Jr. Fair members try to earn top dollar at auctions of their animals

CANFIELD

The auctioneer’s rapid-fire shouts boomed through the coliseum, where hundreds of people had gathered to participate in a Junior Fair auction.

Chairs lined the building, and dozens of people peered down from balcony seats as Junior Fair members smilingly showed off the animals they had hand-raised for several months.

The auctions – which take place Thursday, Friday and Sunday at the Canfield Fair – are the culmination of months of hard work for hundreds of Junior Fair members. Junior Fair members sell lambs, goats, pigs, poultry, cows and more.

Ward Campbell, the fair director who oversees Junior Fair, explained that Junior Fair members who show animals typically get their animals in the spring or summer before the fair. Participants first show their animals, which are judged.

“You will see the kids who did the most work, made the most contacts, get the highest prices for their animals,” he said.

“A lot of them get up in the morning before school and take care of their animals,” he said. “They have to show themselves off to the best advantage to the judges.”

Read more about the event in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.