Raising an animal to show at the Grange Fair is a lot of work — from waking up early to feed and care for the animal through the year to bringing it to the fair and preparing to show it to the judges and the crowd.
For families like the Fetterolfs and Myers of Penns Valley, all that hard work brings a lot of virtues that are passed down from the generations. After all, Natalie Fetterolf, from Rebersburg, remembers raising 4-H animals to show at the fair, and now she watches as her children and her nephews do the same. She said it can be a little nerve-racking when the youngsters are in the ring showing their animals that they worked so hard to raise.
“As a parent, sometimes I get more nervous for them then when I was out in the ring showing myself. For me, watching them, it is nerve-racking sometimes, but it is neat to see them growing and the amount of responsibility they can take now,” said Natalie.
“I grew up in 4-H. We showed steers and horses when I was growing up and my boys show steers and goats. I’ve got seven kids and four are showing right now and my brother has two boys showing. They learn how to care for the animals. They learn how to take care of sick animals when they get ill. They learn how to manage them, as far as taking care of them and as far as parasites go. With the goats, the boys help with the birthing process. They help give shots and vaccines. They are there caring for the animals, day in and day out. Gradually, as they get older and older, the more responsibility they get. That is what it is all about. It’s starting out and this is what you have and learning the different steps they need to do to take care of and hopefully someday manage their own animals.”
The younger kids are learning the ropes of raising the animals and handling the pressure of showing at the fair from older brother Micah Fetterolf. At 15, this is his eighth year showing and he said he enjoys the whole experience.
“It is a lot of fun, and a lot of work. But I like the work, ‘said Micah. ‘You learn tons, like mom was saying. We get up early every single day and put the harness on them and walk them around. We feed them, water them, hay them and a couple of months before the fair, we start getting them ready for show, washing them daily. It can be nerve-racking while showing the animals. It is a lot to take in. You have a hundred things going on at once. You have to worry about the judges. You have to worry about your animals. And then you have all the thoughts in your own head, like what the crowd is thinking about you and stuff.”
He said he takes pride in helping his siblings and cousins go through the process and that it makes him feel good to see them do well.
This is Cayden Myers’ first year as a part of 4-H and he remembers feeding his steer, Scar, right from the bottle when it was just a little calf. Now, 9-year-old Cayden, will bring the 1,300 pound steer out to the ring for show.
“It will be a little nerve-racking,” said Cayden, but he said he is excited to see how it goes.
Sawyer Fetterolf has raised goats for 4-H before, but this is his first year showing a steer.
“Sometimes it can be difficult, depending on how tame the steer is whenever you get him,’ said Sawyer. ‘I learned how to fit the steer, get it ready for the show and how to break them and get them walking on a halter.”
The first night at the fair, his steer was a little anxious before their first practice walk around the ring.
“We were walking him around the ring and he had a lot of energy after being at the fair all day so he was jumping and he drug me a few feet,” said Sawyer.
He said he is sure that during show time his steer will do better. He is excited to get the chance to show this year.
“When I was younger I wanted to show a steer, but I didn’t have enough money,” he said. “I really look forward to showing a steer this year, and seeing what it is like.”
Natalie said she continues to be amazed at the hard work the kids learn from participating in 4-H and hopes the younger ones coming up will do the same. She said if they listen to their older siblings and cousins, they won’t want to miss out.
“It is a lot fun. You learn a whole lot from it,” said Noah Fetterolf, 14. “Pretty much you learn a new thing every day and never run out of things to learn.”
Micah Fetterolf takes his steer out for a walk before showing it at the 2019 Centre County Grange Fair.
