Un-fair: Tumultuous weather takes toll on youth fair

Fairgoers navigate standing water Saturday at the Berrien County Youth Fair after heavy rain swamped the fairgrounds. It was the second heavy rain day at the fair, a fact that cut into attendance and gate revenue. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Weather proved to be a formidable foe for the Berrien County Youth Fair last week.

Attendance dipped and parking turned into a quagmire for many fairgoers when it rained three out of the seven days in Berrien Springs. With the fairgrounds getting hit with more than 4 inches on its first day, Fair Director Karen Klug said all they could do was put in the work.

“Attendance-wise, we were a little bit down,” Klug said. “Gate-wise, we were down significantly and lost out on a lot of those people that come once a year. We don’t know how this will affect next year. It just tightens our belt a little bit.”

The tally of visitors for this year’s fair was 118,409. For comparison, Klug said last year 125,013 checked in at the front gate.

The fair also faced another obstacle. With three state fairs reporting swine infected with influenza, the board’s fair limited access to its swine barn to exhibitors and two designated adults per family.

The fair’s worst weather days were Monday and Saturday as torrential rains tore through the region. Klug said the huge downpours led to the cancellation of nightly events. The fair also saw rain on Friday, but Klug said attendance was still good as the skies cleared up by evening.

Tractor pull competitions and the Diesel Domination event were canceled toward the end of Saturday because parking lots became too muddy.

“It was a real challenge with our parking because it’s grass,” Klug said. “You have to think of it as a couple cars driving through your backyard. We had to move some animals, move some water, but we rolled with it. Everybody pitched in.”

At the back-end of the fairgrounds where tractor exhibitors park, it was particularly troublesome. Klug said the ground was not strong enough to hold any of the heavy equipment.

“The ground wasn’t even hard enough with regular traffic,” she said. “We canceled it to avoid seeing people get stuck.”

Klug explained it can be hard to replace a fair event when the weather can change within 24 hours. Because of this, the fair didn’t cancel the tractor pull until shortly after noon.

While the tractor competition was cancelled, Klug said they were fortunate to have Bullmania put on an additional show.

Klug said officials will be spending the next week going over everything from finances to exhibitor participation.

“Our committees are already thinking about next year. It’s a perpetual process,” Klug said. “We’re happy about the people who came and hopefully they were able to view the exhibits because that’s what we’re here for. We look forward to seeing them next year.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@TheHP.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter: @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 23, 2016)

Fast fowls take over fair: Great American Duck Race makes its return

A duck skims across a pool Wednesday during “The Great American Duck Race” at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky went head to head at the Berrien County Youth Fair.

These were nicknames given to a handful of fast ducks that took part in The Great American Duck Race on Wednesday at the south end of the fairgrounds.

Robert and Kathy Duck (yes, they’ve heard the jokes) set up their rectangular shallow swimming tank that was used as the platform for these races between 42 mallard ducks.

Dozens gathered around the 16-foot-long tank that had four barriers to create swimming lanes.

Robert and his wife began bringing The Great American Duck Race to fairs across the country 18 years ago. It’s last appearance at Berrien Springs was five years ago. The couple from New Mexico has brought their race to 37 of the 48 continental states.

The duck race originally began at a small town’s community festival in 1980 in Deming, N.M. Robert heard about the race and entered his two pet ducks. The first year of the original races, there were 186 ducks. Robert’s best duck finished third.

For the next 12 straight years, Robert’s ducks took first place. In New Mexico, Robert estimated they’ve won more than $50,000 racing ducks. Robert likes to joke that duck racing is as important in New Mexico as NASCAR is in North Carolina.

“It got to be so much fun for me that I began to wonder if there was some way for me to make a living off this,” Robert said. “I realized they have pig races in fairs, so I created a duck racing show.”

After that Robert got a call to make an appearance on “The Tonight Show.” To this day, Robert carries a picture in his wallet of him talking with former host Johnny Carson.

Quick quackers

At the time of the first race Wednesday, the ducks waddled out at the start of the opening music. The duck racing show was educational, as Robert provided some trivia on ducks from their appearance to their molting patterns.

The set would include four heat races and a final matchup between the winners of the four previous races. The Great American Duck Race is offered every day of the fair at 1, 4 and 7 p.m.

