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 Many
4-H kids showed up, each with at least one chicken to show. Some of
the competitors were new to the scene, while others were returning
challengers. The weather may not have been great, but the
professionalism displayed by all of the competitors was.
The chickens varied in breed, size, and color. Some were on the
larger side, while others were not much larger than your hand. Some
of the birds were white with black around their necks while some
were black with an oil slick-like rainbow color to their feathers.
One chicken was a beautiful light brown color that helped it to
stand out from the other birds on display.
Judge Josh Flees had each competitor bring their
chickens up one at a time, putting them into cages on tables so he
could inspect them. Many of the competitors brought chickens of the
same breed, meaning Judge Flees had to pick one chicken over the
other. Flees talked to each competitor about their chicken, asking
them questions, making observations, and also teaching them things
they may not have known. Even though not everyone was a winner,
Flees did a really good job reminding each of the kids that their
chickens were all beautiful animals. The kids also each did an
excellent job of keeping their spirits up even if their chicken was
not the one picked.
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At the end of the show, however, one competitor swept
the competition. Similar to last year’s 4-H Poultry Show, Natalie
Palmquist took home almost every award, with the exception of the
Junior Showmanship Award. The awards Palmquist received included
Champion Cockrell, Champion Chicken, Champion Pullet, and the Maxine
Maxheimer Award. Each of these awards, with the exception of the
Maxine Maxheimer Award, were presented to Palmquist by the 2023
Logan County Fair Royalty, Kodi Eigenbrod, Elli Wrage, and Ellyn
Martinez. Palmquist’s winning birds were both Black Old English Game
Bantams, one male and one female.
The last award, the Maxine Maxheimer Award, was presented by Dale
Maxheimer and Teresa Strampe. Maxheimer and Strampe’s mother,
Maxine, used to present awards to 4-H competitors before her passing
in 2007. Maxheimer and Strampe hand out the Maxine Maxheimer Award
in honor of their mother to 4-H kids each year.
After each of the above awards were handed out, there was one last
section of judging, this one for Junior Showmanship. Judge Flees
talked with several of the competitors about one of their birds. He
wanted to see how knowledgeable they were, as well as how well they
handled their animals. In the end, one competitor stood out among
the others, and the Junior Showmanship Award was presented to
Addelynn Peters.
[Matt Boutcher] |
