Kansas girl is glad it did
By Sheri Trusty, Seneca County Media Relations Coordinator
Thousands of people enjoyed rides, entertainment, and, of course, fair food at the 172nd Annual Sandusky County Fair held Aug. 19-25 in Fremont. The popular Jr. Fair brought competitors from counties across the area, including Seneca, Ottawa and Wood.
“The fair is going really well. There’s no drama and good weather,” said Jr. Fair Livestock Sale Coordinator, Becky Geyman.
The Sandusky County Jr. Fair returned to its roots and caught up with the times when it brought the Skillathon contest back to the fair as part of the Outstanding Exhibitor contest. Skillathon competitors are judged at four timed stations where they are tested in topics such as animal anatomy and veterinary medicine. Skillathon was once a requirement for Sandusky County Jr. Fair livestock competitors, but it fell away years ago due to a lack of volunteers, even though many neighboring counties offer it.
“The Jr. Fair, FFA and OSU Extension got together and decided we needed to do it again,” Geyman said. “To me, Skillathon is a final test of what you learned. Were you passionate about this? How much did you learn? When it’s fun, you learn.”
Ten-year-old Miranda Dible of Kansas, who was named 2024 Jr. Fair Jr. Miss and 2024 Poultry Princess, enjoyed the Skillathon. She showed broiler chickens, turkeys, pigs and donkeys at this year’s fair. She earned several 3rd place ribbons and Champion Showmanship for heavyweight turkey and Champion Showmanship for her pigs.
“The Skillathon was nerve-wracking until I got in there, but then it was fun,” Miranda said.
Miranda was at the fair with her parents, Adam and Tiffany Dible, who also showed animals at the fair when they were kids.
“Miranda is a fourth generation Sandusky County Fair exhibitor,” Tiffany said. “When I showed, Skillathon was not an option.”
Jr. Fair competitions help youths gain confidence, skills and knowledge, but like Geyman says, those benefits flourish best when the youth are having fun. Miranda’s Jr. Fair experience was all about fun, including the time she spent preparing her donkeys for fair. She brought America and Davey to the fair and earned 3rd place in donkey cart and donkey halter.
“Donkeys are my favorite because they have their own personalities. We call them cartoon horses,” Miranda said. “America is like a moody teenager right now.”
All that fun is founded on a lot of hard work. When Miranda was breaking America, she had to walk her every day. All of her donkeys have to be fed, watered and cared for daily, and the Skillathon added another level of work to her already-busy routine.
“I did a lot of studying for this all summer,” she said. “But I actually thought the Skillathon was really fun.”
Geyman noticed that same enthusiasm across the fair. Skillathon gives youths one more thing to strive for and succeed in.
“The kids are super excited about it. Skillathon was optional this year, but next year it will be mandatory as part of the livestock project,” Geyman said. “It’s getting kids back to basics, like learning the parts of an animal, nutrition and recordkeeping. We need to get kids back to the basics. If we start with this generation, it can only get better from here.”