Keeping cool a daily chore at the Crawford County Fair

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BUCYRUS — Summer’s heat has taken center stage at the Crawford County Fair this week with temperatures ranging from the mid 80s to upper 90s. With such extremes, the fair board and kids participating at the fair have been taking extra precautions to make sure their animals keep cool.

President of the Crawford County Fair Board, Roger Auck, said the kids know they have to keep fresh water available at all times.

“And there are fans blowing in the buildings to help keep air flowing,” he noted. “We also have a vet that takes care of the fairgrounds. Every day they are coming in and checking stuff. They check the animals when they come in and check them throughout the week.”

Auck also said the kids with animals are familiar with them, and know if they are showing signs of distress.

“Each department has a committee and they check the animals every day and make sure the kids are doing what they are supposed to do, too,” he said.

Lauren Mann, a member of the North Auburn Hustlers 4H Club, has calves and rabbits at the fair this year. To keep them comfortable during the heat, Mann said there are fans in the pens and they wash down the calves several times during the week to help keep them cool.

Allison Cundiff, with the Bloomville Young Riders 4H group, took horses to the fair.

“To keep them cool we give them lots of water and have fans blowing on them. We also wash them after each show,” she said.

Mann thinks this has been one of the hottest fairs she’s been to in a few years.

Over in the alpaca barn, Mariah Cotsamire, of the Kilbourne Klovers 4H club, said, “We always keep fresh water for them and this barn has good air flow through it.

“We also check on them a lot and if their behavior is off — like they are laying down or showing other signs of distress — we’ll give the vet a call,” she said. “We keep a good eye on them.

“We also shear them in May so they’re not so hot during the summer,” Cotsamire said.

Cotsamire also shows chickens at the fair and noted that if they’re mouths are open a lot, they are showing some heat stress. “We keep fans blowing on them and keep fresh cool water for them all the time,” she said.

Auck noted that although it’s been a hot fair he pointed out, “anytime you get in the middle of July it’s a hot fair. We’ve dealt with heat before. It’s that time of the year. It’s summertime.”

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By Jodi Myers

Galion Inquirer

 

 

Kids with animals at Crawford County Fair work hard to keep them cool, comfortable.

 

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