Over 100 animals displayed at Old Fort show

More than 100 farm animals herded into Fort Scott during a recent farm animal show for area youth, event organizers said Friday.

The Old Fort Classic Swine, Beef, Sheep and Goat Show, which took place June 6 at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, was a huge success, Uniontown FFA instructor and event co-organizer Kevin Gleason said.

"We had a total of 111 animals shown by 59 exhibitors from Southeast Kansas and Southwest Missouri," Gleason said.

The event offered area 4-H and FFA youth 18 years of age and younger a chance to show off their animals and compete for various prizes. Participants were able to enter their animals in showmanship events, have them weighed, and sign them up for other competitive events.

There were 41 sheep entries, 35 goat entries, 18 beef entries, and 17 swine entries in the competition. All animals were judged by Tim Davis of Eureka, Kan.

Showmanship events were divided into three divisions; seniors 14 years of age and older, juniors 13 years of age and younger, and a mentor class for contestants who needed one-on-one help with showing his or her animal. In this division, each contestant is paired with an experienced showman or adult who gives the participant pointers during the event, Gleason said.

The grand winners and reserve winners of each species each received a special chair featuring the name and logo of the contest. Bourbon County winners included Alex Miller representing the Uniontown FFA chapter whose cattle entry won the Grand Champion Steer prize. The Grand Champion Meat Goat and Grand Lamb prizes were awarded to Haley Melton representing the Barnstormers 4-H Club.

All showmanship participants also received prizes. Cash prizes were awarded to the top three winners in each class.

"We presented an award to each exhibitor," Gleason said. "For example, 50-pound salt blocks from Tractor Supply (were awarded) to each beef exhibitor. The sheep and goat exhibitors received a chamois and each swine exhibitor received a small face brush."

The awards were sponsored primarily by generous donations from Klein Products of Fort Scott and the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. Prizes that were presented to winners in each division were donated by the Producers Coop of Girard, Terry and Chris' Show pigs, and Chase and Reed's Feeds, Gleason said.

The show is a collaborative effort of the Bronaugh, Mo. FFA chapter, the Fort Scott FFA chapter, the Uniontown FFA chapter, and some local community livestock supporters.