By RICK A. RICHARDS
Indiana Correspondent LA PORTE, Ind. — It was a record-setting LaPorte County Fair last week.
Indiana’s oldest county fair (this year was the 161st edition) had record heat and humidity, and on auction day Friday, July 23, set 21 sales records, bringing in $401,075.85 for the 726 animals sold. That total, while not a record, was up by more than $49,000 from last year.
Brandon Younggreen, whose grand champion beef steer raked in a record $6,700, couldn’t keep the smile off his face after the sale. As he and his family and supporters posed for pictures with the winning 1,307 pound Angus steer, Younggreen said his family had been trying for 14 years to win grand champion beef steer.
“This was the first time in 14 years, first with my brother, that we won,” said an excited Younggreen, who will be a sophomore this fall at South Central High School in Union Mills.
“I’m very happy,” said the seven-year 4-H member as he accepted congratulations and hugs from family and friends. He said he plans to use the money from the auction to buy another steer for next year’s fair and bank the remainder for school.
Fair director Gene Shurte said Younggreen is a typical example of a LaPorte County 4-Her. He said nearly all of the 1,200 members of 4-H in LaPorte County participated in this year’s fair. He added that 4-H families get involved in the organization because of life skills and lessons 4-H provides, but also because of the focus the organization has on the family.
Despite the difficult economy in LaPorte County over the past year, Shurte said he was pleasantly surprised at Friday’s auction. He said the record numbers turned in showed the public remains willing to support 4-H.
Kellee Cummings of Union Mills was beating the 90-degree heat in the shadow of the beef barn with her children, Bailey, 11, and Megan, 12.
“I like coming to the fair,” said fifth-grader Bailey.
“We get to spend more time together,” said Megan.
Both were showing beef cattle, among other 4-H projects. Megan received a champion ribbon in the LaPorte County bred category.
Kellee said she was glad her children were involved in 4-H. “It teaches them responsibility and helps build their confidence.”
Nearby, a group of friends were getting ready for the auction, relaxing, braiding each other’s hair and talking and text-ing. The four – Amanda Minich of La Porte High School, Brittany Fisher of New Prairie High School, Adriana Barnes of New Prairie Middle School and Allie Shurma of New Prairie Middle School, are all 4-H veterans with at least five years of membership.
Fisher, a seven-year 4-Her, said she likes the fair because “you get to meet all your old friends and you get to meet a lot of new ones.”
“4-H is something that once you’re in it, you can’t drop out. It gets into you,” said Fisher.
Even though temperatures at the LaPorte County Fair were in the high 80s and low 90s throughout the week, coupled with high humidity, Shurte said there weren’t any major problems.
All of the livestock barns were comfortably cool, thanks to dozens of large fans, and the 4-Hers spent lots of time hosing down their animals.
And the heat, said Shurte, didn’t appear to deter visitors. He said some 65,000 people attended the fair, about the same as last year when temperatures were much more modest.
The fair’s emotional moment came when the beef entry raised by Christopher Cummings was shown. Cummings, a 10-year 4-Her, graduated from South Central High School in 2010 and was an enthusiastic supporter and member of 4-H. He was Cattleman of the Year at the 2008 LaPorte County Fair.
But in 2008, Cummings was diagnosed with cancer, and after battling the disease for years, he died in June, barely a month before the fair. So his friends banded together to show his steer and raised $21,250, which was presented at the auction.
The family doesn’t plan to sell Cummings’ steer, but the money was given to the family to help pay for his medical expenses. |
