By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Magic was in the air at the fourth annual Wood County Fair Ring of Dreams that pairs junior fair members and individuals with developmental disabilities in the showring.
On Thursday, that magic was felt by the participants and the audience, but it was also very visible as the partners showed their animals—rabbits, chickens, goats, pigs, beef feeders and lambs—in the packed arena.
Perry Go-Getters 4-H Club member Daine Stearns and his beef-feeder showing partner AJ Fritz were all smiles after the show. Though they were done in the showring, they were not done as friends. They solidified that bond by signing each other’s Ring of Dreams T-shirt.
“I knew when we met at practice that this would be a good experience,” Daine said about AJ and his second partner Jessica Fields. “We just clicked from the start.”
Ring of Dreams was a first-time experience for both he and AJ. After Daine had learned about the Ring of Dreams from a friend, he watched the show last year and signed up for this year ready for the opportunity. The experience was made even better because he and his partners got to show his beef feeder, which earned grand champion honors the day before.
Mike Clark of North Baltimore was another first-timer. He heard about the Ring of Dreams from his pal Lindsay Ziegler, who is the chosen photographer for the show.
“My partner, Kyleigh Baltz, taught me how to show a pig by tapping on it with the stick,” he said.
He was all smiles from the start to the finish as he showed off his Ring of Dreams medal.
It’s a team effort
For Amanda Barndt, who brought the Ring of Dreams to Wood County after seeing a similar show at the Henry County Fair, the fourth year’s show had special meaning.
As a lifetime member of the Wood County Fair, she boldly states her passion “is always the fair,” she said during the event.
The start of Ring of Dreams coincided after the birth of her cousin’s son Liam, who has special needs. Now at five years old, Liam could participate for the first time, Barndt said mixed with some emotion and tears.
“It is an absolute honor getting to be part of this show, interacting with all the participants and hearing the junior fair members talk about this show and hear the excitement and plans that have been made year to year.”
She also loves seeing the junior fair kids’ confidence, patience and kindness take center stage in and out of the showring.
Throughout the show, Barndt never hesitates to acknowledge and profusely thank the team of volunteers and sponsors who make the show possible. The list is long, but she is heartfelt in her thanks. At the top of her list are her parents, Jeff and Deb Bockbrader, and family members Kenny and Cindy George, Brittany George and Kody Huddleston, and Ray Goris and Sharon Feehan.
She also knows, this show wouldn’t happen without ”our favorite Amy D (Dauer). She is known across the county for her compassion, kindness, organization, and communication with so many groups. If you know her, you love her! And you know how much our participants love her, too!”
Experiential program expands
Last year, Barndt started a pilot project to gauge the interest and impact of offering an extended experience for a couple of partners. This year, “the experience,” as she calls it, allowed six sets of partners to work together over the summer months.
The idea stemmed from wanting to offer a full 4-H project to junior fair members, but because of various requirements, a full-fledged 4-H project wasn’t feasible. Instead, they could offer an experience.
“The idea was to incentivize the 4-H mentor for taking the opportunity to show their partner all the ins and outs of the 4-H projects,” she explained. The mentors and their partners spent five to seven times together during the summer where they walked, washed, fed, and brushed their animals. The experienced exhibitors shared their knowledge, and their partners gained a new understanding of what it takes to raise and show an animal.
For Olivia Violi, working with her partner George Stauch was a positive experience. She has participated in Ring of Dreams for three years, and this year was fun thanks to the summer experience and getting to know George and teach him about her goat and the other animals they raise.
The first two years, Olivia volunteered with her rabbit projects. This year, she showed a goat, George’s first choice. jeorge has previously shown a cow, a pig and a lamb. He was ready to try the goat this year.
“Cows and goats are my favorite animals,” he said. “And also zebras,” though he knew showing a zebra wasn’t a possibility because it is a wild, exotic animal.
George visited the family farm six or seven times prior to the show. He first learned how to walk Mabelline the goat. From there, he learned to wash (and dry) the goat and the proper way to hold and brace the goat in the showring.
When asked what she learned about George, Olivia said “he doesn’t like water,” which made teaching him how to wash a goat a challenge.
“I tried to explain that the water isn’t going to hurt him when you wash the goat,” she said.
The most important lesson she tried to impart was the benefit “to take your time with the animal.”
He thoroughly enjoyed walking the pony and checking out their rabbits, she added. They even had the chance to fish in the pond.
At the time of the interview, about a week before the show, George already had his boots, pants and belt picked out. He was also full of lots of tidbits, such as goats can eat poison ivy and not be affected like humans. “Lots of animals can eat poison ivy,” he said.