Each person selected from the crowd was handed a live duck to hold gently over the end of one of the race lanes. Once the starting horn was blown, fairgoers dropped their ducks into the water.

“I just love seeing the happy kids,” Robert said. “They have a great time doing it, and for most of them, it’s the first time they’ve every held a duck.”

The fastest ducks were saved for the last race. Robert said one of the ducks holds the world record in a timed course at 0.83 seconds.

Mae Stangl, 11, had the duck that would go on to win the final race.

The Stevensville resident, who named her duck “The Lord of the Wings,” said she watched one of the races Tuesday. Stangl said she won after picking up on what made the previous racers successful.

“I noticed the ones who splashed the most really got the duck going, so I tried doing that,” she said. “I thought it was fun to hold a duck, even though it was scratching me and everything.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@TheHP.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter: @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 18, 2016)

Fair exhibitors glad to have poultry, waterfowl back

Nickolas Skorupa, 10, from Baroda, center, shows during judging of the One Cockerel Bantam class Wednesday in the poultry tent at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — The cages were less empty this year at the Berrien County Youth Fair’s poultry barn.

On Wednesday morning, exhibitors stood beside their birds at the ready for the judge’s questions. The sight was a big relief to Chad Hettig, co-superintendent for the poultry barn, who helped run the alternative exhibitions at last year’s fair.

Due to a statewide ban on bird’s at county fairs last year, the Berrien Springs-centered fair had to get creative.

In an attempt to stamp out any spread of the avian flu that ran through Michigan in the summer of 2015, exhibitors used stuffed birds for the showmanship portion and made educational posters in an attempt to obtain blue ribbons.

Hettig said this year the fair has seen more poultry exhibitors with the return of live bird exhibitions. However, numbers were still down compared to the period prior to the bird ban.

“Yeah, there are more exhibitors this year, but it’s down a little bit from two years ago,” Hettig said. “That’s due to the fact that we didn’t have them last year and it was warm this summer. Some of the birds didn’t survive at home. Which meant they were unable to bring them or they were under weight in terms of market animals.

“Overall though, the kids are much happier this year. They’ve been away from it a year and they are happy to be back.”

Katelin Herr, 19, of Eau Claire was focused on her bird, which part in the Standard Cockerel class Wednesday. The bird is a bit larger than most and is under a year old.

Cornish chickens, raised by Emily Fox, from Buchanan, stay cool Wednesday in the poultry tent at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

Herr said she’s spent the last few months washing and blowdrying the bird, while also attending to its nails. She’s been participating in the fair for 14 years after she was given her first chicken from a breeder.

She had about 10 birds picked out and ready to go last year when she found out there was a ban on poultry. This year, she has four chickens and a duck competing for a ribbon.

Herr was one of the few who participated in the alternative poultry exhibitions last year.

“We made a biosecurity poster that was meant to bring awareness to the avian flu,” Herr recalled. “I was just glad to see all the people I only see this time of year. You make friends here and it’s tough to stay in touch when you’re an hour away.”

Herr was one of several exhibitors who transferred their birds to the adjoining tent, beside the poultry barn. In the tent, exhibitors lined up their birds on a table in front a small crowd and a judge.

Among the birds in play for exhibitions were chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and pigeons.

For Hettig and the other volunteers at the poultry barn, they expect things to be back to normal in numbers in another year or two.

“We were surprised by the fact that we didn’t have more submissions,” Hettig said. “In prior years, we’ve had quite a few more birds. Right now we are transitioning from a year off, and some kids have probably moved onto other animals. Others might have dropped it all together.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@TheHP.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter: @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 18, 2016)

Fair reduces time spent in swine barn

Swine entries exit the judging arena Tuesday during the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. The fair’s Board of Directors is limiting access to the swine barn in an attempt to prevent any spread of swine influenza. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — With recent reports of a strain of influenza in Michigan fairs, the Board of Directors for the Berrien County Youth Fair are taking a few extra precautions.

To counteract any potential bouts of influenza, the board is limiting swine barn access to exhibitors and two designated adults per family. Fairgoers are also discouraged from eating and drinking in any livestock barn.

The influenza, commonly referred to as “swine flu,” is a common virus found in pig populations. The virus has different strains that can be transferred between pigs and people.

