2021 Fair

2021 Logan County Fair Lincoln Daily News July/August 2021 Page 47 When all waterfowl, ducks and geese were considered, Judge Phil Bartz called Palmquist out as the overall winner with her little black East Indian female duck. The Champion Waterfowl plaque was sponsored by Small Town Creations and was presented by Megan Opperman. The final judging of the day was Showmanship. Each exhibitor brought out one bird either chicken or waterfowl to be part of the judging. Bartz explained that the showmanship category for birds is relatively new compared to other animal classes. He said he helped implement showmanship about 10 years ago because he felt that it needed to be recognized that there is showmanship in the bird classes just as there are with hogs and cattle. He went around the arena and spoke to each exhibitor. Among the questions he asked, he wanted to know if each young person could identify the breed belonging to the exhibitor next to them. In the end he said that between the four, only one was able to accurately identify the neighboring breed. He went on to say that though people don’t think about it, showmanship begins long before the exhibitors are called to the arena for that specific category. He said that he not only talks to each exhibitor, he observes them, the way they look, do they make eye contact, do they smile, do they speak audibly? All of this, throughout the showing process is a part of showmanship and worthy of consideration. He also asks questions that the person who cares for the bird should know. He said if he asks a competitor what kind of feed they use and that person doesn’t know, then there is a pretty good chance that it is mom or dad who is actually caring for the bird. When Bartz announced the winner of the Showmanship it was Kristina Morrow with her black Mediterranean cockerel. He pointed out that Morrow was the only one who knew the breed of the red chicken in the pen next to hers. After the winner was announced, Morrow said she was glad she was beside Rylee Davison in the judging because there were other breeds there that she would not have known. The Showmanship award was presented to Morrow by the Maxine Maxheimer children Shirley Brittin, Teresa Strampp, Linda Ryan and Dale Maxheimer. TUESDAY, AUGUST 3, 2021 By Nila Smith