Deadlines

Deadlines for the Henry County Fair for June 9th at 5 p.m. include the Pit Master Cook-Off, Cutest Baby Contest, Talent Show, and all Art and Livestock Departments. Entry forms are available online or in hard copy in the fairbook, be sure to mail or drop them off to the fair office 311 East North ST, Cambridge, IL PO Box 105 61238. The gate fun pass will increase to $25 after June 9th so get them soon! 315

What it Takes to Show Cattle

Elissa with her Herford heifer, Velvet

Elissa Dynes, a seventh gradeer at Annawan Jr. High, is excited to show her Hereford Heifer, Velvet, at this years Henry County Fair. Elissa  showed cattle for the first time in 2012 and then took a year off from showing cattle last year. She originally purchased two exotic breed heifers from an online auction, for this years Henry County Fair, but neither of them worked out.

So in December, she purchased a Hereford heifer from a local breeder Matt Johnson. Elissa named her Velvet because reminded her of Red Velvet Cake. Velvet is a registered Herford, which means she is a purebred and has papers, similar to what a purebred dog may have.

Velvet is very well cared for, everyday she gets:  led, a balanced diet, brushed and hand watered. When it gets a little warmer, Velvet will also start to be washed. She will also have her hooves trimmed and be clipped for the fair, a kind of bovine pedicure.

Elissa brushes Velvet to prepare her for show 

In March, Elissa arranged Velvet to have her hair clipped. Hereford hair is EXTREMELY difficult to work with because it collects a lot of oil. So the winter hair is shaved to allow the new hair to grow in. Velvet is brushed about 30 minutes a day, every day.

Elissa hopes that Velvet will get a blue ribbon and after the fair Velvet will return home to be artificially inseminated by a purebred Hereford bull that Elissa picked out herself.
Next year Velvet will give birth to a calf and is to have Elissa hopes will show that calf in the 2016 Henry County Fair.

The Junior Beef Show is June 27th with the Open Beef Show the next day.

Meet Jaidyn

Jaidyn Miller is accomplished when it comes to showing hogs. She was the youngest person to win King Hog at the age of four. Now the thirteen year old seventh grader at Annawan Jr. High School, prefers showing crossbreads. But even after showing for nine years, she is undecided about what the best part of showing hogs is, "It's really hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to it would be when I first walk into the ring with my pig. The rush of the first impression feels amazing!"

Jaidyn Miller has won numerous awards from
showing hogs at the Henry County Fair

Once the weather turns nice, Jaidyn will walk her pigs about 2-3 laps each day and washes her pigs using a special livestock soap and soft brush. After a couple of washes, prolate is applied. She also makes sure she give them the nutrients they need, feeding her pigs a mix of steamed rolled oats with 18% Sunglo/Showmaster grower, mixed with
steamed rolled oats and any other supplements that are needed and makes sure they get proper shots.

When fair time arrives, Jaidyn gears up for a full day of work making sure her pigs are properly taken care of. A typical day will be for Jaidyn to wake up at 6 a.m. to go to arrive at the fairgrounds at 6:30 to feed and water the pigs and clean out the pens. After that, she heads to the mini doughnut stand for a quick bite to eat. In the afternoon, she checks the pigs' water and washes them and then takes some time off to hangout and enjoy the fairgrounds with her friends. At night, is the last time she feeds and waters her pigs and cleans out the pens. After checking to make sure the fans are working properly so pigs don't overheat, she heads home for the night around 9 and 10 p.m., but Jaidyn mentions when she isn't competing, her schedule is a bit different. 

"If it's the day of the show, I spend most of the day showing."

Jaidyn Miller shows one of her pigs at the Henry County Fair

She says the special part about the Henry County Fair is the family atmosphere. "

I feel like I have two families, my actual family and my fair-family. All the fair board members and volunteers do everything they can to make the fair 'family friendly,' and I think they do a great job of it!"

Be sure to take time to stop by the hog barn and check out Jaidyn's hogs!