George’s father, also George, said his son has learned so much. “He always says he wants a cow and wants to be a farmer,” his father said. “This gives him a little bit more understanding of what it actually takes —to a very small degree—to care for these animals.”
“Doing a 4-H project would be hard for George,” he added. “As parents, we want him to have these experiences and this is a way he can be a part of a 4-H project without having to take on the entire burden of a project.”
In addition to working more closely with George beyond the practice and show days, Olivia said the experience scholarship of $500 will help her pay for her animals next year.
Emma Reid, in her final 4-H year, is the ultimate volunteer for the program. Not only has she been involved since the first, she also frequently partners with several individuals.
This year she was accepted for the experiential opportunity and teamed up with Bob Lawson, whom she also worked with last year.
He has shown pigs all four years because he likes pigs.
He wanted to call Emma’s pig “George,” but because the pig is a gilt (young female pig), he decided “Georgie” was better.
“I knew I was going to have Bob as a partner, so he was fun last year. I hoped to just teach him more than just going around the ring one time,” she said.
The summer experience proved valuable to her and to him, giving them more of an opportunity to talk about the specifics of raising and showing pigs and to get to know one another better.
Bob, also known as “Bobby” and “Bobbo” doesn’t know a stranger, but he appreciated working with Emma and getting to know more about her and the animals.
“Now he’s learned to wash her, condition her, and brush her—all the things for hair care,” Emma explained. The pigs have an automatic waterer, so he didn’t have to do that or feed them, since she wanted to make sure their food was properly measured.
First-year mentor Hunter Swartz and his rabbit were paired with Tammy Waddington, who has shown rabbits all four years.
“I wanted something new and to meet new people,” said Hunter, a Winning Edge 4-H Club member, about participating as a mentor. He has six Polish breed rabbits at this year’s fair.
Though Tammy loves rabbits and has shown them before, the summer experience allowed her to learn how to turn a rabbit over for the judge—not always an easy task.
Tammy’s biggest wish is to have her own rabbit. “I have a cage, but no rabbit,” she said.
As a new mentor, Hunter learned how to teach others about caring for and showing rabbits. He also learned about Tammy and what she likes.
“She really likes her videos and to take videos,” he said with a smile.
Other participants in this year’s summer experience were Evelyn Souvenier and Nicole Benschoter, goats; Lizzie Henning and. Samantha Sisco, rabbits; Ryleigh Perry and Ryan Gardner, rabbits.
The group has a booth with photos and posters in the Junior Fair Building,
This year’s complete list of participants and mentors is below. The list includes the names, the animal, and class in which they showed.
Rabbits (Class 1): Steve Smith and mentor Tara Allen; Christopher Schuckers and mentor Skylar Swartz; Stan Feitshans and mentor Libby Allen; Chad Culpert and mentor Mason Jakcsy; Kaylynn Horner and mentor Brynlee Schwab; Jacoby Elliot and mentor Karlee Schwab; Paula Heffelfinger and mentor Leah Vick; Jillian Pearce and mentor Camryn Taylor; Samantha Eaton and mentor Jillian Swartz; Hollie Duncan and mentor Mara Bankey; Samantha Sisco and mentor Lizzie Henning; Ryan Gardner and mentor Ryleigh Perry; Jordan Stanley and mentor Avery Swartz.
Rabbits (Class 2): Bella Pratt and mentor Benjamin Henson; Ashley Cox and mentor Skylar Swartz; Cole Nichols and mentor Brady Swartz; Melissa Frizado and mentor Natalie Blake; Embeth Canby and mentor Allie Buckingham; Parker Hoffsis and mentor George Henson; Katherin Cundiff and mentor Addison Hannan; Jacob Motter and mentor Carson Pierce; Tammy Waddington and mentor Hunter Swartz; Heather Jackson and mentor Paisley Long; Elvira Black and Addison Kepling; Lucy Luttrell and Jillian Swartz.
Chicken (Class 3): Andrew McKee and mentor Beau Wensink; Marina Randall and mentor Abbagail English; Jennifer (Jen) Knauss and mentor June Thompson; Jeremy Rieff and mentor Emery Wensink; Brad Dingledine and mentor Mya Wagner.
Goat (Class 4): Lucas Reffert and mentor Dakota Blasius; Emma Briskey and mentor Myra Thompson; Kadence Willingham and mentor Audrey Witker; George Stauch and mentor Olivia Violi; Seth Reynolds and mentor Kinzie Miller; Chris Doerner and mentor Bailee Kieffer.
