CLINTON COUNTY, Pa. — Before the rides and food stands open at the Clinton County Fair near Mackeyville, you can find 4-H kids like Addison Harbach from Loganton preparing her animals for show day. This year Harbach has 2 steers, a calf, 2market goats, and 2 market hogs.
"A lot of it is just what they need, how to take care of them like how you kind of place them in your mind to take care of them, it learns a lot of how to like have empathy and take care of a lot of things," said Addison Harbach of Loganton.
Harbach won a couple of grand champion awards yesterday and shares what it takes to get top honors.
"Making sure you know how they're going to react to certain things and they've never been in a show arena before or around so many people so they're still going to react ways you're not expecting you just gotta work around all the little surprises, take care of them properly, make sure you keep them calm."
Elaina Naumann from Mill Hall wanted to participate in 4-H this year because she wants to be an animal groomer when she grows up. Naumann was happy to win first place monday morning with her sheep named Rainbow.
"I got first place in my first year and usually that doesn't happen to everybody."
Chestin Moore from Blanchard has been a 4-H member for 4 years. This year he's showing his bunny named Brownie.
"Soft, fuzzy, if it's rough and like—if it has a chipped tooth, broken toe nails that's mainly a disqualification."
Moore tells us it's hard work getting the animals ready.
"Yeah it's a lot of effort, it's not that bad now because I've been doing it for so long."
The Clinton County fair runs through Saturday. Admission is $5 and parking is $2. Children 12 and under are free.
To see more fair stories, check out WNEP's YouTube channel.