2012 All American Jr Sheep Show Report

I have just returned from Iowa where the All American Jr Show took place this year. Des Moines was hot and sticky as was pretty much most of the US but the heat did not deter our youth. The barn temperatures were 108+ on Thursday, worse on Friday and then slightly hotter on Saturday, Sunday was met with lower temperatures and less humidity, which made everyone’s mood much better. On Thursday, the youth and their families went to Adventureland for a bit of R&R before the weekend got into full swing. Friday morning was official check in. I am happy to report that we had 8 youth with 30 head of romneys support the show this year. The total overall numbers were staggering. There were 338 exhibitors, from 25 states, with 1761 sheep.

After check in was completed, the day was filled with showmanship classes, a skill-a-thon competition where the kids got to show off their knowledge and learn with hands on teaching attitude, a pizza party, followed by 3 on 3 basketball tourney. Also included in the weekend was raffle prizes, silent auction, judging contests, promotional items (logo design, ad layout, posters, photos,essays and t-shirt design). Some of the art work and t-shirt designs were beyond belief. These kids not only show sheep but have many other skills and talents and are well versed on many topics. Saturday and Sunday were spent leading sheep back and forth from the show ring with the exception of a great pork chop dinner sponsored by the Iowa Pork Producers and Soy Bean Association. Sunday morning had a few more sheep breeds that were shown followed by closing ceremonies that included lamb camp graduation, for the little ones who chose not to compete. Raffle prizes were drawn and the silent auction of donated gifts and baskets were passed onto the highest bidder. Special thanks to Julian & Moore Sheep Co that donated a beautiful Seiko Swill Clock. All proceeds from the silent auction goes directly back into the All American Jr Show to help defray costs. It was a really fun weekend, as breed representative my responsibilities included checking in all romney sheep and helping in the show ring for our breed show, unofficial romney photographer, followed up by helping wherever there was a need. Most of Friday and Saturday I spent working in the skill-a-thon area and scoring the kids on their knowledge, it was a learning experience for me as well. For details regarding exhibitors and their placings, please refer to their website. There will be results in the next Ramblings and on Facebook. Also, a huge thank you to the Plank Family of MI, the Hacker Family of IN, the Rogers’ Family of NJ, and the Hoffman-York Family of MN as they are the ones who really made this weekend a romney success story.

Next year the All American Jr Show will be held in Michigan, hope to see you there. Please encourage any youth, romney or otherwise, to participate if able, it is an experience all it’s own. The All American is very family oriented and has activities for all ages.

With that being said, I would like to encourage everyone to buy and/or sell raffle tickets for the donated Little Hooves white ewe lamb. The drawing will be held on September 8th at the District 2 show in NJ. The show is a one day commitment and a lot of interest has been expressed. The proceeds from the ewe lamb raffle pays for our portion of this show plus provides money to support the NAILE Jr Show. Although the drawing does not take place until September, I would like to start getting things wrapped up regarding outstanding tickets that I have mailed. To provide for proper bookeeping, I would like the unsold raffle tickets returned to me as well. For those of you who haven’t yet bought their raffle tickets, please contact me via phone (609-760-0399), email () or FaceBook and I will mail them to you.

Thanks for the support of our youth.
Charlene Carlisle