By Lindsey Rowland
lrowland@wbcowqel.com
The show to kick off this year’s Crawford County Fair exhibitions is among the most unique that fairgoers have a chance to witness.
The animals in question are alpacas and llamas, which are, in fact, quite different. Llamas were bred to be beasts of burden, making them much larger, and alpacas were raised more for their fiber products. Despite their differences, the two were judged side by side on Sunday afternoon in a group that more than doubled in size from last year’s alpaca/llama participation. 4-H members took part in two different categories.
The first of the two was the obstacle course. The alpacas and llamas were divided up into four classes depending upon the age of the creature, and not the 4-H member. The obstacle course included, among other things, a hula hoop, a ramp, a small pool, and two hurdles. Participants had to lead their respective animals through the course while maintaining the llama or alpaca’s composure.
In Class One, with animals ranging from 5 ½ to 12 years, third place went to Andrew Brause, second place went to Ethan Studer, and Brandon Britt took won first. In Class Two, with animals ranging from 2 to 5 years, Keton Pfeifer won third, Courtney Britt took second, and Aaron Hand won first. In Class Three, in which all of the animals were two years old, Ella Pfeifer placed third, Rachel Cox came in second, and Gunner Christman earned first. Finally, in Class Four, which boasted animals of either 1 or 1½, Latasha Bays placed third, Ivy Stewart placed second, and Senona Evans won first. For the overall obstacle class, Aaron Hand won the title of Reserve Grand Champion, and Gunner Christman was named the overall Grand Champion.
When asked about his experience with the alpaca he worked with, Lucky Charms (all the llamas and alpacas were provided for the participants to work with thanks to local farms), he said that it was a tough thing to practice for, but that it wasn’t really bad and that it was fun to win. He also went on the say that the alpacas and llamas, “Look cool and are fun to see!”
The second category was showmanship. During this section, judges were watching to see how each of the participants handled their animals. In the Junior Showmanship category, Ella Pfeifer was the Reserve Grand Champion and Keton Pfeifer took the title of Grand Champion. In the Intermediate Showmanship category, Courtney Britt was named the Reserve Champ and Brittany Purcell was given Grand Champion. Finally, the day rounded out with Morgan Scheffler being named the Senior Grand champion.