Indian Lake High School junior Kayla Cummins swept the top awards at the Logan County Junior Fair Market Lamb Show and Breeding Sheep show Wednesday evening, earning the grand champion market lamb, grand champion ewe over all breeds, senior showmanship first place for market lambs and grand champion pen of two lambs.
“I was thrilled with how tonight went,” said the 16-year-old rural Bellefontaine resident. “It was a big surprise.”
She related that out of three lambs that she entered in the market lamb show, her largest lamb, whom she calls “Jessie” or “Big Boy,” weighing in at 142 pounds, was the grand champion winner.
“Jessie is our the big baby,” the Miami Valley Producers 4-H member said, whose two other lambs received third and fourth place overall for the show.
Judge Nick Fowler of Kenton said her entry stood out from the others as the grand champion.
“I knew soon after I saw the lamb that he would be a top contender,” he said. “We also had many other good entries out here tonight, and it was tough to choose the other winners among the other top lambs.
“We had a good competition, and I’m appreciative of their work during this unusual year. These lambs would be competitive at other county fairs and at the state fair, if that was an option.”
Kayla was excited to be joined by her cousin, Cyrus Cummins, 13, of DeGraff, who was named reserve grand champion.
CYRUS CUMMINS
Cyrus said he began showing lambs about as soon as he could, around age 7, and the Stitchin,’ Stirrin’ & Stuff 4-H Club member said his lamb, “Desperado,” was a good lamb to train.
“We found his sweet spot,” he said, noting that he walks his lamb each morning and night, runs him in a pasture field and also uses a treadmill with the lamb.
Kayla said she began showing lambs at age 10, and this year also showed chickens and beef feeders. She also is a perennial winner at the Logan County Born and Raised Market Lamb Show.
Also at Wednesday’s show, Franklin Kinney’s market lamb received fifth place overall, and Joslyn Cummins, 11, of Belle Center, won the reserve grand champion award for the pen of two market lambs.