Sisters 4-H kids shine at Deschutes County Fair

Sisters 4-H participants displayed their prize rabbits, dogs, sheep, pigs and photos at the Deschutes County Fair last week. Plenty of ribbons accompanied the entries home.

The fair dog show is held on Tuesday, the day before the fair officially opens. (Dogs are not allowed on the grounds during the fair.)

The Sisters dog club, The Happy Hounds, is led by Jan Gould, who breeds and shows miniature Australian Shepherds. Her Sisters club members, who all showed in the junior division, are Casey Apregan, Anna Peasley, Kayti Schlatter, Sonya Lund and Cooper Gould. Erin Dow is also a member, but her dog developed some health problems just prior to the fair.

The dog show consists of showmanship, obedience and rally obedience classes. In showmanship the handlers are judged, but it's the dogs who are on the line in the obedience classes.

Rally obedience was new this year. In this competition, participants work their way around different stations. A set of written instructions at each station sets a task for that station. For instance, one might be a 360-degree turn to the left while another would be a sit and long stay. Cooper Gould picked up the Junior Grand Champion ribbon and Anna Peasely was Junior Reserve Grand Champion.

Gould was Reserve Grand Champion in the pre-novice obedience class.

Club members have a variety of dog breeds. There is a mini-Aussie, a Lab, a Jack Russell terrier, a 90-pound mixed breed dog, and a large King Shepherd.

Rabbits are a popular 4-H project, and four young women from Sisters are members of a Bend club, the Bend Rabbit Raisers.

Kaitlyn Boswell was at her second fair, showing in the junior division. She shows Holland Lop and Mini Lop breeds, unusual looking rabbits with sweet, broad faces, floppy ears and incredibly soft fur. She brought home three champion and two reserve champion ribbons, all in the conformation classes.

Sianna Flowers and Tessa O'Hern were at their first fair, and brought home a collection of blue ribbons in conformation and showmanship. Flowers shows a Polish and a Havana rabbit; O'Hern shows a Holland Lop.

Anna Weiss shows in the senior division, and she bought home the reserve champion showmanship ribbon.

Sisters entries were a bit sparse in the sheep and swine barns. The Cyrus family had market lambs and production ewes in the sheep barn. Alexander Cyrus had the champion spring ram, and the champion and reserve champion production ewes. Aubrey Cyrus's production ewe captured blue ribbons, and William Cyrus brought home a blue ribbon in showmanship.

There was a bit of controversy over in the swine barn. Many more entries than usual didn't make the cut in the market class, so there were a few long faces. Spencer Greene, showing a Yorkshire-Hampshire cross, said, "The judge was wanting long pigs with a strong build." Apparently previous judges favored stockier pork.

Greene and his sister, Maddie, represented Sisters. They collected their share of blue and red ribbons, and the pigs certainly looked contented, regardless of the outcome.

In the 4-H exhibition hall, entries were strong in the digital photography classes. Sisters siblings, Ethan and Trish Erickson had their photos prominently displayed. Both had entries qualify for the State Fair photography exhibition. Trish had two that captured Judges Choice ribbons. Ethan's photograph of a bike racer was reserve champion.

Ethan, a 2008 Sisters High School graduate, said his mother strongly encouraged him to try photography. He did so reluctantly at first, but a class his freshman year turned him on to digital photography and he hasn't looked back. He is heading to Oregon State University to pursue a degree in New Media Communications. (Erickson also takes sports photographs for The Nugget).

"I've been entering the fair for two or three years," he said. He and Tricia hold their 4-H meetings at the Sisters Photography Club meetings.

There's something for every interest in 4-H and the fair is the best place to see it all in one place.