So far this year, three fairs have confirmed a zoonotic strain called H3N2. The Berrien County Youth Fair has yet to see any influenza case this year.

Efforts to reduce the amount of time the public and exhibitors spend in the swine barn comes from recommendations made by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

“This is just a precautionary measure. We don’t have any pigs with swine flu and we vaccinated our pigs,” Fair Manager Karen Klug said in a phone interview. “We’ve really stepped up our biosecurity practices this year at the fair. You will see more cleaning and disinfecting of animal areas and equipment, along with more access to hand cleaning options.”

Those improvements include more handwashing stations, hand wipe locations and access to hand sanitizer.

Symptoms a person infected with influenza range from coughing, sneezing, runny nose and fevers. There is no treatment and the illness should run its course in a few days.

The swine barn is closed to visitors Tuesday at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

“Finding out that three other fairs had a zoonotic strain of the swine influenza virus made us take notice,” Bruce Foster, fair board president, stated in a news release. “We wanted to make sure that we were taking the right steps to protect the people that come to the fair, our exhibitors and families and the animals that are showcased here.”

The illness is spread through airborne droplets ejected when pigs cough or sneeze.

It takes up to 10 days from exposure to experience illness for this strain of influenza, and most commonly two days.

The first case of influenza in the state this year was identified in two Muskegon County residents who were swine exhibitors at the Muskegon County Fair. A sick pig from the fair, which took place July 25-30, tested positive for H3N2.

“We know that the youth have spent a lot of time raising their pigs for fair this year, that is why we focused on giving the swine exhibitors the ability to show and sell the animals that they have raised this year,” Foster said in a release. “Keeping the health of the exhibitors and the public in mind, we thought that keeping the barn closed to the public this year was a great compromise.”

The fair will provide disinfection areas for exhibitors to use during the week and held an all livestock exhibitor educational meeting prior to the start of the fair.

Fair officials have said it’s important to know influenza does not affect the safety or quality of meat. Influenza cannot be contracted from eating pork or handling pork products.

More information on swine influenza can be found at msue.msu.edu/swineinfluenza.

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@TheHP.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter: @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 17, 2016)

Auctioning hard work: Livestock sold at Berrien County Youth Fair large animal auction

An exhibitor ushers his swine around the pen during the animal auction Friday at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — It was another world within the animal pen, where various livestock were showcased in front of hundreds of potential buyers Friday.

The auctioneer’s voice carried through the Show Arena’s high beams at an inhuman rate. Exhibitors calmly patted their animals and spoke a brevity of reassurances. In the center of the arena, below three television monitors that ran a constant stream of animal names and their weights, stood Katrena Klopfenstein.

Taking part in the large animal auction for the Berrien County Youth Fair, the Galien resident led her steer known as Diesel, who lumbered back and forth through the circular pen.

At 1,140 pounds, the steer is the culmination of Klopfenstein’s tireless work and what is expected to bring in a fair amount of money that will go toward her college tuition.

“We usually start breaking them in a couple months in, when they get off the cow,” Klopfenstein said. “We work them a couple of times a week. Every morning and night you have to feed them and take care of their coat and make sure their environment is healthy enough. All of that is to eventually get them to the auction.”

As one of the auctioneers, Jerry Glassman said the auction is important to the exhibitors as it serves as a reward for their work. For Glassman, the auction teaches the younger participants about work ethics and what it takes to succeed in the farming industry.

“As long as I have been auctioneering, the fair still brings butterflies,” he said. “There’s an intensity to it and one of the reasons for that is you want each child to get a fair price for their animals. They invest a lot of time into these animals, so it’s important we get them as much as we can.”

Glassman kicked things off with the Grand Champion Dairy winner and bidding the sale of a gallon of its milk. Berrien Springs resident Matthew Koebel was showing the dairy champion, who was bred by the Schueler family.

The gallon of milk from the winning dairy cow sold for $10,650. Koebel said the money would not be pocketed, but instead be given toward the new Ag-Expo Center at the fairgrounds.

“I’m giving it back to the fair so my kids and future generations have fun and enjoy the fairgrounds,” he said.

Years of work

Through the rest of the auction, spotters scanned the crowd and yelled when someone showed interest in the current livestock. These “bid catchers” would occasionally lift an arm or tap an ear to signify a price and its bidder.

