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4-H For a Day

BLOOMSBURG — Animals are a big part of the Bloomsburg Fair, and people bring the best of the best from their farms. Many of those animals belong to 4-H ki...

BLOOMSBURG -- Animals are a big part of the Bloomsburg Fair, and people bring the best of the best from their farms. Many of those animals belong to 4-H kids.

"You've got to make sure you're feeding them, working with them, water all the time," Alyssa Yoder said.

I wanted to see how hard it is to be a 4-H kid.

"It is seven days a week, 365 days a year. We don't ever get a break," Betty Bronson said.

Well, that sounded a little intense, but I figured I'd try it for a day. What better way to learn the ropes than prepare and show a goat?

"Today's a big day. It's a huge day, yes," Betty said.

Betty Bronson is co-chair of Bloomsburg 4-H. She brought six kids and 62 dairy goats to the Bloomsburg Fair. Alyssa Yoder from Bloomsburg introduced me to my goat, "That," a 4-month-old Lamancha Dairy Goat. Alyssa milked the goats early in the morning. I got out of that. She showed me how to brush the goat. Alyssa also showed me how to hold the goat.

"Up behind the ears even though the ears are short," Alyssa said.

Apparently, the judge looks for good bone structure, so Betty and Alyssa showed me how to position her. Then we tried walking. It did not go well. But it was show time, and both "That" and I made our debuts. Waiting to be judged and hoping for the best. It was soon "That's" time to shine. We led the goats around the ring. The 4-H kids were pros. Me? Not so much.

"You can do it," I said to "That."

The number one rule of showing a goat is to never stand between the goat and the judge. I failed that part.

But the judges made their decision. I got third place!

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