Preparation for showing animals begins well before the start of the Lycoming County Fair
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep as her father Ed Heyler look on at their home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler walks through the process of showing her Californian rabbits at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. While larger animals are paraded past judges for appraisal, showing rabbits involves the handler relating the animal's specific assets to the judge.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler washes her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler washes her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep as her father Ed Heyler look on at their home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler walks through the process of showing her Californian rabbits at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. While larger animals are paraded past judges for appraisal, showing rabbits involves the handler relating the animal's specific assets to the judge.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler washes her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler washes her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Mackenzie Heyler works with her sheep at her home near Dewart on Monday, July 10, 2023. Like many other 4H-ers around Lycoming County, Heyler has spent the past weeks preparing her animals for showing at the Lycoming County Fair which begins this week. Training the animals to be led and posed for judging improves the animals rating and helps Heyler learn showmanship skills that may be demonstrated in competition next week.
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What does it take to prepare to show your animals at the Lycoming County Fair?
Members of the Pioneer Valley 4H Club and others have been busy all spring raising the market animals they plan to show and sell at the agricultural fair in its 152nd year. 4H-ers have to firm up their plans and choose which animals to show by April 15. Soon after a representative with the Fair travels to the farm to place the required tag on them in order to be shown. A Certificate of Veterinary Inspection must be presented when the animals arrive at the Fair to assure only healthy animals are admitted.
For Mackenzie Heyler of Dewart it has become something of a routine. The 15 year-old has raised and shown goats, sheep and rabbits nearly half her life. Her years of experience are noticeable and handling livestock looks like second nature as she coaxes stubborn animals into position with a method called "bracing" or holds a rabbit on its back in the palm of her hand.
By positioning the animals legs properly she can force the sheep and goats to flex their muscles and display their body structure for judging. Her father, Ed Heyler, says they are similar to athletes in respect to their body building. The rabbits are judged in a different manner where Heyler will explain the rabbit's virtues to the judges where even a broken toenail is a deal-breaker.
Judging begins with rabbits at 9:00am on Saturday, July 15 and continues daily at various times throughout the Fair which concludes on July 22.