Allison Mitchell took part in both the steer and swine auctions – showing two of her pigs and one of her cousin’s steers. Having done so with beef, swine, rabbits and horses, the Buchanan resident said it can be sad to see her livestock sold. After her first sale, Mitchell said she learned what it meant to be a farmer.

Haylee Legault, 7, right, of Buchanan joins her brother, Caden Legault, 9, left, as they groom their hogs for auction Friday at the Berrien County Youth Fair in Berrien Springs. (Don Campbell | HP Staff)

“It’s a proud moment because all of your hard work is out on display,” Mitchell said. “With trying to feed your animals and getting them to be the best they can be, it pays off at the auction when you’re presenting your animal.”

The work mounts over time as exhibitors form that special relationship through walking, washing, feeding and grooming the animal.

At 20 years old, Mitchell said she has been showing since she was 5 years old. Friday marked the end of her final year as an exhibitor at the fair.

“It’s definitely bittersweet, but I’m excited to come back and still help exhibitors,” she said. “It’s nice because being an older exhibitor, the younger ones come and ask me for help if they need something. It’s nice to be that role model and I’m going to come back next year and continue to help people.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@TheHP.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 22, 2015)

The fair effect: BCYF brings more business, traffic in Berrien Springs

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — As thousands flock to the fairgrounds for this year’s Berrien County Youth Fair, business owners can look on with both anticipation and hesitation.

The fair attracts so many from within the county it provides a boost in sales at a time when summer is coming to close, while also bringing in a considerable amount of traffic.

Stationed along M-139, just a three-minute walk from the fairgrounds, is local sandwich shop Baguette De France. Owner David Kissinger said he looks forward to this time of year as his business sees a 25-30 percent increase in sales throughout fair week.

“We are pretty steady all day long,” he said. “We have more staff come in on fair week, so we can provide good customer service to get people in and out of here fed.”

Kissinger said the extra boost first came Sunday when fair workers got into town to set up their equipment. Since then and throughout the week, a lot of them have been returning to his sandwich shop.

Day Break Cafe owner Priscilla Riden said she too has seen extra numbers during fair week in the 12 years they have been in operation.

Enough so, that Riden brings in three people to work the floor rather than the normal two.

“Usually it brings in more business, especially on days when it rains,” she said. “It brings in an extra couple hundred of dollars a day, but it doesn’t happen every day.”

Some businesses that benefit from the increase in customers also find the amount of people in town as a deterrent. Such is the case for Apple Valley Natural Food Market ‒ on the other side of M-139.

“Every year, it causes the biggest problem at our entrance,” said general manager George Schmidt. “There have been a few times I have had to call the police for traffic control.”

Schmidt said the fair’s exit is in front of Apple Valley’s entrance, which hinders feasibility to regular customers.

“Around fair week regular customers steer clear of us,” he said. “My biggest concern is the traffic problem. I’ve seen customers drive in our entrance the wrong way because traffic cut them off.”

Over the last few years, Schmidt has noticed a slight peak during fair week. However, he attributes this to the combination of fair goers, fair vendors who stop in for particular items and what’s known as “freshmen week.” Fair week normally coincides with the return of students who attend Andrews University ‒ farther north along M-139.

When the Berrien Springs population expands this time of year, there are some businesses that don’t see additional profits through their own obscurity. As the owner of One Stop’s Bar & Grill, Bill Warren said businesses that are not on M-139 normally don’t see the influx of profits come their way.

“We don’t get a whole lot of customers that week,” he said. “During fair week we always watch traffic go by.”

While Warren doesn’t see additional sales, he said the people that work at the fair often go to local restaurants for a break. Warren has been going to the fair for more than 50 years and said he knows why some restaurants might not draw more people.

Outside of the rides and exhibitions, fair food plays a detrimental role in retaining attendees.

“That’s one of the biggest draws of the fair outside of the rides,” Warren said. “As far as the food goes, that’s what they are looking for. That’s what they wait the whole year to get. The only ones that are interested in something to eat at restaurants come in the morning.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 21, 2015)

Fair exhibitors adjust to using stuffed animals instead of live poultry

A stuffed chicken rests in its cage Tuesday during the fair. Poultry exhibitors were not allowed to bring their our birds in light of the bird flu. (Tony Wittkowski | HP Staff)

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS — There were no feathers this year in the poultry barn at the Berrien County Youth Fair. But there were still exhibitors, vying for poultry blue ribbons.