Goat (Class 5): Emma Bierschbach and mentor Olivia Witker; Tyler Hilt and mentor Tanner Dauer; Arabella Hitt and mentor Daphne Davis; Cole Fausey and mentor Mason Jakcsy; Anne Schooley and mentor Lila McGrain; Kaelynn Miller and mentor Emmie Tillison.
Goat (Class 6): Kristin Fisher and mentor Maggie Bodey; Nicole Benschoter and mentor Evelyn Souvenier; Andrew (Drew) Sattler II and mentor Darla Davis; Judy Huang and mentor Amelia Williams; Larry Tipton and mentor Kaselyn Bostelman; Chris Morgart and mentor Alexis Ault.
Pig (Class 7): Kelby Phillips and mentor Joanie Vetter; Justin Bararoski and mentor Evan Kellermeier; Cortney McCarley and mentor Kaylee Dickson; Dennis Miller and mentor Chloe Moser; Bob Lawson and mentor Emma Reid; Henry Chudzinski and mentor Macie Baltz.
Pig (Class 8): Mike Clark and mentor Kylie Baltz; Jaxson Moore and mentor Sara Britton; Dawson Lehman and mentor Cade Eckel; Melanie Cooper and mentor Paityn Euler; Robert St. Clair and mentor Kamryn Sundermeier; Sean Whalen and mentor Emma Reid.
Beef Feeder (Class 9): Theodore Tahy and mentor Emma Nester; Billy Ball and mentor Cainan Eckel; AJ Fritz and mentor Daine Stearns; Barbara Markin and mentor Janie Lehsten; Robert Mack and mentor Peyton Hale; Beau Galbraith and mentor Evelyn Souvenier.
Beef Feeder (Class 10): Jennifer Dawson and mentor Riley Eckel; Joseph Masters and mentor Byron Bame; Alanna Bucksky and mentor Sara Britton; Kayleigh Brown and mentor Karlie Salyers; Kayla Teetrick and mentor Peyton Hale; Ted Blausey and mentor Ruby London.
Beef Feeder (Class 11): Levi Emch and mentor Riley Eckel; Jessica Fields and mentor Daine Stearns; Lugena Hoffman and mentor Emma Nester; Sawyer Rader and mentor Beau Sautter; Lisa Rothfleisch and mentor Hayley Miller; Sara Burrell and mentor Karlie Salyers.
Beef Feeder (Class 12): Cory Barnett and mentor Beau Sautter; Jordan Doncoes and mentor Ruby London; Stephen Scholl and mentor Byron Bame; Cristina Gray and mentor Sophie Gillespie; Lila Sandwisch and mentor Isabella Belleville.
Lamb (Class 13): Liam Tyson and mentor Elsie Tillison; Virginia Nuzum and mentor Easton Racheter; Virginia Downs and mentor Parker Hanna; Ceili Richardson and mentor Reed Hanna; Kim Paxton and mentor Cora Green; Ethan Sayler and mentor Addy Pierce; Sarah Pierce and mentor Kate Conway.
Fair Board president raises awareness on Let Abilities Shine Day
Ring of Dreams and Let Abilities Shine Day hold a special place in Fair Board President Paul Perry’s heart.
The special livestock show “gives us the opportunity for everybody in the community to be involved in the fair,” he said. “These individuals with disabilities might never get an opportunity to show an animal or be involved in our fair. We can now have them involved with our fair, and they are just as important to our fair as every other person on the fairgrounds.”
He spent about an hour and a half rolling around the fairgrounds in a wheelchair alongside fair office assistant Jenna Gallant, who uses a wheelchair.
“I work a lot with the board of DD (development disabilities) and I’ve got a big heart for trying to make our fair truly an inclusive place for all and to understand what challenges individuals face when they’re on our fairgrounds,” he said.
The trip around the grounds with Jenna was to better understand some of the challenges.
Because the fair was established at the West Poe site in the 1950s when accessibility was not front and center, he knows there are upgrades needed to make the fair more accessible.
This year, the fair board paved some roads and sidewalks and added a concrete slab for the universal changing station.
“There’s more paving that needs to get done for smoother surfaces, and we want to add some automatic door openers to some of the buildings,” he noted. “We’re working hand in hand with the Board of Developmental Disabilities through a grant program to get grant funding for some of these projects.”
He praised Jenna for helping them understand some of the challenges that she faces day-to-day. The wheelchair experience for Perry “was a fun little project that I wanted to raise my awareness so that I know what I need to do as board president to guide some projects.”
