The top sheep and showmen entered the arena to compete for Supreme Ewe, Grand Best of Three Head, Grand Champion Market Lamb and several showmanship awards Wednesday night at the Hancock County 4-H Fair Sheep Show of Champions.
The evening began with the champion ewes from each breed of sheep, which were shown by Arabella Clifton in two categories, Bizzy Baker, Nash Arther in two categories, Eli Kennedy, Olive Malone, Jayden O’Neal, Noah Mattox, Hunter Wehrley, Christian Day, Colten Maroska, Grant Neumeister, Genevieve Gunn, Jase Mattox, Emma Myers, Noah Hoopingarner, Bentley Kennedy, Sadie Farmer and Jake Jordan.
After a few trips around the arena, judge Brad Angus was ready to make his decision. After a long speech praising the county and the kids for their work preparing the sheep, he selected Jayden O’Neal’s dorset advantage ewe as the Supreme Ewe.
Grand Best of Three Head was the next and shortest competition of the night, as Arabella Clifton’s trio of cheviots took home the gold.
Jake Jordan twice, Olive Malone, Lena May, Bradley Malet, Colten Maroska, Ellie Tompkins, Jase Mattox, Eli Kennedy, Baylen Kennedy, Christian Day, Nash Arthur and Caroline Sullivan took the ring next with their breed champion market lambs along with 10 reserve champs. Angus ultimately pulled Jake Jordan out of the lineup to name one of his lambs Grand Champion Market Lamb. Jake will bring all five lambs he showed at the county competition to the state fair in Indianapolis in August.
Seven showmanship awards were given to end the evening. The youngest winner was Blake Toneges, who took home the victory from the first-year competitors.
“I thought I was gonna get maybe reserve or probably just a participant. I did not think I was going to get champion,” Blake said. “I was very happy and excited.”
The junior champion showmen were Owen Woolridge in ewes and Eli Kennedy in market lambs. Intermediate champs went to Arabella Clifton in ewes, her second victory of the show, and Lena May in Market Lambs. Senior champ in ewe showmanship went to Nash Arthur, and finally, Kolton Gilbreath won in senior market lamb showmanship.
Angus had high praise for both the kids competing in the fair and the county’s sheep industry as a whole, referring to the competition as one of the best county fairs in both the state of Indiana and the nation at large.
“We had 20 or 21 different breeds represented it’s not uncommon to go to a county show and have just three or four or five breeds represented,” Angus said. “You get to see the sheep industry at this county in a way that you don’t in very many other places.”
Angus, who is a repeat judge in Hancock County and has retired from most judging, calling it a younger man’s game, described what brought him back to Greenfield.
“I’ve gotten old enough now, I like doing the shows that I enjoy doing, and this is one that I really enjoy,” he said. “I enjoy that diversity of breeds, I enjoy the kids. They got a great staff here, they work really hard, it’s a very professional event, so I enjoyed it a lot.”
The showmanship champions advanced to the grand showmanship championship Thursday night.
