MOUNT VERNON — Dreams come true at the Limitless Livestock Show, a show that has quickly become a beloved event at the Knox County Fair.
In 2023, Ansley Daubenmire, a 13-year show veteran, had a dream to extend her passion for the fair to exhibitors who have developmental disabilities. The Senior Fair board approved her idea, and the Knox County Board of DD sponsored the inaugural show.
Exhibitors showed pigs, goats, and rabbits.
A year later, exhibitors also showed cows, sheep, and horses. Daubenmire’s dream was to include miniature ponies.
Now in its third year, miniature ponies were among the livestock mix exhibitors had a chance to show on Thursday.
“This is the most kids we’ve ever had,” Daubenmire said of the exhibitor field.
Now, Daubenmire’s dream of making the fair inclusive for all is expanding beyond Knox County through Blake and Bristol Hegemier.
The brother-sister team from Marengo shows at the Knox County Fair. They have traveled throughout the country showing various breeds of rabbits and breeding their animals.
Taking inspiration from Daubenmire’s Limitless Show, the pair created the Dreams Unlimited Rabbit Show.
Dreams Unlimited
Similar to the Limitless Livestock Show, exhibitors with disabilities partner with a mentor in the Dreams Unlimited show.
“It’s something we want to share with the public and the rabbit community,” Bristol Hegemier is quoted as saying in the mid-July edition of Ohio’s Country Journal.
“Our goal is to get more people interested and involved with rabbits. We want to make sure there is a future for ARBA.”
ARBA is the American Rabbit Breeders Association.
The Hegemiers will debut their Dreams Unlimited Rabbit Show at the Ohio State Fair on July 31 at 5 p.m.
“It’s amazing to be able to have my legacy going to different fairs,” Daubenmire said of the Hegemiers’ show at the state fair.
“I’m almost 99.9% positive it means the world to the kids for them to be able to have this opportunity.”
In addition to the Limitless Livestock Show, exhibitors participated in Pee Wee Showmanship and poultry production show and showmanship. Highlights also featured dairy and pygmy goat showmanship along with the dairy, market, and pygmy goat shows.
(Below are Cheryl Splain’s photos of the Limitless Livestock Show and other Junior Fair activities.)
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