, and he earned grand champion in showmanship for both animals.
“I’m pretty good at judging livestock,” Staley said. “When you understand what a good animal looks like it gives you an edge. But even if your lamb doesn’t look as good as someone else’s, if you know how to show him it makes a difference.”
Staley’s steer sold for $1,400 at auction on Saturday, and his lamb for $500.
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