NORWICH – “Mom look at that,” exclaimed a young girl as she tugged on the hem of her mother’s sun dress and pointed at a yawning black leopard caged behind thin metal bars, the exotic animals just one of the many populating the Chenango County Fairgrounds. Everything from creatures as foreign to Chenango County as lemurs and tarantulas to those as commonplace, yet no less adored, as heifers and hogs can be found at the county fair, which is much more than just rides and sweet treats.
Agriculture has always been at the core of the fair, which has brought animal enthusiasts, farmers, and county residents in general together for generations. Some fairgoers bring their animals to showcase them before judges in the hopes of winning recognition, while others come just for the fun of it; to see friends and to have a good time. For most, however, regardless of their reason for attending, the fair is something they look forward to year round.
“I love the fair – a lot of long hours but definitely worth it,” said 4-H’s Janet Pfromm while taking a break from judging a goat competition. “I can’t even count how many ribbons I give away each year, I will go through at least 1,000 blue ones.”
Pfromm estimates about 75 percent of the 235 members of the Chenango County 4-H program are participating in this year’s fair in one form or another. Taking part allows many of the youths to showcase their prized animals and to interact with other kids who are enthusiastic about different sorts of creatures. The fair is also an opportunity for Pfromm and the rest of the 4-H staff to demonstrate the value of the program to the public. For an illustration of Pfromm’s point, one need only walk through the stalls of livestock being fawned over by exuberant youths, many of whom will one day be responsible for feeding the rest of the community.
“It’s a fun time and it helps get them ready for the state fair,” said Pfromm.
Karen Hoffman and her kids are among the varied assortment of animal owners who have come to the fair to compete and have a good time.
“I just do it for the fun of it, it’s about having a week at the fair,” said Hoffman, although she did note people had been telling her she has an especially promising looking heifer this year. For her children though, competing at the fair has been a wonderful learning experience which has taught them the value of taking responsibility for other living creatures while having fun at the same. Hoffman’s son has been showing animals at the fair since he was five years old, and will being showing two sheep for the first time later today ... and is extremely excited about it.
Currently there are so many animals at the fair it is difficult to get an exact figure on their total number, but in the agricultural portion of the fair alone there are 119 dairy goats, 122 dairy cattle, 36 meat goats, 17 beef, and 177 poultry, not to mention a dozen or so hogs. Those are just animals from the agricultural portion of the fair. Dozens of other creatures can be seen at the fairgrounds, including creatures as exotic as a capuchin monkey, multiple types of lemurs, a coatimundi, a North American Alligator, black leopards, and red kangaroos ... and that is just the Two by Two Zoo exhibit.
Over on the other side of the fairground, Abbie Tamber from Dogs on the Run, LLC. was offering a different kind of showcase. Tamber and her Straight Chutters perform dog agility demonstrations at fairs and fundraisers. Although this was Tamber’s first year at the Chenango County Fair, she has been practicing dog agility since 1994. To the delight of audience members who tuned-in yesterday for her demo, Tamber and her little jack russell terrier, What-a-Hoot, tore through the assortment of obstacles, tettering on a sew-saw one second and looping at a breakneck pace through polls placed tightly together in another.
“He kept getting into trouble and one time I said what a hoot and my friend hit me and said ‘that’s it, that’s his name,” said Tamber. “We call this real world training, look at all the distractions,” she said gesturing to the throng of fair goers passing by. “And this is the same sort of stuff you could see on Animal Planet.