The 2024 Hancock County Poss-ABILITIES Showcase was held on Thursday morning at the West Arena of the Hancock County Fairgrounds.
Poss-ABILITIES is a program which gives area children with disabilities the opportunity to work with livestock animals such as those found at the 4-H fair every summer. This is the second year of the program’s existence, with both years culminating in this showcase at the fair.
Program founder Emily Meckel says the program has grown significantly in its short life span.
“Last year we had 24 kids. This year we had 46,” Meckel said. “We almost doubled in size, which is a clear message there’s a pretty clear need for this, and not just in our community. We had a family come all the way from Zionsville to participate. It’s pretty incredible the lengths we’re reaching.”
This year’s showcase included 24 children and 23 mentors showing their animals to a packed arena, the crowd cheering for each one as they showed their animals. This year’s animal selection increased from three animals, only two of which were shown at last year’s showcase, to five, which all had at least one showman.
Showman Braeden Adcock and mentor Caroline Sullivan began by showing off their goat, Bullseye, as the lone members of class one.
Classes two and three showed sheep, as showmen Emery Meckel, Lorelei Caudill, Ivy Gregg, Kaiden Lane, Gavin Paxton, Elias and Lawson McCormick, JJ Harter, Nathan DeWitt, Keaton Elliot, and Mirelle Caister entered the arena with their mentors Lena May, Isabelle Edon, Lilah Gregg, Jase and Noah Mattox, Eli Kennedy, and Callie and Owen Woolridge.
“His name is Usher and he likes to dance as much as we do,” Emery said.
Ivy, who was shy at first to show her sheep, challenged Usher’s love of dancing as Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” came on over the speakers and her stage fright disappeared and she danced to raucous applause in the arena.
Class five only included one showman/mentor pairing of Kinley Connor and Lane Bassett, whose connection was clear as soon as they entered the ring with their llama, Grace.
“We are very close,” Kinley’s mother Candice said. “We’re almost like family with them. Her and Lane have gotten a really good bond because of working with Grace.”
Candice says that Kinley has gained confidence and motivation to begin walking, something she’s struggled with to this point of her young life.
Lane expressed a similar appreciation for getting to work with Kinley.
“It’s been great. I feel awesome to be able to help her be able to walk better and even get around an animal.”
The experience has also brought Kinley out of her shell, Candice says, saying she’s seen Kinley become more independent and comfortable around people, especially strangers, through developing this friendship with Lane.
Christian Fitzgerald, Everly Belanger, Roman Smith, and Ethan and Owen Land showed rabbits in class six alongside mentors Hallie and Sadie Farmer.
The final group to enter the ring were pig showmen Kynlee Hege, Samuel Kohne, Jo Judge, Mackenzie Blood, Garrison Kent and Carter Roberts, who were accompanied by mentors Rylee Grinstead, Addy Cooley, Lincoln and Luke Schilling, Aubrey Green and Jayden O’Neal. The pigs were the only animals to be shown without a harness in the show.
“It went pretty fantastic,” Meckel said. “We had a great turnout and the kids did fantastic.”
