Fairly Busy
Bi-County Fair opens with large turnout

By Jim Maniaci
Staff Writer

PREWITT — The 37th annual Bi-County Fair opened Friday with excellent participation and crowds, according to officials. An estimated 500 people were "milling around" while about 200 sat in the show hall bleachers and watched the kids parade their animals before the judges.

And that was before the grandstand began filling up for the rodeo.

Admission is free, with a different business sponsoring the open gate each day. Friday it was Big O Tires, today it is Grants State Bank, Sunday it will be Continental Divide Electric Cooperative. Monday is co-sponsored by Grants Furniture and R&M Furniture.

Visitors coming from Cibola County can use N.M. Route 122 (old Route 66) straight to the entry gate or Interstate 40 to Exit 63 and turn back east to Mile Post 18 on Route 122. People coming from McKinley County should use I-40 to Exit 63 then make the right turn on Route 122 and go about two miles to the Fairgrounds.

Today the events began at 9 a.m. with the market and breeding pig shows, known as the "biggies" for the 4-H boys and girls who raise the swine. Also at 9 a.m., judges were todecide about the exhibits with the hall opening at noon for the public viewing of the flowers, artwork, produce (the biggest usually is a battle between the watermelons and pumpkins), clothing and other sewn items, canned foods (in jars, so you can see them better) and baked goods.

At 1 p.m. today will be the market steer and breeding cattle shows and at 4 p.m. the public speaking contest will begin.

Sunday's events will begin at 8 a.m. with the pee wee pig show, followed a half-hour later by the pet show, which in turn will be followed immediately by the stick horse race always a colorful and enjoyable event to watch. At 10:30 a.m. the horseshoe pitching contest will begin, with a buyers' lunch at 11 a.m.

On Labor Day, the fiddlers (country violins) will be the only event with exhibits being released to the entrants starting at noon to close the Fair until the first weekend of September next year.

Result
Friday's results included Kari Branum of the Ridgerunner 4-H Club winning the grand champion market sheep with a heavyweight division entry of 145 pounds and Courtney Spencer of the Thoreau Trailblazers 4-H Club capturing the reserve champion with a 131-pound animal. The white ribbon for third place went to Dakota Shadrick of the Trailblazers with a 134-pound sheep.

In the medium heavyweight class there were 12 entries with six places awarded, topped by Brittany Garcia of the Tumbleweeds 4-H Club with a 121-pound sheep (one of three tipping the scales at the lowest weight in the division). Tyi Jones of the Red Rock 4-H Club earned second place with a 129-pound animal (one of two at the heaviest weight in the group) and Earldon Gruber of Standing Rock took third place with a 128-pounder.

There were two sheep heavier than the grand champion: A 160-pounder by T.J. Willie of the Lucky 4-H Club at Wingate High School and a 150-pounder from Sharissa William of the same club. There were 11 entries in the heavyweight division.

Six places were awarded among 12 entries in the medium lightweight category of market sheep.

First place went to Kari Branum with a 115-pound animal; second place to Austin Enoah of the Bouzhetto Club with a 120-pounder (one of two animals at that weight); and third place to Shelby Willie of Tse Bonito with a 113-pound animal.

In the market sheep lightweight, six places were awarded among the 11 entrants with Robyn Roybal of the Tumbleweeds 4-H Club taking first place with a 107-pound animal, followed by Lyana Thompson of the Bouzhetto 4-H Club with a 109-pounder and LaRae Kendall of the Red Rock 4-H Club getting the white ribbon with a 110-pounder, the heaviest entry.

Top place in the breeding sheep over a year old went to Earldon Gruber with second place to Courtney Spencer. In the breeding sheep younger than a year there was a tie for first between Theron Henderson of Standing Rock and Spencer with Marissa Morgan of the Double Spur 4-H Club in second place.

Among the market goat entries, Lyana Thompson of the Bouzhetto club won first place with a 127-pound animal (the next to lightest weight in the group). Mickelle Lantana of the Double Spur 4-H Club was second with a 140-pounder. Third place went to Tyi Jones with a 126-pound entry.