Follow your nose ... to the Trumbull County Fair

4-H Club members shed tears as they showed their animals.

By MAYSOON ABDELRASUL

VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF

BAZETTA — Be careful not to step in anything near the animal area of the Trumbull County Fair.

People always say keep your head up and never look down. Well, the fair is an exception.

Entering the main office gate, past the ticket booth, a strong odor welcomes fairgoers. The smell is not of fair food or lemon shakes; it is a bit stronger.

Luckily, the weather was cooler Wednesday and the odor wasn’t quite as prominent as the day before, but it still couldn’t be missed.

By following the cow and sheep noises, you can find where the odor originates, and it spreads for quite a distance.

Most of those cows and sheep, along with pigs, rabbits, horses and many more animals, belong to 4-H members.

Nick Aberegg, 13, from Badger can be found in the dairy barn area with his four cows — Stacie and Dot, both 4 years old; Molly, 2 years old, and little Keyli, almost 3 months old.

He doesn’t plan on selling his cows at the fair. Rather, he wants to win some ribbons and trophies for best showmanship like he has in previous years.

Some animals are more than just for show.

Last year’s grand champion for steers, Zachary Sutliff, said he has been in the cow business for 13 years and wishes he could continue, but after turning 18, there are no more 4-H activities for him.

He said he sells his steers and saves his money for college. He will be in his second year at the University of Akron.

“It’s part of the business to sell,” he said. “There is nothing to get emotional about.”

Some 4-H members, however, got very emotional during the first few years of selling their animals.

Ashley Berecek, a Champion High School graduate, said when she sold her pigs for the first time it was really hard.

“I bawled when I sold my first pig,” she said.

4-H involvement

She said she has always loved pigs, and her cousins got her started in 4-H.

Some pigs she is closer to than others, and that is why it is harder sometimes to lose a pig.

“It’s different with every pig,” she said.

Berecek, along with most 4-H members, got involved in 4-H because other members of her family have been or still are in the organization.

The Campbell family from Bristolville is actively involved. Some members have steers and others have sheep.

Janice Campbell, a sixth-grader from Bristol, won a showmanship trophy Wednesday morning for her sheep.

Her brother Nick clips the cows during the fair to make sure they stay looking nice for the judging this weekend.

He sells his animals too, but said he doesn’t get emotional when they are gone.

“I live on a farm and see animals come and go. I don’t get attached,” he added.