Summit County Fair — New name dominates sale

TALLMADGE, Ohio – Familiar names filled the winners’ circle at this year’s Summit County Fair junior livestock sale: Alisa Shenigo, Seth Hendrickson, Carlena Helms. But one name stood out.
Jessica Burns. This is the first year her name has been at the top of the lists, and she made her debut in a big way.
The 17-year-old from Hudson, Ohio, took champion and reserve champion hog honors and celebrated her first year showing steers with a reserve champion title.
Last year, Burns was one of three 4-H’ers who missed the registration deadline and was not able to show at the fair. Disappointed, Burns vowed she’d work even harder this year, and her plan worked.
Her 265-pound champion hog sold for $4.35 a pound to Leppo Rents, and Duma’s Meats paid $3.10 a pound for her 283-pound reserve champ.
Forty-one hogs sold for $17,422.70, averaging $424.94 with champions and $394.68 without.
Steer prices. Burns was back in the ring for the steer sale, this time with her 1,166-pound reserve animal. It sold for $1.95 a pound to Coblentz Homes.
Holding onto the champion steer title for the third year, Alisa Shenigo and her 1,280-pound animal again took the top spot. Beaver Stump Removal paid $2 a pound for the winner, 30 cents less a pound than the company paid for Shenigo’s first-place steer last year.
Eighteen steers contributed $28,557.15 to the sale total. The average with champions was $1,586.50 and the average without champions was $1,482.71.
Shenigo reigns. Shenigo also kept her hold over the lamb sale, this year taking both grand and reserve.
And again buyers Leppo Rents and Duma’s Meats anted up the winning bids.
Shenigo’s 120-pound champion sold for $4.25 a pound to Leppo Rents, down 75 cents a pound from last year. Duma’s Meats paid $4.60 a pound for the 136-pound reserve lamb, which was $1.60 a pound more than the company paid last year.
The lamb sale raised $2,121.85 from eight lambs and averages were $265.23 with champions and $164.36 without.
Estergall’s goats. To showman Ashley Estergall’s benefit, goat prices were up.
Estergall had both the first- and second-place lambs and Hudson Overhead Doors purchased both. The 73-pound champion sold for $200, $25 more than last year. The 59-pound reserve champion went for $185, up $85 from 2004.
Those were the only goats in the sale and they totaled $385.
Rabbit records? Buyer Infocision and 4-H’er Seth Hendrickson set a record last year with the $590 champion rabbit bid but this year that price dropped by $140.
Hendrickson again had the 14.4-pound champion pen and Infocision was again the buyer, but this year it was for $450.
The record instead came with the 11.4-pound reserve champion pen. Shawna Duncan’s rabbits sold for $575 to Marilyn Wotowiec, beating the previous $400 reserve record.
Seven meat rabbit pens sold for $1,650, averaging $235.71 with champions and $125 without.
Ducks, chickens. Poultry prices were up this year, with Joey Ebner’s 21.8-pound champion pen selling for $330 to Leppo Rents.
Carlena Helms’ 15.2-pound reserve pen brought in $315 from Jim’s Electrical Service.
Eight poultry pens sold for $1,310, averaging $163.75 with champions and $110.83 without.
Helms added to her pocket with grand and reserve ducks.
Jim’s Electrical Service continued its 4-H support by buying the champion for $230, and Joyce Scott paid $150 for the second-place pen.
The two duck pens totaled $380.
Turkeys. Records were set in last year’s turkey sale, but this year prices were down.
Alisa Shenigo again commanded the champion turkey title. Her 27.5-pound bird brought $245 from Summit Racing Equipment, down $105 from last year’s record.
Shenigo also had the reserve champion turkey, and the Gary Whipple family purchased it for $135, compared to last year’s $295 record.
The six turkeys totaled $675, averaging $112.50 with champions and $73 without.
Overall total. Buyers, along with help from auctioneer Jonathan Polcen, got the July 30 sale total up to $53,489.80, about $2,000 less than last year.
(Reporter Kristy Hebert welcomes feedback by phone at 800-837-3419, ext. 23 or by e-mail at khebert@farmanddairy.com.)