Animals take center stage at Dawson Grange Fair
Jakob Darr navigates his Yamaha Grizzly 450 through the mud for a time of 12.048 seconds at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday.
Bradley Swink drives his 300 ex ATV through the mud bog for a time of 6.981 seconds at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday.
Amanda Smith drives her 500 Polaris ATV in the 4x4 only class, in the Mud Bog, for a time of 8.371 seconds at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday.
Jim Guynn of Connellsville makes the pitch in the first round of a horseshoes tournament at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday.
Madison Wilson, 8, of Belle Vernon, walks her 2-week- old baby boer goat Annie around on stage in the pet show at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday.
Garrett Felgar, 12, of Vanderbilt, shows the audience his 5-month-old Wyandotte rooster, Bilbo Baggins, during the pet show at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday.
William Kurutz drives his Yamaha Grizzly 450, in the 4x4 only class, in the Mud Bog at the Dawson Grange Fair on Saturday, for a time of 6.182 seconds.
Forget about dogs and cats, the pet contest on the final day of the Dawson Grange Fair also featured goats, hamsters and even a rooster that wanted to strut its stuff.
Some animals showed off their good looks and costumes while others showed off their talents, including everything from sitting to playing dead. Unfortunately, some were stricken with stage fright and unable to impress the judges. However, everyone was still a winner. The contest features enough categories for each pet to place, including most unusual, prettiest, largest, smallest, most well-behaved, most talented and best dressed.
The rooster, Bilbo, won most unusual.
“I think they’re cool,” said his owner, 12-year-old Garrett Felgar of Vanderbilt. “I always wanted to enter.”
Winning pets and their owners were presented with ribbons and small cash prizes.
Some of those winners made their way over to watch the ATV mud bog, consisting of a straight timed run. Quads were separated into 10 different classes according to size and age, with about 110 contestants. Some completed the run as quickly as four seconds, while some of the smallest quads driven by some of the youngest contestants got stuck. In those cases, the children decided to complete the course on foot.
“It’s fun to watch the little kids,” announcer Malory White said. “It’s fun seeing more girls run and get all muddy. It’s been a boy’s sport for so long that it’s nice to see females do it and even beat them. It’s nice to see them get dirty.”
Winners were presented with trophies except for the children, who were given ribbons.
Volunteer Carol Lowther said this year’s fair has been great.
“Overall, it’s been a really good year,” she said. “It’s nice to see the whole community come out.”
According to Lowther, some patrons take their vacations the week of the fair to attend rather than travel.
“People say it’s the most hidden secret because it’s so affordable,” she said.
The Dawson Grange Fair is one of only a few free fairs left in the area.
Saturday’s events also included a horse-shoe pitching contest, western-style tractor pull and “Shadow of the King — An Evening with Elvis.”