Time to think about sheep, swine, turkeys, steer, dairy calves, goats, rabbits, poultry

Have you ever thought about showing a lamb, steer, hog, goat, dairy calf, poultry, rabbit or turkey at the Chelsea Community Fair?

Now’s the time to talk it over with your family and friends and learn how to purchase, care for, and enter one in this year’s 76^th annual fair Aug. 20-24.

Rabbits and poultry are judged Tuesday, in the morning of the first day of fair; sheep are typically shown on Tuesday evening.

Goats, dairy feeder calves and beef cattle are generally judged on Wednesday morning and afternoon; swine are judged in the evening.

Dairy cattle are judged Thursday morning, and the livestock auction takes places that night.

Livestock participation is open to youth ages 6 years (by Aug. 31) through senior year in high school in both the Chelsea and Dexter community school districts.

Never owned a swine or goat or dairy calf before and don’t know where to find one?

Don’t know what the time commitment or the cost of raising a livestock animal might be?

Each of the livestock departments has a club, so you can make new friends and learn about your chosen project and get handling and showmanship instruction and tips before fair begins. Then, have a blast at fair while you take care of your animal, show your friends and family, and compete for ribbons, trophies, and premiums.

Once showing is complete, you can then sell the animal at the livestock auction.

Learning about these farm animals is the objective of owning one, and participants “demonstrate through their project what they have learned through raising livestock.”

For more information, call Fair Board Member Ron Stoffer and he can answer your questions and get you in touch with the superintendents of each department to get you started. Stoffer can be reached at 475-8153.