By Lisa Carolin
A little bit of rain didn’t stop the judging of the rabbits Tuesday, Aug. 22, at the 80th Annual Chelsea Community Fair.
Kolleen Kuebler was proud to share the news that daughter Klara, soon to be an eighth-grader at Beach Middle School, received the Grand Champion Meat Pen trophy.
“This teaches responsibility,” said Kolleen Kuebler. “You have to feed and clean and care for another being that can’t take care of itself. I recommend rabbits because they’re small, not expensive to feed, and easy for kids to take care of.”
Lake VanNatter, who will be a sophomore at Dexter High School in a few weeks, enjoys spending time with her Dutch rabbit Hazel.
“She’s a year old, and I really enjoy showing her,” said VanNatter. “It’s fun to play with her.”
American Rabbit Breeder Judge Alicia Maxwell was judging the showmanship of participants like VanNatter as well as the rabbits.
“They need to know the health of the rabbit, and I want to know their knowledge of the rabbit and how well prepared they are,” explained Maxwell.
Maxwell uses a 4-H Rabbit Fitting and Showing guide that includes choosing a rabbit you can comfortably handle, caring for the rabbit, the participant’s appearance such as clothing, hair, skin, and nails, and presenting the rabbit in a manner that highlights its positive attributes as well as the participant’s husbandry, knowledge and skill.
For participant Sabrina Luckhardt, who will be a seventh-grader at Dexter’s Mill Creek Middle School, it’s all about getting your rabbit used to what they’ll experience from the judge.
“I like practicing with Smore for showmanship,” said Luckhardt. “You start by flipping him over so he gets used to it.”
Below are a list of the winners:
Youth Best in Show: Ben Polens with a Dutch rabbit
Reserve Youth Best in Show: Sadie VanNatter with a Holland lop rabbit
Open Best in Show: Channon Mason with a Britannia Petite rabbit
Reserve Best in Show: Krickett Luckhardt with a Netherland Dwarf rabbit
Grand champion Meat Pen: Klara Kuebler
