By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Amanda Barndt had a dream four years ago to start a livestock show at the Wood County Fair that would allow individuals with developmental disabilities to show an animal in partnership with a junior fair member.
The idea was not original, but the Bowling Green High School graduate and champion of agriculture has taken the concept to a whole new level in the three years it’s been held at the fair.
The event started in 2023 with 43 participants and approximately 30 junior fair members who served as mentors. Participation increased to 54 in Year Two with 45 junior fair members stepping up to help.
This year’s event boasted 75 partners and 61 mentors. And with that many partners and mentors in the show ring, it made perfect sense that the arena was packed on Thursday evening.
Even the beautiful new CLAP-sponsored show ring, which added approximately 150 bleacher seats, was overflowing with parents, guardians and community supporters who were there to witness the magic of Barndt’s Ring of Dreams.
At the heart of the magic are the paired partners like Dennis Miller and mentor Chloe Moser, Barbara Markin and mentor Sam Head, Cristina Gray and mentor Janie Lehsten, Steve Smith and mentor Brady Swartz, and Julia Gilbert and first-time mentor Jillian Swartz.
Dennis, who showed a rabbit the first year but switched to pigs last year, decided he liked showing pigs. He learned the best way to show the pig is to tap it with a stick to try to move it around the arena.
“I like it when they (the mentors) show me what to do and talk to me about showing pigs,” he said, admitting he had never been around farm animals before Ring of Dreams.
Barbara was paired with Sam for the second year, showing Leo the goat.
“This will be his last year coming to the fair because Leo’s owner (Sam) is graduating,” she said. Though she liked working with Sam and his goat, Barbara still plans to participate next year.
“Maybe I’ll try a different animal, but not cows or pigs,” she said. “I don’t know if I can handle those.”
On the other hand, Cristina has shown cows all three years in the Ring of Dreams. She likes them because “They’re cute,” and she likely will keep showing them each year.
During her three years of showing beef feeders, she’s learned how to walk them. “You have to go around the arena and have control,” she said. “It’s not the same as showing a bunny.”
Showing the animals is fun, but Dennis, Barbara and Cristina all agreed the best part is meeting new people, making new friends to see at the fair and bringing more people into it.
From the junior fair perspective, Brady enjoyed the opportunity to “give somebody else the experience of being able to show at the fair where otherwise they wouldn’t have had that opportunity.”
He first signed up to be a mentor for the 2024 Ring of Dreams. “I remember when I was little, before I could show, I really looked up to the people that I saw showing in the rings,” he said. “I really enjoyed it last year, being able to teach someone the knowledge I have learned so far.”
Showing rabbits is a little different than most other livestock. “It’s solely knowledge-based,” he said.
During the two-hour practice session in July, Brady gave information to participants that they can remember by the time of the show. “Then what I do is review it beforehand, making sure they know the information because they don’t have to do a whole lot of handling,” Brady said.
Jillian joined in part because of her brother’s involvement, and also, because her volleyball coach is Amanda Barndt, “who runs Ring of Dreams,” she said. “She inspired me.”
Also, after attending last year to watch her brother in the show ring, she was influenced by everybody who supported the event. “When I watched it the first time, I was like, ‘I want to do that next year,’” she said.
The experience didn’t disappoint her. “When I met my partner Julia, she was so sweet and we found out we had so much in common,” Jillian said, such as both liking the color purple.
2025 Ring of Dream participants
Julia immediately connected with Jillian’s rabbit. “But it was more about branching out and making new friends in the community,” she said. “We talked about so much, including that she has a pet rabbit at home.”
Rabbits (Class 1): Parker Hoffsis and mentor Logan Perry; Elvira Black and mentor Benjamin Henson; Ryan Gardner and mentor Lizzie Henning; Embeth Canby and mentor Olivia Violi; Kaylynn Horner and mentor Charlotte Brossia; Rebecca Dunning and mentor Leah Vick; Veronica Vallerill and mentor Addison Hannan; Tommy Rich and mentor Ryleigh Perry; Steve Smith and mentor Brady Swartz.
