Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 5, 1995 TAG: 9508070028
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: ADRIANNE BEE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Electric razors whir as sheep's coats are reduced to piles of fuzzy wool at their hooves. The buzzing mixes with the loud bleating the sheep make.
The air is filled with that farmy smell - strong and unpleasant to those who don't spend large amounts of time with livestock; comforting and familiar to those who do.
Ribbons of yellow, red and purple hang out of the back pockets of Wrangler jeans and point out whose sheep have what it takes.
What makes a good sheep you ask?
"Good muscularity, bone structure, weight and breed," says 16 year-old Chris Summer. His 4-year-old cousin, Lacey Boothe, is "getting ready to show her first one today," he says. She stands knee-high to Chris, and holds a sheep by a harness.
"I washed him all by myself," Lacey says. "It's my lamb and I can do whatever I want." The black lamb, named Jingles, is bigger than Lacey.
"It's hard for her to hold onto them," Chris says, laughing as Lacey chases after one of the sheep with a brush. The sheep is not in the mood to be groomed and jumps up on its hind legs, trying to escape over the side of the pen. Chris quickly grabs the sheep and tells Lacey not to brush him so hard.
Nearby, two girls are vacuuming a large brown cow. The vacuum cleaner is emblazoned with a bumper sticker that says "BEEF."
A little bit thataway the Riley family is walking from the show area, leading their sheep and holding yet another ribbon.
Rosalie Riley, 13, has been showing sheep for 10 years now. She and her 10-year-old brother, Jonathan, save their prize money for college. They made $200 the last show, Rosalie said.
The Rileys look frazzled as they pull on sheep intent on going in the opposite direction.
"Sheep won't always cooperate," says Donna Riley, the kids' mom. That must be the understatement of the day - everywhere you look, someone is pulling, dragging, trying to get a sheep or lamb to follow instructions.
It takes two or three hours to gussy up each sheep for the show, Donna Riley says. Sheep need to be shampooed, brushed, and trimmed.
The Rileys have shown sheep every week this month. On Friday, two of their rams come out at the top of their division.
Seems your average sheep is assigned one of two roles in life: breeding or lambchops. The Rileys' livestock at the fair are all breeders. "We show 'em a couple years, then they go back to do their duty," Donna Riley says and laughs.
Rosalie says she doesn't name the sheep back home that go to the market.
When Jonathan is asked if he gets attached to the animals, he shrugs and says, "Awh, that's the way it goes. Once I took the halter off one I'd named and I knew that was the end of him as he walked away."
Jonathan is the talker in this family, and he has a few tales to tell. There's one about a "big old ram" the family used to have. "It chased me up the field and I shut the gate just in time," he says. "Then it just beat the gate to pieces and came after me."
How mean was this ram? "It even chased my grandmother and she had to hit it over the head with a metal bucket ... I'm serious," Jonathan says.
He also describes the costume part of the sheep showing. Owner and sheep dress up. This year, Jonathan converted one of his sheep into a lawnmower (with the aid of a cardboard box) and dressed up as a farmer to "push" it. His previous sheep masqueraded as an Indian, cow and Santa Claus.
Lacey Boothe was Ellie Mae Clampett Thursday night in the costume competition. Her lamb was just a lamb.
As the judges check out the last of the livestock, Lacey walks out of the pen that holds Jingles and a couple other sheep. She throws up her arms and says, "They wear me out."
by CNB