The Ohio State Fair 2012

My day at the Ohio State Fair was a good one. I met a lot of new people, saw many good steers, and helped Matt Lautner with his blog. I also saw something very unusual happen. A Charolais cross steer sired by Monopoly and exhibited by Danielle Heinz won the show. The Reserve Grand Steer was another Monopoly exhibited by the young woman I talked about yesterday: MacKenzie Fruchey. The Third Overall Steer was exhibited by Brooke Egbert, and it was a Heatwave. The Fourth Overall Steer was a Monopoly exhibited by Sarah Klehm, and the Fifth Overall Steer was the Shorthorn steer of Kyle Piscone.

The Grand Champion Steer was raised by Troy Thomas of South Dakota and sold by Winegardner Cattle. The Reserve Grand Champion Steer was raised by Brad Linton and sold by Dave Sutherly. Brooke Egbert's Third Overall Steer was Raised by Larry Conn and sold by Goet. The Fourth Overall Steer was raised by Hauke/Forsythe and sold by Donathan McIntosh.

The Ohio State Fair is 159 years old. It began in Cincinnati in 1850. The admission price that year was twenty cents. It moved around between Cleveland, Dayton, Newark, Columbus, Sandusky, Zanesville, Toledo, Springfield and Mansfield until 1886 when it settled in what is now called the Ohio Expo Center. The first butter cow, an item that is amazing to those of us from the South, was put on display in 1903. It was cancelled from 1942- 1945 because of World War II, and the facility was leased to the war department for one dollar a year.

Ohio is a lot like my home state of Texas in that it is now going through horribly dry conditions such as those we suffered through last year. The drought has taken a toll on crops, cattle and trees. It is also like my home state in that the people have a spirit which will overcome all obstacles.

I am off today to Indianapolis for the Indiana State Fair. By the way, office staff, I found two very nice young people to help me yesterday, and I didn't have to carry those boxes of magazines after all.

See you later today, or in the morning.

Cherie

Interstate 71, whose docks are used as grooming chutes.

 The chutes under interstate 71.

  

 The mainstay of the show cattle industry....the Scotch comb.

 

Anywhere there is cattle, there is the same routine.

 My view from the press box.

The one and only Matt Lautner and I.