Rabbits (Class 2): Julia Gilbert and mentor Jillian Swartz; Ashley Cox and mentor Ryleigh Perry; Samantha Sisco and mentor Olivia Violi; Paula Heffelfinger and mentor Avery Swartz; Lugena Hoffman and mentor Nora Cordonnier; Hollie Duncan and mentor Addison Hannan; Tammy Waddington and mentor Skylar Swartz; Heather Jackson and mentor Paisley Long; Virginia Downs and mentor George Henson; and Tori Belcher and mentor Addison Kepling.
Chickens (Class 3): Joseph Bechstein and mentor Cate Brossia; Kelby Phillips and mentor June Thompson; Melissa Frizado and mentor Natalie Blake.
Goats (Class 4): Kaelynn Miller and mentor Sam Head; Declan Iova and mentor Dakota Blasius; Andrew McKee and mentor Addie Brokaw; Tyler Hitt and mentor Gordon Ayers; Jessica Stovall and mentor Anna Ayers; and Parker Whitehead and mentor Mason Jakcsy.
Goats (Class 5): Anne Schooley and mentor Amelia Williams; Jordon Doncoes and mentor Emil Stevenson; Arabella Hitt and Kaselyn Bostelman; Christopher Schuckers and mentor Skylar Swartz; Emma Bierschbach and mentor Anna Ayers; and Barbara Markin and mentor Sam Head.
Goats (Class 6): Nicole Benscholter and mentor Myra Thompson; Kayle Teetrick and mentor Emma Nester; Ted Blausey and mentor Emmie Tillison; Abigail Sattler and mentor Dakota Blasius; Lisa Rothfleisch and Elsie Tillison; and Ethan Sayler and mentor Jimmy Stevenson.
Pigs (Class 7): Anne Bechstein and mentor Sara Britton; Jessica Fields and mentor Paityn Euler; Makenzie Tiell and mentor Kaylee Dickson; Jeremy Rieff and mentor Emma Reid; Sawyer Rader and mentor Trace Trumbull.
Pigs (Class 8): Justin Bararoski and mentor Grace Dickson; Lucas Reffert and mentor Kamryn Sundermeier; Dennis Miller and mentor Chloe Moser; and Bob Lawson and mentor Emma Reid.
Beef Feeders (Class 9): Beau Galbraith and mentor Evelyn Souvenier; Cole Nichols and mentor Riley Bisher; Joseph Masters and mentor Karlie Salyers; Cristina Gray and mentor Janie Lehsten; Lila Sandwisch and mentor Leena Ayers; and Cole Fausey and mentor Bearett Feick.
Beef Feeders (Class 10): Levi Emch and mentor Riley Eckel; Ceili Richardson and mentor Sophie Gillespie; Daniel Wright and mentor Peyton Hale; Sara Burrell and mentor Karlie Salyers; Stephen Scholl and mentor Riley Bisher; and Cory Barnett and mentor Bearett Feick.
Beef Feeders (Class 11): Kayleigh Brown and mentor Leena Ayers; Ethan Frey and mentor Ruby London; Chris Doerner and mentor Evelyn Souvenier; Kim Paxton and Beckley Feick; and Hope Rowley and mentor Riley Eckel.
Lambs (Class 12): Dawson Lehmen and mentor Daphne Davis; George Stauch and mentor Reed Hanna; Emma Briskey and mentor Janie Lehsten; Virginia Nuzum and mentor Ruby London; Asher Grillot and mentor Darla Davis; Samantha Eaton and mentor Emery Wensink; Seth Reynolds and mentor Parker Hanna; Kristin Fisher and Summer Heldman; Jennifer Sue Dawson and mentor Chloe Heldman; and Autumn Riter and mentor Star Heldman.
Pilot project: ‘The Experience’
The Ring of Dreams Livestock Show at the Wood County Fair continues to grow, thanks to Barndt and her always-thinking-of-new-ideas mindset.
As Barndt became more and more familiar with the WCBDD community, the more she worked to embrace and include them in everyday activities. She knew the important lessons that youths in 4-H and FFA learn through raising and showing livestock for a club project.
