GOUVERNEUR — The 157th Gouverneur & St. Lawrence County Fair was the place to be Monday for 4-H members who don't mind hard work.
Exhibitors were busy preparing for a week of livestock shows and participating in a few early competitions. Fair President Donald A. Peck said that the fair officially opens at 9 a.m. today.
"The only reason we're open today is the harness races," he explained Monday. Because the horses and their jockeys are scheduled to compete Wednesday through Friday at the Franklin County Fair in Malone, the New York-Vermont Colt Stakes races had to be held Monday. The New York Sire Stakes will take place at noon today at the grandstand.
The first event for children was at 9:30 a.m. Monday, a 4-H rabbit show designed to include breed, fur and showmanship contests.
"We've always been first," said 4-H educator Amy L. Sands. She said that events that draw larger crowds, such as dairy cow shows, are scheduled for later in the week when more people will be in attendance.
Despite the small crowd, the children were hard at work feeding and grooming their rabbits as the show began. Rabbits, which ranged in breed from New Zealand White and Himalayan to lop-eared and lionhead, were judged on their fur condition, body shape and cleanliness down to the color of their toenails.
The human competitors, on the other hand, were judged on how well they displayed their pets and answered questions in the showmanship contest. Some owners additionally were put to the test when their wannabe Houdinis attempted to hop off the judging table.
For one blue-ribbon rabbit owner, Kylynne B. Stamper, Gouverneur, Monday's competition was a first. Kylynne, 14-year-old daughter of Kathy M. and Brian W. Stamper, owns 14 rabbits and showed four of them. In addition to the daily responsibilities of pet care such as brushing, feeding and cage cleaning, Kylynne also breeds and sells her rabbits.
"It's a chore when you have to clean out the cages," she admitted. Nevertheless, Kylynne, who has been nicknamed "the Bunny Whisperer" by friends for her rapport with the animals, said she hopes to bring several more rabbits to compete next year.
Mrs. Stamper said the hard work wasn't a deterrent for her daughter. "She wants to be a vet when she grows up," Mrs. Stamper said. "She just loves it."
While the rabbits were being judged, other animals were being prepared for the week's upcoming shows. As cows were led into the dairy barn and poultry sat in cages awaiting an afternoon 4-H show, sheep were hosed down and blow-dried nearby.
Reggie D. Pierce, 16, son of Carolyn V. and Kelvin D. Pierce, Heuvelton, was hard at work cleaning his family's flock of 20 meat sheep. The oldest of seven children, all of whom participate in the sheep shows, Reggie owns four animals within the flock.
"Sheep are ridiculously hard to keep clean," he said as he worked to shear, card and trim a yearling's thick coat. The Pierces use a special soap to cut through the greasy lanolin that naturally appears in sheep wool, but Reggie said that Dawn dishwashing soap and Tide laundry detergent work as well. He has been showing sheep since he was 8 years old.
"It's a hassle," he said, "but I'll be showing until I can't."
The fair runs through Sunday. Today's events include 4-H gym-khana, goat, sheep and swine shows and a dairy cow clipping contest. Dreamland Amusements' midway opens at 5 p.m.
The fair, behind Gouverneur High School at 84 E. Barney St., offers free gate admission with $3 daily parking and $12 weeklong parking inside the gate. For a full schedule of events, call the fair office at 287-3010 or visit www.gouverneurfair.com.