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WARREN (Erie News Now) – Early mornings and late nights are just part of fair week.
“We woke up at five in the morning. I think we went to bed at like 11,” Shawnee Alcorn tells Erie News Now. She’s a young showman at the Warren County Fair.
Most of these competitors go through these long days just to compete for a blue ribbon in the 4H Animal Competitions. Hard work to make sure their show animals are ready for the arena.
“She won showmanship and master fitter,” 16-year-old Kaitlin Sleeman told Erie News Now about her pig, Princess. For her, showing pigs is a lifelong passion.
“I actually started when I was 8 years old. My family grew up showing pigs. I adore pigs. They’re my absolute favorite thing,” she said. It’s like that for a lot of people showing animals.
“The first fair for us was in 1971, and we’ve shown in every fair since. That’s 50 years,” said Sheryl Vanco. She loves watching people of all ages stay involved with agriculture. Lessons learned while in the barns and on the show floor is something carried through a lifetime.
“It’s not just farm work. It teaches them how to work at any work,” said Vanco.
One equestrian has learned that, too. “I’ve been riding since I was eight, and I got June three years ago,” said Treyah Selfridge. She and her horse, Junebug, are heading to a district competition after winning big on Tuesday. It’s an honor she’s worked on for years.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned is to not give up. There’s been so many times I wanted to, and I just kept going and now I’m finally winning and getting my dreams accomplished,” said Selfridge.
Working toward their dreams with their animals, so maybe one day they can win big, too.
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