BltUncMter Fi
There is some proselytizing going on st Calvary Bible Church and it isn’t all
church related. That seems to be the spot where a lot of kids have been
corralled into sheep showing. Pictured'are some of the exhibitors. From left
are Larry and Tammy Musser with children Christine, 11; Rachel, 10; Matthew,
Sheep Exhibitors Increase Through Proselytization
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
ELIZABETHTOWN (Lancas
ter Co.) When Sarah Zurin
bought her first market lamb, her
cousin laughed at her.
Sheep, Kathy Musser believed,
were dirty and smelly.
Soon Kathy was intrigued as she
listened to Sarah and Radell Peters
talk about the antics of their pet
lambs. Every Sunday meaning the
two had some new adventure about
sheep that they talked and laughed
about.
“I’m going to show sheep, too,”
Kathy told Sarah one Sunday.
Sarah laughed. “Not you—you
could never do it.”
“She was just too neat, too parti
cular,” Sarah said of her reason for
voicing that opinion about eight
years ago/
“I was a real clean freak,” Kathy
conceded. “But after Sarah
laughed at me, I became really
determined to show her that I could
do it.”
And Kathy did.
“She beat me in novice, show
manship, and leadline,” Sarah stud
of the friendly but intense competi
tion that was played out in the show
ring during recent years.
The camaraderie among Sarah,
Kathy, and Radell who attended
the same church soon attracted
more people to join their ranks.
Now additional family members,
cousins, and friends of this core
group show sheep. Most live in the
r, September 4, 1990
Saturdw
Elizabethtown—Mt Joy area, so
they all compete at the Elizabeth
town Fair. At last week’s fair, more
than 200 exhibitors entered the
competition, up from the show’s
original seven when the competi
tion first began. Many of the parti
cipants are the direct result of Sar
ah’s, Kathy’s, and Radcll’s
prostelization.
“Our youth group is really a
‘tight’ bunch of kids. If they don’t
show (sheep), they always ask us
about it,” Radell said. “Some of the
others would like to show but they
don't have a place to raise sheep.”
Radell, his parents, Ray and
Becky, and older brother are con
sidered the first ones to become
interested in sheep. Ray is a 4-H
Woolies Club leader. Radell raises
about 20 head of Dorsets, cross
breds, and a few Jacob sheep.
He said, “It’s fun competing. We
encourage each other. You know if
you lose one time, you may win the
next time.”
Sarah is now 18 and a freshman
at Grace College in Indiana, where
she is studying to become a mis
sionary. Sarah recalls that as an
eight-year-old she was totally
overwhelmed but excited by all the
things that needed to be done to
show sheep.
Her first lamb named Max
became so tame that he didn't
require a halter, but simply fol
lowed Sarah around. When Max
was ready to show, he needed his
wool clipped.
\ *
*
t > % *
,r
, *
m ‘
n
“1 hated the way he looked after
we took his wool off,” Sarah said.
Sarah said that lead line compet
ition is always a highlight for her.
She had a few impressive wins, but
she said, “Although I didn’t alway
place very well, the fun of doing it
made up for it.”
Sheep competition was limited
for Sarah this year. She headed off
for college in the midst of Eli
zabethtown Fait. As last year’s
Manheim Community Farm Show
Queen, Sarah will return to the
Manheim Far Show in October to
crown the new fair queen.
Over the years, Sarah and her
brothers Todd, 14, and Adam, 12,
have shown sheep, Holstein feeder
steers, and pigs. An older brother
Ben does not show. They live on a
30-acre farm in Mt. Joy with their
parents Gary and Judy Zurin. Judy
is a dairy beef leader and helps at
the Elizabethtown Fair. Gary is a
sheep leader.
Although Sarah can no longer
participate in sheep competition,
she eagerly awaits news via her
brother who continue to show.
Todd just returned from a mis
sion's trip to Ecuador. He said,
“The sheep looked really bad there,
but you can buy lots of wool clo
thing really cheap."
Adam likes showmanship best.
Although he is only 11 years old,
Adam has taken first place in 11
competitions so far.
With the financial earnings from
some of her sheep placings, Kathy,
8; and Sarah. Judy Zurin and children Sarah, 18; Todd, 14; and Adam, 12. Ken
and Linda Musserwith children Kathy, 18; Michael, 16; Richard, 13; and Doug,
8. Ray and Becky Peters with son Radell, 15.
18, will head off to Word of Life on
Sept 18. Kathy’s favorite activity
is lead line, in which the exhibitor
models a wool outfit and is judged
for poise, control, and the lamb’s
cleanliness. Kathy has won numer
ous lead line competitions
Don Musser, sales manager for Engle Publishing Com
pany, pays $6OO for the reserve grand champion lamb
shown by Doug Musser. At left is Elizabethtown Fair Queen
Laura Miller.
Exhibition.
Kathy and her brothers Michael,
16; Richard, 13; and Doug, 8; have
10 head that they raise on their
parents’ Ken and Linda’s farm in
ML Joy. In his first year of show
ing, Doug’s lamb was selected as
thi -grand cham: 'market