The last day of the Montezuma County Fair was full of excitement, from the greased pig chase to the watermelon-eating contest to the Master Showman competition. Taylor Garner was named Master Showman Grand Champion and CeJae Snyder was named Master Showman Reserve Grand Champion.
First thing in the morning, everyone who had arrived at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds flocked to the swine barn for the greased pig chase events. Families and children stood on fences surrounding the arena, eagerly waiting for their chance to chase a pig.
Children were divided into age groups, with older children, ages 10 to 12, chasing larger piglets, while the younger children, 8 and younger, chased smaller piglets. The tiniest children in the bunch, 2 years old and under, chased a stuffed pig on a pole.
Parents videoed and cheered their children on as the youngsters battled for their chance to bring home their very own pig. The pig chase lasted for over an hour, with excited children winning pig after pig.
Though one crafty piglet escaped, he eventually found his new home too.
Some of the children who won a pig included Brady Veach, Tyler Mack, Lainie Mack, Lev Loe Tomac and Griffin Hanson.
At the end of the chase, the announcer shared that the pigs were donated by First National Bank and the black piglets were donated by the Four Corners Ag Expo.
Extra piglets waiting for homes were also offered to families wishing to add a piglet to their family.
After the pig chase, the children flocked to the main barn where the watermelon eating contest started. Children, and their parents, took turns trying their hand at being the fastest to eat a slice of watermelon, winning a prize in the process.
Once the morning’s children’s events were over, the attention turned to the pens set up in the main barn, where the grand champions and reserve grand champions in each animal division gathered with their animals for the Master Showman competition.
In the Master Showman competition, each Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion had the opportunity to show their animal again before trading with their other competitor to demonstrate their skills with another animal of the same species.
After running through their paces with the two animals, the pairs were asked to switch to another species, where they showed both animals in each categories. All of the competitors were asked to show sheep, goats, fowl, rabbits, swine, beef and horses.
The grand champions and reserve for horses were Rossi Tozer and Taylor Hampton, goats were Presley Oliver and Bryclynn Porter, beef were Ethan Garner and CeJae Snyder, swine were Kaydence Spruell and Daniel Philpott, sheep were Lexi Simmons and Taylor Garner, rabbits were Kacey Schmittel and Eli Jarmon and fowl were Julia West and Joel West.
The competitors worked intently, showing off their skills with their animals and doing their best to demonstrate their abilities with other animals as they switched among the species.
As it was announced time was up, the tired competitors gathered their animals and headed back to their stalls to prepare for the sale later in the evening.
Prior to the sale, Garner and Snyder were announced the victors for this year’s county fair, putting an end to a successful week and year of preparation.