In an attempt to prevent the spread of bird flu, the state placed a ban on all poultry and waterfowl at county fairs, leaving fair officials with limited options.

The result at this year’s BCYF was the use of stuffed birds for the showmanship portion, and new exhibitions that created awareness for preventing the spread of bird flu. Exhibitors had to adapt by correctly pulling the bird out of its cage and showing off the bird’s many features – some of which were non-existent on stuffed animals.

Brighton Lee, 12, said he didn’t mind trying something new, but noted the showmanship portion proved to be more difficult.

“I understand we have to do this because of the avian flu,” the Buchanan resident said. “It was a little harder because I’m used to having a real live chicken to show. It’s hard to get it to stand up and there are not as many parts of the chicken you can see.”

Poultry barn supervisor Chad Hettig knows the difficulties that come with using a stuffed bird.

When exhibitors study for the showmanship portion, they need to know just about every detail of a bird – right down to the type of feather on each wing.

“When they lift the wings, it’s hard to explain to a judge what each item is if you don’t have a real bird,” Hettig said. “That’s been a challenge to the kids. We tried to make the bird as realistic as possible.”

Evie Clare, 11, of Sodus inspects one of the stuffed animals Tuesday in front of the poultry judge during the Berrien County Youth Fair. (Tony Wittkowski | HP Staff)

As a result of the changes, the fair had a total of 78 poultry exhibitors sign up. Hettig said the number is considerably lower compared with other years, which have been in the range of 600.

Niles resident Lexie Reynolds has been participating in poultry exhibitions for the last decade and was surprised to be named the overall showmanship winner in the year where there were no live birds.

In her preparation, Reynolds admitted she used one of her own stuffed animals for practice leading up to fair week.

“I just wanted to get a feel for it,” she said. “It was very different, especially trying to get it to stand up in the cage because its feet didn’t want to work right. I like real animals better, but it was easier to flip it around and find the different parts of the body.”

Finding alternatives

Education displays of poultry topics were submitted for contention, as the type of display included any range of material, with the exception of any real poultry products such as feathers or eggs. Topics include poultry processing, specific breed information, common diseases and management practices.

Biosecurity posters were a class of their own, which made a push for protecting birds from avian influenza.

Lee said he spent a few hours putting together his educational poster, which included sketches of a chicken’s skeleton and its digestive track. He took first in his age group and first overall for the educational poster exhibit.

“My favorite part was drawing the skeleton,” he said. “My least favorite part was all the labeling. It took a while.”

Brighton Lee, 12, of Buchanan showcases one of the stuffed animals to the poultry judge Tuesday at the Berrien County Youth Fair. (Tony Wittkowski | HP Staff)

The poultry committee’s goal with the educational displays and biosecurity posters was to help educate kids about their bird and biohazards like the bird flu, Hettig said.

“I think the poultry committee and the fair board made the right call to have some things the kids can do,” he said. “It was better than the alternative.”

Hettig said the fair board got tips and alternative ideas from MSU Extension, along with agriculture departments at other universities like Iowa State, Florida State and Ohio State.

Despite low attendance, Hettig said those who were able to participate took more away from the experience than just holding a stuffed bird.

“This will end up being a huge learning experience for them,” he said. “It’s been about overcoming an obstacle like the one we had this year.”

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on Aug. 19, 2015)

Berrien County Youth Fair to incorporate ride wristbands

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS – Rides can mean everything to a fair.

That’s why the Berrien County Youth Fair plans on making every day a “Rides Wristband Day” during fair week.

Wristbands will allow attendees to go on an unlimited amount of rides for one price. While there is no limit on how many a fairgoer can buy, a wristband can only be used for one day during fair week from Aug. 17-22.

Wade Shows, a Michigan-based rides company, operates and oversees the rides at the fair each summer. BCYF Executive Director Karen Klug said Wade Shows teamed up with the fair to make each day a wristband day – something the fair has done for several years.

“The response continues to be overwhelming – it is such a good deal,” Klug said. “It makes everybody happy because the prices are affordable and the times are flexible.”

By doing this, Klug said the lines are not as long because everyone is not trying to get on the rides at the same time.

During the fair, wristbands will have two price levels. Monday through Thursday prices will be $20 each, while Friday and Saturday prices will be $22.

