2011 Ozark Memories Day

This is our small town annual festival in Dover, put on by the Chamber of Commerce.  We start the day out with a short parade through down town Dover.  I didn’t take any pictures during the actual parade this year because I was leading The Grinch.  It was his first time in a parade and he did fantastic!
Claire rode Cindy, as usual.   
The Grinch took everything in stride.  No spooking at all!  Next year, Claire will ride him and let one of her friends ride Cindy.
 
This picture of my friend Sylvia in her first every parade, show’s how excited Grinch was about being there!
After the parade, we went home to put the horses away and change our clothes.  Back at the festival, we had some snacks: funnel cake, tamales, nachos and soda. 
I did the skillet toss! I didn’t win, but I didn’t embarrass myself either!
 
They had a men’s log toss, but Ted’s arm is busted.  Here’s a random guy doing it!

ClaireAnna tossed the bean bags.    
This is our town, Na na na na na!   

Beaver!

This morning while perusing my kingdom, I made a new discovery!  Beavers!  Well, at least tell tale signs of beavers at the pond.  We’ve seen beaver signs at the Bayou before and Josh has even shot two large ones down there, but we’ve never seen beaver signs at the pond.  In Arkansas, beaver are considered a nuisance. and the state offers a bounty for them.  They are plentiful and cause all kinds of damage to water ways, ponds, crops and timber lands.  I sure do think it would be cool to have a full blown beaver den on our place that we could watch, but I’m not sure how much damage they will cause if we let it happen.  I’m going to look into it.  Here are shots of what they are up to.  One Maple tree cluster is clearly doomed with a whole section already fallen into the pond.  They did this in one night! 

  

2011 Pope County Fair Misc.

Here are all ClaireAnna’s non-living fair entries!
 
Claire’s brown banty eggs and green duck eggs.

Paper pinwheel

Decorated Picture Frame with a picture of her and The Grinch that says, “To ride or not to ride….What a stupid question!” 

Colorful clay vase right in the middle.

Photo she took of the Grinch.

Marker art of a burning candle.

Sugar cookies.
 
The Wrangler Club Educational Booth won Best in Show!!!
It’s tradition!  After the 4H Dance on Friday night, the older kids spend the night.  This is ClaireAnna’s first year and I stayed with her (on the cot in the second picture.)  Except for having to use my inhaler 3 times and learning to detest the sound of dozens of roosters crowing at 4:00 am, it was a bunch of fun!

2011 Pope County Fair Dog Show

Saturday, September 17th, 10:00 a.m.
ClaireAnna Showed Lucky for the sixth year in a row.  They did great although Lucky decided she just did not want to sit at one of the signs.  The show includes Rally (obedience) and a long stay.  They got a 1st place in both.  (Judged against a standard, not the other kids & dogs.)
And then, for the fifth time in six years, ClaireAnna was awarded Showmanship for her age group!!  She and Lucky also won high point Novice B for a total sweep!

2011 Pope County Fair Goat Shows

Thursay, September 15th, 9:00 a.m.
Technically, there are three goat shows at the fair: Dairy Goat, Market Goat, Meat Goat.  They run one right after the other.  ClaireAnna showed in all three.
Diary Goat Show: ClaireAnna showed her Registered Nubian Dairy Goats.  The dairy goat show at the fair isn’t very big, maybe only 6 goats all together. 
Allie got 2nd in her class of 2.  Bailey got 2nd in her class of 2 also and then Reserve Champion Dairy Goat Doe!   

Here are Allie (mother) and Bailey (daughter) in their pen. 

On Friday morning, all the preschools in the area brought their kids to the fair.  ClaireAnna took Bailey out and let the kids pet her and pose for a picture.
The Market Goat Show is for your market wether or doe, under 1 year, that is finished and ready to butcher.   ClaireAnna showed a 3/4 Boer X 1/4 Kiko wether we raised here on the farm named Icarus.  He was the runt of triplets and skinny, scrawny and pot-bellied as a kid so nobody bought him.  Once he was wormed, weaned and fed, he just blossomed.  We realized a few months ago he was going to turn out pretty nice so we fed him up for the show.  This kid was actually the ugliest thing we had born here when he was little.  But look at him now! 

Class 3 line-up.  ClaireAnna and Icarus in first place.

Entering the ring for the champion class.
  The judge is about to choose Grand Campion.  The one on the left won it.
Just chosen Reserve Champion Market Goat! Big smile!

The young lady who won Grand Champion Market Goat also won Reserve Champion Market Steer AND Grand Champion Market Lamb! Since each kid can only sell 1 market animal, she chose to sell her steer which put ClaireAnna first to sell a goat.  Icarus brought ClaireAnna $500 in the Market Sale!
The Meat Goat Show is for does of any meat goat breed.  ClaireAnna showed Frenchie, a black and white spotted 4 year old Boer doe.  She won 1st place in her class and Grand Champion Meat Goat Doe! 
Junior Showmanship Class: These are all Jr. showmanship class.  There is only 1 winner and the girl on ClaireAnna’s left won it.  The judge told ClaireAnna personally that if he could pick a second place, it would have been her!  

2011 Pope County Fair Market Hog Show

Wednesday, September 14th, 7:00 P.M.
Herswione Granger:
ClaireAnna’s hog didn’t do as well as we expected, placing 9th out of 23 hogs.  She did make the market sale, but chose to sell her goat instead.  She won Junior Showmanship out of at least 10 or 12 kids!
 

2011 Pope County Fair Poultry Show

Wednesday, September 14th, 1:00 P.M.
ClaireAnna showed a pair of Penciled Runner ducks and a single Ancona drake. 
The runner pair placed 1st in their class but did not win over the duck pair in the second class.  If you look carefully, you can see the pair in the cage.

The Ancona Drake only got 5th in his class but he competed against turkeys and other odd birds.  (It’s a weird set up.)
ClaireAnna used her Penciled Runner duck for Junior Showmanship and won!  The judge said she knew the answer to every questions he asked her without hesitation!

ClaireAnna loves to help out her 4H friends during the poultry show by holding birds in waiting and extra birds on the table.  I’m told she intends to show chickens herself next year.  Lord help me!    Holding Justin Walker’s Brahmas.

Helping Dayna Walker with her Cochins.