The sheep show is during the last 4 days of the CA State Fair although my ewes with lambs were there for the whole three weeks.

Mary is a 5-time veteran of the Livestock Nursery.

My main focus of the sheep week is the award given for the Marketing Program. This is a stiff competition that is awarded for the display in the sheep barn. I didn't change last year's display very much but I tightened up some things that I wasn't happy with last year. I also learned to make a DVD with several of the videos that I've been working on (some of which are on YouTube) so I had a 45 minute loop that included lambing, lambs playing, and Farm Club.

 

I wasn't sure how people would react to the lambing video but it certainly caught their attention and most people were in awe.

 

My friends and I demonstrated spinning and drum carding and that meant that we had a crowd around the exhibit most of the time. In fact this year we were given an area where we could expand into the wide alley.

The real reason to be at the fair is the sheep show. I gave Fogerty to my husband to show because that ram is so strong and I didn't want to risk him getting away from me. However, Sullivan didn't cooperate too well. We switched places and Sullivan followed Fogerty without trouble. Fogerty placed 3rd in this class that included Shetlands and St. Croix sheep.

The best placing of the day was my young ram who placed first in his class...

...and then Champion Ram of the Primitive Breeds show.

The most exciting awards for me were presented at the end of the four days.

 

I finally won the 1st place Marketing Award (that's one of the leather banners) and Best Educational Presentatation in the Sheep Show and overall for all the livestock divisions at the fair! Should I retire while I'm ahead?

But that's not all there is to the fair. Here are some other photos I like:

Farm Club members, Mary and Dona, cutting up temporary tattoos for give away.

 

Here is how the tattoos look in use.

 

 

There were other animals with horns in the barn.

 

And other animals with nice fiber.

 

 

Animals that combined horns and fiber.

 

 

But look at the Supreme Champion Merino ram owned by Terry Mendanhall...

 

...and see his fantastic fleece.