A special sale promotion on rides wristbands will take place July 6 through Aug. 14 where the price will be $15 per wristband at several Honor Credit Union locations and the fair’s office. This saves riders $5 per wristband if they use it Monday through Thursday, or it will save them $7 per wristband if they use it on Friday or Saturday.

“We are excited to partner with Honor Credit Union on this promotion to offer the discounted wristbands to people all over the county,” Klug said. “That saves fairgoers money and makes it affordable for families.”

Wristband vouchers are available at Benton Harbor, Berrien Springs, Coloma, Decatur, Dowagiac, Kalamazoo, Niles, Paw Paw, South Haven, St. Joseph and Stevensville Honor Credit Union locations, as well as the BCYF office for a limited time.

Riders will receive a wristband voucher to be used on any one day during the fair. The vouchers are exchanged for a wristband at the fair in the rides area.

For more information, contact the fair office at 473-4251 or visit it in person at 9122 US-31 in Berrien Springs.

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on July 1, 2015)

Youth Fair creates alternatives for poultry exhibitors

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS – The Berrien County Youth Fair has created alternative classes after the bird flu forced cancellation of poultry and waterfowl exhibitions.

The BCYF poultry committee devised the classes to substitute those canceled for the Aug. 17-22 fair.

Fair Executive Director Karen Klug said its poultry committee has been in touch with past exhibitors and those already registered.

“I think they are happy that there is something to do in this area,” Klug said. “They understand the reasoning with the ruling. It’s to protect that industry.”

For the showmanship portion, judging will be done using a stuffed bird, which will be provided. Interview judging will go as planned, only exhibitors must bring a photo of their bird, and judges ask each exhibitor questions based on their breed.

An education display of a single poultry topic will be held, as the type of display can be the exhibitor’s choice with the exception of any real poultry products such as feathers or eggs.

Sample topics include poultry processing, specific breed information, common diseases and management practices.

Biosecurity posters will be its own class, but they must educate on protecting birds from avian influenza. All posters will be reviewed prior to being displayed in order to ensure accuracy of the exhibit.

Klug said the alternative classes came through communication with other fairs. She said it will all be worth it in order to protect commercial producers of poultry products.

“We just like to encourage (exhibitors) to continue to participate,” Klug said. “It’s for the camaraderie that you would typically experience if the birds were in. We’re looking forward to a good fair again, it will just be a little different.”

Registration deadline for these alternative poultry classes is July 1. Registration is open to any Berrien County resident, ages 5 to 20.

Entry forms can be brought to the fair office between the hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday on or before July 1. The fair office will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., July 1, to accept late entries, but exhibitors are encouraged to get their registrations in early.

Other upcoming deadlines include the BCYF King and Queen contest, which is open to exhibitors ages 16-20. The King and Queen contest registration deadline is also July 1. The BCYF Prince and Princess contest is open to exhibitors ages 9-12. The Prince and Princess contest registration deadline is July 15.

Questions can be addressed by contacting the fair office at 473-4251.

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on June 18, 2015)

Bird flu means no poultry, waterfowl exhibits at fair

By Tony Wittkowski | Business Reporter | The Herald-Palladium

BERRIEN SPRINGS – The Berrien County Youth Fair Board of Directors has canceled this year’s poultry and waterfowl exhibits.

Following the recommendation from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development after recent avian influenza outbreaks across the Midwest, the board and poultry committee is examining alternatives for poultry exhibitors at this year’s annual youth fair.

At the monthly board of directors meeting Monday night, the board voted to extend the large animal registration deadline to June 8 at midnight to allow poultry exhibitors the opportunity to register any late additions.

Online entries, as well as paper entries for large animals, will be accepted.

BCYF President Bruce Foster said this one-time decision to extend the large animal registration deadline will allow poultry exhibitors to register a large market animals – swine, goat, sheep, beef breeding, dairy, llama or equine.

Foster said exhibitors can still register any other small animals including rabbits, pocket pets, dogs or cats by July 1.

The Berrien County Youth Fair will run from Aug. 17-22.

Contact Tony Wittkowski at twittkowski@thehp.com or (269) 932-0358. Follow him on Twitter @tonywittkowski.

(Author’s Note: This article was originally published on June 3, 2015)