VAUGHN -- At about 3:30 p.m. Friday young goat keepers and their parents started trickling into the quiet and still livestock building at the Benton County Fair with props in tow.
Kids started decorating their goats and parents their kids for the annual goat costume contest.
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Cindy Philpott, goat superintendent, said she's never sure how many participants there will be.
"Some years they'll be 20. Then two years ago there were five," she said as the contestants got ready.
Friday was an "off day" so not all those who have a goat in the fair are at the fairgounds, Philpott said. Goats were shown on Tuesday but have to stay at the fair until Sunday morning. The costume contest gives them another activity to do during the week, she said.
There were 12 contestants Friday. Each kid paraded their goat around the small arena while their name, their goat's name and their costumes were announced and a small fictitious story about their characters were read.
Olivia Scribner, 7, of Gentry, dressed as Elsa from Disney's hit movie "Frozen" and her goat Lily as Anna, Elsa's sister.
"I had fun showing the goats so I thought I would have fun doing this," she said referring to the costume contest. It was her first year to do both.
Her wig of white hair hung slightly crooked over her hair. Her brown cowgirl boots stuck out from the bottom of her light blue dress.
Lily sported a brown wig and purple and blue Anna costume dress. The wig fell off as Scribner led her into the arena. Lily's back hooves kept catching on the dress' bottom as it was slightly too big as she followed Scribner.
Stormey Jo Pembleton, 10, of Gravette and her goat, Kelsey, dressed as if they were going to the pool. Pembleton wore a one-piece swimsuit and Kelsey a pink and white polka dotted bikini. Pembleton sported sunglasses, Kelsey goggles. Pembleton had floaties on her arms, Kelsey a yellow duck inner tube around her stomach. The two topped their costumes off with sunscreen on their faces.
Pembleton's favorite part of the event is "dressing up the goat because it's funny," she said.
She's been coming to the fair since she was born, her dad, Joel, said.
"She was born then she was at the fair seven days later," he said.
Her brother Braxton, 5, also entered the contest. He dressed his goat up as a "racing rabbit."
"I like rabbits and I like racing," he said.
His goat didn't mind speed as it led him around the arena instead of being led by him.
Some of the other costumes included a sheriff and inmate, a surfing cowboy accompanied by a surfing goat, a fairy with a unicorn and a rodeo clown with a bull.
Teagan, 5, and Caleb, 9, Pilgrim's costume included a carriage made with a wagon, hula hoops and white tool. It was Cinderella's carriage. Teagan was Cinderella, Caleb was the coachman, and their goat, Ranger, was the horse.
The idea came when a friend sent a photo of a goat in a harness as a joke, Kim Pilgrim, their mother, said. She saw it as a way to make the elaborate costume.
"One Google search of 'goat harness' lead us to a legitimate goat-hitching harness," she said.
The carriage took about 45 minutes to make, she said.
Philpott said she's never seen anything like it in the costume contest, which she's overseen the last eight years.
"It's super cute," she said.
Miss Benton County Fair Queen DaMayla Cowan served as the judge. Each participant walked away with some prize.
NW News on 08/15/2015