Kid Tracks: Cumberland Fair wrap up

Our time at Cumberland Fair last week is a blur since we were so busy with various activities with the girls and their animals as well as our volunteer time in the 4H kitchen. But I can say with confidence that although we were all exhausted by the end, everyone in my family had a great week at the fair.

L. showed both her lambs as well as both of her pigs. G. showed her cow as well but thankfully G.'s show was just one day. Between L's pigs and sheep, she had shows on four different days (including the day G. was showing her cow).

Needless to say, I don't really even know exactly where to begin with sharing our time at the fair so I guess I'll start with the last event - sheep shearing.

L. raised wool breed lambs and her hope had been all along to shear one to learn how to spin the fleece in to yarn. I wasn't sure how to manage the timing of that but was clued in by another 4H mom that sheep can be sheared in the fall. I thought it would be too cold to shear them at this time of year but it was pointed out that many of the lambs at the fair were sheared for showing (meat breeds are sheared for show, wool breeds have to keep their fleece long to allow the judge to evaluate its quality). I was also told that wool grows very fast so they do just fine during the upcoming colder months.

This goes to show (yet again) how very little I know about livestock.

L. and her lamb Minnie made a great team in the show ring. Symphony was a bit ornery which was par for the course for her yet did well in the ring too. But I have to admit that sheep shows aren't the most exciting at the fair (pig shows are the best I think) and although she didn't do as well as she'd hoped with the sheep obstacle course, that particular event was a darn entertaining hour in the show arena.

A 'just for fun' event, L. laughed her way in line before her run on the obstacle course with Minnie.

The "fashion show" (called the 4H Lead Line at the fair) L. participated in involved making an item out of at least 70% wool (crochet, knit or felted). L. learned how to crochet granny squares this past year so she made a hand bag out of them to model in the show. The difference between this fashion show and others you might see outside the fairgrounds is that the wool breed sheep the 4Her raised is also part of the event. It was made clear by L.'s 4H leader however that the sheep was not to be dressed up, just the human.

L. had a great time at Lead Line and was already brainstorming ideas of something to make for it next year. But, she wanted to do that out of Minnie's fleece since several of the girls in the show had knit items created from their own lamb's fleece.

One of the girls was wearing a sweater her mom knit when she was in the 4H Lead Line and the girl made a scarf to match it for this show. Another knit a poncho out of the wool she spun from the lamb she showed last year.

So it was with much excitement on L.'s part that we headed to the sheep shearing party yesterday at her 4H friend's farm to get both Minnie and Symphony sheared.

During the fair Minnie's fleece looked like this: