NISLAND—The annual Catch-A-Sheep contest was a hit at the fair on Thursday evening, August 1. A herd of sheep was let loose in a pen, and 4-H youth, aged 8 to 12, raced to capture a sheep, halter it, and lead it across the finish line as fast as possible. This proved to be an exceedingly difficult task, as sheep are naughty animals! Every so often, a contestant would finally get a sheep caught, haltered, and brought within mere inches of the finish line, only for it to go limp on the ground or suddenly break loose and take off. But the kids refused to give up, and their persistence eventually paid off.
First, two heats raced to capture a sheep; the first six kids to cross the finish line in those heats then faced off against each other in a final round. The six kids who successfully caught sheep the fastest in the final round got to take home a 2024 bottle ewe lamb. Generously, Glen Haines also donated an extra sheep for the 4-Her with the hardest luck during the races.
Hosted by Gwen Kitzan of Kitzan Family Farms, the Catch-A-Sheep contest has been a fan favorite for years. This year was the 20th iteration of the contest. Not only is it a blast to watch, but it also helps in keeping the fair’s sheep show full of participants—one of the requirements of the program is that the winners must agree to show their sheep at the fair for the next two years.
The winners of the 2024 Catch-a-Sheep contest, along with the donor who gave the sheep, are listed below!
- Kylee Martin; Donor Lonnie Mahaffy
- Lola Hoffman; Donor Vic Reid
- Heath Wetzler; Donor Jack & Cindy Orwick
- Ella Ehnes; Donor Keith & Brian Frankie
- Iantha Ahart; Donor Glen Haines
- Elizabeth Riley; Donor Joe Burke
- Raya Meemken (Hard Luck Winner); Donor Glen Haines
