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Mahoning County Small and Exotic Animal Fun Show preps kids for bigger events
kids gain experience showing pets
By ELISE McKEOWN SKOLNICK
CANFIELD
Showing an animal at the Canfield Fair can be intimidating to children.
So the Mahoning County Small and Exotic Animal Committee came up with the idea for a fun show. The committee oversees llamas, dogs, poultry, rabbits, pocket pets and goats at the fair.
“We had kids coming to the fair, and it was their first time showing their animal,” said John James, show director. “They are doing it in the coliseum in front of a ton of people, it’s really hot, and they just weren’t having a fun experience. We want this to be fun.”
The Mahoning County Small and Exotic Animal Fun Show helps with that.
The show is more relaxed, James said, without as much pressure as the fair show.
It lets the kids “get their first show under their belt,” he said. “It’s worked out really well for them.”
Saturday was the fifth-annual show. It’s been expanded it to include children from Ashtabula, Columbiana and Trumbull counties, as well as Mahoning.
Katherine Pomponio, 9, of Canfield has never shown a pet at the fair. This year, she plans to bring her American short-hair guinea pig, Angel.
The fun show gave her good experience showing Angel, she said.
“I thought it was going to be hard,” she said. “But it actually was not hard.”
The judge asked her a variety of questions, such as the type of food she feeds Angel and how often she cleans the cage.
She was able to answer the questions, Katherine said.
Katherine and Angel earned a first-place ribbon in their age and breed category.
Her mother, Jaime Pomponio, said the fun show is “an amazing opportunity for the kids to learn.”
The fair is a weeklong experience they may not be ready for, she pointed out.
“The fun show gives them a chance to learn what they have to know, figure out how to show their animal, and practice and have fun,” she said.
Brighid Donnelly, 13, of Austintown, has shown animals at the fair, but never chickens. She will this year, however.
She came to the fun show to gain experience with her booted bantam chicken, Stormageddeon.
“I wanted to get used to showmanship,” she said.
It was good experience, she said.
She and Stormageddeon earned a first-place ribbon.
Youths age 5 to 19 took part in the show. There were approximately 120 participants.