Northeast Youth Sheep Show (NEYSS) 2014

The NEYSS was a success once again. Romneys were well represented with 63 head and 17 youth. The sheep looked awesome. All were of good quality, fitted well and in good condition. Our kids are doing a great job. Every year the bar is set a little higher and our kids are taking that challenge seriously. The weekend is very busy with kids helping their friends show and then the help is reciprocated in the romney show ring. Most kids end up showing several breeds and the friendships made at this show will last a life time. The friends I have made at these shows, youth and adults, make my attendance not mandatory but a fun time that I look forward to. Many photos were taken and I tried to disperse them as best I could. Unfortunately I couldn’t identify everyone in the pictures when posting to FB. If anyone wants to tag folks or if you want any of the pics that I took, just give me a call, text or email.

I didn’t really have a lot of work to do this year at the show, so had more time to socialize. I spent a lot of time with romney breeders discussing next years shows in July….All American Jr Show will be in West Springfield, MA on July 3rd thru 5th, 2015 ….followed by the NEYSS the following weekend, both at the same facility (BigE fair grounds). Families traveling from afar or even close by will be able to leave their sheep in between shows. The idea behind this is to encourage folks to stay for both shows and travel from further distances. There will be a few days in between shows where families can relax, site see or whatever they desire. My personal hope is that we can plan some fun and educational events on these days where exhibitors, families and their siblings can participate. There should be folks around to help with your feeding if you leave for the day or need to go home etc. So most of my weekend time was spent gathering ideas from some very smart savvy exhibitors and family members. My head was swirling with ideas, now to make them happen. Information will follow as they develop.

To my knowledge, there was only one futurity lamb showed at the NEYSS. Katie Bombria purchased a very nice black ewe lamb from Ethan Kennedy in the Private Treaty Sale, held in conjunction with the NEYSS, and then showed it the following day. Congrats to Katie and family….and Ethan for consigning such a nice ewe.

Lastly, I am not going to list all the results of the shows because I was so proud of everyone, and they are all winners in my book. Results can be found on their web site. But I would like to mention that Supreme Flock was won by Ethan Kennedy of NY, this was the first time that Romneys have ever won this class and that is quite an honor.

Thanks for all the support from the youth and their families, and the folks who run this show every year.

Charlene Carlisle
Little Hooves Romneys