CANFIELD, Ohio – Several downpours on Friday, Aug. 31, marred an otherwise successful Canfield Fair week.
The rains, which hit hard at midday and again in the early evening, kept crowds thinner than usual, with total numbers on Friday at only 23,286 – well below last year’s 45,000 for Friday.
Total Canfield Fair attendance hit 382,687, up 6,500 from last year. Sunday continues to be the big crowd draw at the fair, with more than 101,300 fair visitors attending this year on Sunday.
Junior fair sales. The rain didn’t dampen buyers’ spirits at Friday night’s junior fair market rabbit, steer and feeder calf sales.
Mathew Maynard’s 1,295-pound grand champion steer sold for $7.75 a pound to Village Sparkle Markets, just shy of the $8 bid from last year.
Nicole Glista raised the reserve champion steer. Her 1,280-pound steer sold for $3.20 a pound to Nemenz IGA.
Overall, the sale of the 53 steers drew in $92,708.25, helping boost the overall sale receipt total to $222,716.18. Without champions, steers averaged $1.26 a pound; with champions, $1.43 a pound.
Steer showmanship and skillathon winners included: R.J. Vernon, senior showmanship; Jeana Davis, intermediate showmanship; David Woloschak, junior showmanship; Annie Houk, senior skillathon; Katie Houk, intermediate skillathon; and Khris Krcelic, junior skillathon.
Lambs. The Yosay family had back-to-back wins in the market lamb show, the first time in sale history that a pair of siblings showed both the grand and reserve champion lambs for two consecutive years.
This year, it was Lindsay Yosay’s turn to win grand champion honors, a feat she also accomplished in 1999. Her brother, Bryan, showed the reserve champion. Lindsay was also the senior showmanship and senior skillathon winner and overall outstanding exhibitor.
Rulli Bros. Market West paid $9.75 a pound for Lindsay’s 132-pound grand champion lamb, up from last year’s bid of $8.25, but still shy of the $12.50 a pound record set for Bryan Yosay’s grand champion in 1996.
Nemenz IGA paid $7 for Bryan’s 128-pound reserve champion, $1.50 higher than the final bid for last year’s reserve champion.
Another set of siblings also battled in the carcass lamb competition. Brothers Brett and Lance Majirsky claimed the top two spots, with Brett emerging the grand champion.
Rulli Bros. Market paid $2.55 a pound for the grand champion lamb carcass; Village Sparkle Markets paid $1 for the reserve champion carcass.
Additional lamb showmanship and skillathon winners were: Lauren Parks, intermediate showman; Sara Cummings, junior showman; Jacob Yeager, intermediate skillathon winner; Sarah Stewart, junior skillathon.
The 27 live lambs averaged $2.39 a pound including champions; $1.91 a pound, without champions. The 18 carcass lambs averaged $1.75 a pound without champions.
Hogs. Julia Flick raised the 252-pound grand champion market hog, which sold for $13 a pound, short of the record $15 a pound bid set in 2000. Country Saw & Knife in Salem bought the grand champion.
Amanda Smith, who also won beginning showmanship and overall grand exhibitor honors, raised the reserve champion market hog. Leonard Truck & Trailer paid $11 a pound for her 254-pound hog.
Alison Knight won senior showmanship; Lindsay Yosay, intermediate; Casey Skowran, junior. Annie Houk won the senior division of the skillathon; Katie Houk, intermediate; Kris Krcelic, junior; and Erica Wilson, beginner.
The 159 hogs averaged $1.79 a pound with the champions; $1.67 a pound, without.
Feeder calves. Jacob Martig, who won junior showmanship honors, raised the 545 pound grand champion dairy beef feeder calf, which sold for $2.55 a pound to Cope Farm Equipment.
Nicole Glista’s 500-pound reserve champion dairy beef feeder calf sold for $1.90 a pound to Hively Construction. Glista also won junior skillathon honors.
Max Sharp’s 440-pound grand champion beef feeder calf sold for $2.50 a pound to Sharp Farms. Lindsay Yosay’s reserve champion beef feeder sold for $3 a pound to County Line and Kent Feeds.
Lauren George was intermediate skillathon winner; Charlene Arendas, senior skillathon; Simon Mihaly, intermediate showmanship; and Lindsay Yosay, senior showmanship.
The 22 beef feeders averaged $1.51 a pound without champions; the 44 dairy beef feeders averaged $1.04 a pound, without champions.
Poultry. Josh Koon made it a three-peat – showing the grand champion broiler chickens for the third consecutive year at this year’s Canfield Fair. Tyson Foods paid $400 for the pen of two chickens.
Beth Leider, who raised the reserve champion pen in 1999, showed the reserve champion pen again this year. Tyson Foods also bought her pen, paying $450.
The 33 pens averaged $130.91 with champions; $111.94, without.
Jeff Taylor continued his support of the county’s youth with the purchase of Kayla Schindler’s grand champion turkey for $450.
James Heffner paid $225 for the reserve champion turkey, raised by Lance Majirsky.
Rabbits. Still yet another set of siblings went head to head in the meat rabbit competition. Erika Satterfield showed the grand champion pen, as well as grand champion individual fryer, while her brother, Matthew, showed the reserve champion pen.
Jeff Taylor, in what he said was a memorial tribute to Flasher Construction, paid $285 for Erika’s grand champion pen and $155 for her individual champion fryer.
The Shurtleff family paid $135 for Matthew Satterfield’s reserve champion pen and Malcomson Logging paid $140 for Hannah Dunn’s reserve champion fryer.
The rabbit pens averaged $70.23 without champions; individual fryers averaged $51.50 without champions.
Goat milk fudge. Angela Riehl won top honors in the dairy goat production competition. Her grand champion basket of 4 pounds of goat milk fudge sold for $110 to Sue and Len Summers. Bob’s Chamois House paid $110 for Becky Howell’s reserve champion 4 pounds of fudge.
