NEWS

Rainy start doesn't stop Marion County Fair, rabbits

John Jarvis
Reporter
Brittany Eaches answers questions during a rabbit clinic for first time exhibitors at the Marion County Fair. Brittany and her sister, Brianna Eaches, are showing at the fair.

MARION – Brianna Eaches tucked the Holland lop's soft, wiggling nose under her arm to demonstrate how to carry a rabbit.

Oatmeal, Oatie for short, is one of six entries the 17-year-old Marion County Junior Fair Board member has in this year's event.

"He's about 10 years old," she said. "I've had him seven years. He's my little buddy."

Oatie joined two other breeding rabbits, Humpty Dumpty and Tippy, and Eaches' "meat pen" of three New Zealands, popular for the quality of their meat.

They were among 380 entries and 74 exhibitors in the 2015 junior fair rabbit competition, which opened Monday on a rainy first day of this year's fair.

"We've actually had a good day," Candy Tripp, county fair secretary and manager, said early Monday afternoon. "The weather report looks much better for the rest of the week."

Entrants weighed-in their rabbits inside a dry Evers Arena in the morning, preparing to compete in categories, including showmanship from seniors to beginners, commercial/meat pen, a skillathon, best of breed and more.

Kaleb Taylor, a 16-year-old Elgin FFA member, is in his third year of raising rabbits.

"For the money you put into them and the money you get out of them, you get the most money out of them," said Taylor, who entered seven rabbits, including meat pen entries.

The son of Jodi Patterson and Jeff Taylor raises New Zealands because "they have really good meat quality," and he said he aims at a goal weight near 5 pounds for his rabbits. If the rabbit weighs too little, it won't have as much meat, and if the rabbit weighs too much, the meat will be chewier.

Eaches' older sister, Brittany, provided a demonstration for first-time rabbit exhibitors, showing them how to inspect their animals' health from nose to tail, looking for a straight tail, top teeth falling over bottom teeth, parasites on their skin and discharge from their eyes.

Like many a fair entrant, Clifford E. Ishler Jr., a 15-year-old Marion County Sharpshooters 4-H Club member, followed in a family member's footsteps when he selected his fair project.

Clifford Ishler lifts a Holland Hop from his cage at the Marion County Fair.

"Since my dad raised rabbits when he was younger, I decided to do it," said the son of Clifford E. and Sherrie Ishler, of Waldo. "I like handling them. You can play with them, and they don't do anything. They can't hurt you."

He said that, upon beginning to raise the animal, he was surprised by "how many types of breeds there are, which there's 50 ... no, 48, to be exact."

The River Valley sophomore said he won't have any difficulty when any of his meat pen rabbits are turned into meat on a plate.

"I haven't had any butchered yet," he said. "I like the taste of them."

"With the breeding rabbits, it's different," he said, adding that he becomes more attached to them because he's had the animals for a longer period of time.

Brianna Eaches cuddles a New Zealand rabbit at the Marion County Fair. Brianna and her sister, Brittany Eaches, are showing at the fair.

Brianna, daughter of Al and Melinda Eaches of Marion, said she has won grand champion and best of breed during her 12 years of raising rabbits.

Grand champion and reserve champion rabbits typically sell for $200 to $500, whereas others typically go for $100 to $300, she said.

"I usually keep all mine, except for my meat pen," the Barnyard Buckeyes 4-H Club member said.

She usually sells her meat pen rabbits to someone competing in the born-and-bred category or "just to someone who wants a pet."

For her, the greatest joys of raising her animals and showing them at the fair are the social aspects.

"I meet a lot of friends," she said. "Some of them are like family. (I) just (like) the people and the animals."

jjarvis@marionstar.com

740-375-5154

Twitter: @jmwjarvis


Tuesday at the fair

•Rides open at 10 a.m.

•Dayspring Wesleyan free inflatable rides, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., coliseum north.

•Firefighter training show, noon, 2 p.m., 5 p.m., 7 p.m.

•Tough Truck and figure 8 race, 7:30 p.m.