Photos from this year's 4-H Fair in Rock County.
Jenna Olson of Porter 4-H and her Supreme Champion Dairy Cow "Lizbit." The cow is a 4-year-old Jersey.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Sarah Adamson of Milton 4-H and her Best In Show Senior Doe "Delana." Delana is a 3-year-old Lamancha.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Braden Wiser, a stoic soft spoken 6-year-old from Evansville, gets his face painted at the fair on Friday. One of the Rock County 4-H Fair Royalty, Erica Ballmer of Janesville, painted faces for free for a line of kids well into the afternoon.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Judge Mike Holschbach was up to his shoulders in a deluge of cows today as he went through a variety of different classes in the pavilion. Those that knew Holschbach remarked that his judging style was "well thought out," and "pensive" but that meant fair and intelligent judging.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Ike Rebout of Clinton looks at what he called the "sad state" of the corn at the fair this year. "You know its a bad year when a 1st [place] looks like that." Droughts not only effected farmers this year but kids who were farming for show as well.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Elizabeth Kalk of Clinton 4-H takes King Arthur, a cornish rock hen, out for a stroll around the poultry barn. It was Clinton's turn to watch over the barn but Kalk took the opportunity to bring out King Arthur, one of the most sociable chickens she and her family have every seen.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Regan Flickinger looks on as his mother Angie shows him how to milk a goat at the goat milking station in the dairy goat barn on Friday. Most kids were a little too skittish to reach in and try, and the ones that were overeager had a hard time getting the hang of it but walked away with big smiles.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Scott Owen of Chambers and Owen holds up his bid card after making the winning bid on a pig during the Rock County 4-H Fair meat animal sale on Friday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Cody Kleven of Harmony 4-H gets a little help from his niece Emma Syverson, 5, during the meat sale at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Ring man Lee Twist recognizes a bid during the Meat Animal Sale at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Krissa Stork of Lima 4-H trims the top line on her winter yearling registered Holstein "Garnet" in preparation for showing at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Sarina Smith with Clinton 4-H feeds Oreo cookies to her Oberhasli dairy goat "Layla" while relaxing in the goat barn on Friday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
From left, Mack Straight, of LaPrairie 4-H, Jorie Andrew, of Magnolia 4-H and Hayden Funk, of LaPrairie 4-H, play around under a colorful blanket in the pig barn at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Friday. Straight and Andrew met at the Rock County 4-H Fair in 2010 and have been dating ever since.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Cade Austin won Grand Champion Steer in his first year showing at 9-years-old, as a member of Milton FFA.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Lines were long for a chance to ride "Tornado" at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Thursday.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
State Senator Tim Cullen spent time on Thursday talking to constituents like Dan Enloe of Janesville, just a day after leaving the Senate Democratic Caucus.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
It has been said that goats will eat anything, but for Ginger, the preferred food is Fritos. Jennifer Jacobus of Milton FFA has raised Ginger and her kid since both were babies. Ginger was 3 days old when Jacobus got her for her birthday.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Lila Grath checks out the baby pheasant that have all been born since Tuesday as her mother Tamryn looks on.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Eleven-year-old Malcom Johnson takes his winter yearling, Ritzy, out for a stroll around the stock pavilion. Johnson was the sheep reserve champion overall this year, but works with his yearling and does chickens as well at the fair.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Chad Hermanson shows off his specialized wheelchair, made for the outdoors. "It gives you your independence back," he said. "You don't have to wait anymore for your friends to call to go hunting, you just go yourself."
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Cheyanna Becherer (15) of Brodhead lets her 5-year-old horse Daisy stretch her legs after a long day being cooped up in the barn. With the steer walking past all morning to be judged, Daisy couldn't get out and exercise like normal. Finally, she was able to put on a show in the afternoon thanks to hard work from Becherer who trained the horse herself.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Over and over 13-year-old Jared Quinn of Janesville took target at a steer head that was embedded in a bale of hay. Over and over Quinn would hit his target, missing rarely. For Quinn, showing pigs is part of the fair, but after working on his rope skills for 3 years, he has bigger aspirations. "I want to be a professional in the rodeo. I'll maybe have to fight bulls too." When asked if he had time for a few questions he said, "I'll be here all day."