She tried to figure out a way for an individual with disabilities to go a little deeper than just showing a rabbit, chicken, pig, goat, lamb or beef feeder. She wanted to immerse them in a 4-H project with a junior fair mentor. The idea was good, but not realistic to implement on a large scale.
Instead, she dreamed up The Experience by matching two partners and two mentors.
Wanting to make the first year a success, Barndt picked two mentors and two partners who she knew and trusted.
For mentors, she chose Ruby London, the daughter of Rachael London, one of Barndt’s best friends, and Skylar Swartz, the granddaughter of Amy Dauer, Barndt’s right-hand person in helping to organize the Ring of Dreams from the start.
Their partners were Virginia Nuzum, showing Ruby’s lamb Clover, and Christopher Schuckers, who had previously shown with Skylar and her goat.
The pair would meet five times before the fair, allowing the mentors to teach beyond the basics of showing livestock. The partners would learn how to feed, walk and wash the animals––some of the basic steps and responsibilities of any junior fair member who shows livestock––without the daily commitment to house and care for the animals.
Twelve-year-old Skylar helped Christopher show goats all three years, starting when she was 9 years old. They consider each other buddies. The five meetings with the experience solidified their relationship further.
“We worked on feeding, grooming, cleaning, walking, and even trimming their nails,” Skylar said. “He always has a lot of fun.”
The final part of the pilot program was to create a poster, similar to most 4-H project requirements. The poster wasn’t judged, but it was displayed in the Junior Fair Building during the fair along with the hundreds of other 4-H project posters.
Skylar had the added benefit of knowing Christopher because her “Mimi” Amy Dauer, works with him at Wood Lane Residential Services.
The most difficult part of the experience was finding five dates where both Skylar and Christopher were available. Otherwise, she enjoyed teaching him more of the daily care that goes into raising and showing goats.
One of the most important lessons was, “You don’t need to be nervous, just have fun,” she said.
Ruby, who is also 12 years old, was very excited to have been chosen for the experience.
“I had fun working with Virginia, giving her tips and opportunities, more than at the one practice,” she said. She had to adjust how to show the lamb because Virginia couldn’t walk the animal on her own. Ruby held the halter, and Virginia held it on the other side to adjust to her needs.
“At first, I would just walk Clover around a little bit and show her how I normally do it, and then I’d have her hold onto the end,” Ruby explained. “Once she was comfortable with it, we could have her hold up more towards the lamb’s head. And I’d hold on, just in case.”
During their five visits, they worked on various aspects of caring for Clover the lamb, but they also formed a friendship.
“I got to hang out with her more and learn about her interests,” she said. “Now it’s cool to see Virginia out and about and to say hi. The whole experience is fun.”
Barndt believes that the Ring of Dreams is just as important to the mentors as it is to the participants.
“These junior fair kids are already the best of the best, but with Ring of Dreams, they also learn about patience, kindness and inclusion,” Barndt said.
A start to an inclusive way of thinking
In an interview prior to the start of the fair, Fair Board President Paul Perry said the fair board “has shifted gears to be a truly more inclusive fair to be able to accommodate everybody.”
In addition to approving the Ring of Dreams to be part of the fair schedule, the board also established “Let Your Abilities Shine Day” in partnership with the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The day allows individuals served by any county board of developmental disabilities an opportunity to enjoy the fair in a way that is welcoming, accessible and fun.
“I just think that society today takes a lot of things for granted, and individuals with disabilities often get the short end of the stick when it comes to being able to show animals and do the fun things at the fair,” he said. The ideal is to host a day at the fair for individuals with disabilities and let them enjoy the fair like everyone else does.
“Because at the end of the day, this fair is about that community,” Perry said. “All walks of life in the community need to be involved in the fair to create traditions and celebrations.”
Ring of Dreams is accomplishing that goal with the dream of Amanda Barndt and the tremendous help of the community, he said. “Thursday (Ring of Dreams and Let Your Abilities Shine Day) is the best day that I look forward to every single fair.”
