MORE: Champaign County Fair opens Friday
“You have to feed them and make sure they have the proper medicine,” said Dawson Lewis, a fifth-grade student at Graham.
He said raising his three pigs is a big responsibility for him; he had to make his way to the barn nearly every day for about a year.
“We have to go down there,” he said.
Lewis has been a member of 4-H for two years but said he has been working with animals his entire life.
“He has to make sure their pens are clean and that he is taking care of them,” his mother, Joella Kindle, said. “It also teaches him about the value of money.”
MORE: Champaign County Fair set to open Friday: Schedule of events
Lewis made about $400 by selling his pigs last year but had to invest that money into his pigs this year. Kindle said it taught her son a tough, but valuable lesson: making money is hard, spending it is easy.
Other kids and their parents herded pigs to the weight station at the fair Friday morning to start off what will be an action packed week.
The pigs will be showcased to and examined by judges throughout the week. When the kids get to show their pigs to the judges, it’s their time to shine. Lewis said that’s his favorite part.
However, he does have a least favorite part.
“When they run,” he said with a smile.
The Champaign County Fair will run until Aug 11. The events for Saturday are:
8 a.m. Weighing of Dairy Steers followed by Dairy Feeders
Jackpot Market Goat Show, Open Class Goat Show followed by Goat Carcass Contest, PeeWee Showmanship, Junior Fair Goat Showmanship.
8:30 a.m. 4-H Garment Revue for those with livestock conflicts
(Jr. Fair Modeling Pavilion)
9 a.m. Junior Fair Swine Showmanship followed by Junior
Fair County Farrowed Swine Show (Swine Arena)
4-H Garment Revue (Jr. Fair Modeling Pavilion)
Junior Fair Horse Show
10 a.m. One day A.R.B.A. Sanctioned Rabbit Show
11 a.m. Culinary Exhibits in place
11:15 a.m. Garden Club Exhibits in place
12 p.m. ALL Exhibits in place
12:30 p.m. Flower Show judging
1:30 p.m. Homemaker’s Style Show (Modeling Pavilion)
2:30-4:30 p.m. STEAM Academy for Kids (4-H Garden Area)
5 p.m. Jr. Fair Breeding, Scramble Class, Cattlemen’s
Challenge Class, Cattlemen’s Special Steer &
Commercial Heifer Show (Woodruff Show Arena)
Champaign Co. Classic Truck Pull (Grandstand)
10 p.m. Junior Fair Llamas to be in place
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