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Many might think meat when they think of what the animals at the fair provide, but for Laurie Pernot of Frene Creek Farm in Janesville, the end goal is all about fibers. The farm has a variety of sheep, alpaca, goats, and even dogs that are used for fiber and hand spun into yarn.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
She might be a Grand Champion goat, but Onna, an intermediate kid, doesn't always behave. During the middle of judging the dairy goats, Onna jumped the gate and fell into Hannah Schilts' lap. "They're very attached," said Schilts, after giving her goat a kiss on the nose.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Jake Grayless, left, of Spring Valley and Josh Ponkauskas and Hannah Halterman both of Plymouth play "Go Fish" to pass the time at the fair. Halterman said, "Everybody's here! We wouldn't see each other normally," but the fair becomes a social gathering for a lot of kids.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Katie Bergs of Clinton FFA trims the underside of her 3-year-old dairy cow, while getting ready for the upcoming show on Thursday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Clayton Robbins, 6, gets up close and personal with a dairy goat at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Thursday. His sister Jordan Robbins is in Johnstown 4-H and showed 4 goats at the fair.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Carter Campbell, 2, of Janesville, takes dead aim at the Gold Fish Game as he and his mother Tanya Campbell tossed 60 ping pong balls and won 3 fish at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Thursday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
The Fire Ball ride reflects in a puddle left over from an overnight storm at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Thursday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Savannah Skinner of Bradford 4-H leans on her Yorkshire pig Coco and pets her Berkshire pig Snickers at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Thursday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Brenna Chesmore helps out her fellow Parkview FFA member Haley Hedgecock and curls her hair in a dairy cow barn at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Thursday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Haley Koehn makes her self comfortable on her show box while chatting with Bronte Adamson and waiting to show their pigs at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Wednesday. Both are members of Milton FFA.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Jessica Duoss of Milton FFA, 19, with her Grand champion market wether lamb.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
This year's grand champion hog was a heavyweight cross-bred shown by Noah Morris of Clinton.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
From left, Hailey Rowley of Orfordville reacts after a false start as Kyslee Schliem and Lizzy Farrey start their racers down the ramp at the vegetable races at the Rock County 4-H Fair in Janesville on Wednesday. The free activity was provided for the first time this year to offer children an alternative to costlier rides.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Cassidy Punzel of Badger 4-H volunteered her time to help take notes for judges as they taste test the baked goods submitted by kids for competition.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Fair-goers thrill to one of the many rides at the Rock County 4-H Fair. Some rides push the speed limits that people are comfortable with, but the kids here find it all in good fun.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Patti Weitzel (left) and Lydia Wickersham (right) watch the "diving ducklings" in one of the tents on the fairgrounds. It was almost irresistible for kids and adults alike to stop themselves from petting the young ducklings.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Mallorie Phalin of Evansville FFA preps her dairy cow for her evening milking on the first full day of the Rock County 4-H Fair. The line to milk was out the door and far down the side of the barn, with kids running through to prepare to show rabbits
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Douglas Moy of Magnolia 4-H works to clean off and cool down his Dairy Cow on Wednesday.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Rachel Gerbitz, of LaPrairie 4-H, sports a pair of holstein-pattern boots at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Wednesday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
James Wellnitz, of Parkview FFA, stays cool at the Rock County 4-H Fair by curling up for a nap alongside his friend's cow "Fantasy" on Wednesday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Makenzie Abey of Evansville FFA hoses down "Percept," her friend Mallorie Phalin's brown Swiss dairy cow, while trying to keep the animal cool at the Rock County 4-H Fair on Wednesday.
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Photo By: Dan Lassiter
Nastassja Bates channels Whitney Houston in a powerful rendition of "I Will Always Love You" as the first performer at this year's STAR contest at the Rock County 4-H Fair.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Amber Annen is rolling in the dough after singing Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and taking home first place in this years STAR contest.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Jon Jennings of Milton FFA and Lauren Metcalf of Milton this year's King and Queen of the Rock County 4-H Fair.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Last year's Rock County 4-H Queen, Sydney Beaty of Milton congratulates Lauren Metcalf of Milton, this year's Queen.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
From left, Erica Schwenn, Jorie Andrew and Kody Trewicki of Magnolia 4-H aren’t too worried about dealing with a little hog wash in a pig pen. The trio worked to cool off their animals in the extreme heat of move-in day for the Rock County 4-H Fair on Monday in Janesville.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Monday was a busy day as kids moved their animals into pens at the Rock County 4-H Fairgrounds in Janesville. Andrew Keehn, left, found some didn’t move quite as fast as others as he struggled to move one of his hogs off the trailer. Monday’s heat compounded the difficulties of traveling from the town of Fulton, which caused exhaustion in a lot of the pigs. The prescription for the day proved to be a lot of water and cold showers for the overheated hogs.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Todd Elrod of Nature's Touch Inc. landscaping wrapped up setting up his display on the fairgrounds and returned to Gate 4, a side project for some time for the company. They donated the materials and labor to renovate the old entrance and Elrod takes pride in the finer details here.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Lifting and fixing heavy fans is a light workload for Caleb Martia, compared to the estimated 120 hours of work he's preparing to do next week as a maintenance worker on the fair grounds.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
A lot of people come a long way for Billie's Baked Potatos, but none probably as far as the owner George Martin of West Springfield, MA, who bought the business 6 years ago and tours local fairs.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
A lot of lights are out in various barns on the fair ground, so Lexi Christianson of Waunakee is helping with electrical work to help everything get up and running before Tuesday.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Sabrina Hookstead makes up the signs for Lima 4-H's pig showing competitors on Saturday. This is Sabrina's 10th year showing at the fair.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Katie Bergs of Clinton FFA shakes out a pitchfork of hay in the Dairy Barn as Cherrie Stafford of Lima 4-H works in the background in preparation for the upcoming Rock County 4-H Fair.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Caleb Thunberg, working for Berg Industries out of Rockford, IL, uses a gas-powered post-driver to prepare raising tents on the Rock County Fair Grounds. Berg Industries has been providing tents to the fair for years, according to workers.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
In a divergence from setting up the "R Own Pizza" stand in its 30th year, Barb Barthel checks the floor for the neighboring lemonade stand as Julia Snell and Alec Schweiger help set up.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Tracie Held does some repairs and construction on pens in the Rock County Fair Ground. Though a lot of the work will have to be redone with stronger materials, it's a necessary part of the long process leading up to the fair.
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Photo By: Mark Kauzlarich
Time is running down for Taylor Koch to get this small utility ATV up and running. The ATV hasn't been working all summer, but with the Rock County Fair coming up, it's all hands (and vehicles) on deck.
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