Washington County Fair junior livestock auction all in the presentation in Fayetteville

Jessika Calhoon of Farmington smiles Thursday as people bid on her champion Maine-Anjou named Elsa during the auction at the Washington County Fair in Fayetteville.
Jessika Calhoon of Farmington smiles Thursday as people bid on her champion Maine-Anjou named Elsa during the auction at the Washington County Fair in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- It's very much a family affair at the Washington County junior livestock auction.

photo

NWA Democrat-Gazette

Jill Emerson, 8, of Prairie Grove waits Thursday for the start of the auction at the Washington County Fair in Fayetteville. Children who auction their animals get to keep the money and the animals to help with school or future projects.

The bidding Thursday night on 5-year-old Harlie Mabry's hog Dixie stopped at $900. The little tyke had already wrangled the very large hog into the gate. The auctioneer saw a hand go up in the distance.

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"You want to go up to $1,000?" the auctioneer said. "Fine."

Hands kept going up with shouts off in the distance, and Dixie's price went up to $1,350 before bidding came to a halt. Harlie wasn't even on the auction floor anymore.

Maybe she's just that good. Harlie comes from a line of hog hustlers.

The bidders don't actually buy the livestock. The money goes straight to the kids who put in countless hours taking care of their animals while balancing the rigors of school and family life. Many of the participants go onto the state fair and other exhibits.

The Mabrys are one of those families. Next stop is the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair in Fort Smith, followed by the big show in Little Rock.

Little Harlie Mabry said she learned how to boss around a surly swine from her dad, Jeremy, and her sisters, Chloe, 11, and Lizzie, 9. The other two Mabry girls didn't do so bad themselves -- Chloe raked in $1,100 and Lizzie got an even $1,000.

Their mom, Dawn Mabry, said she couldn't have been prouder.

"All three of them went through -- they all did great," she said. "They worked really hard. It's great to see it all come together. We're just thrilled and honored that those people would give them money."

It was Harlie's first sell, which is pretty good for a 5-year-old. She won't be able to show at the Fort Smith fair because 9 is the minimum age, but the family enjoys traveling all around. Arizona, Iowa and Kentucky are just a few of the places they've been.

Jeremy Mabry, the patron of the family teaches agriculture at Gentry Public Schools and was a ring man at the auction. He grew up showing livestock, and Dawn got experience studying swine at the University of Arkansas.

The key to a successful auction? Patience, according to Chloe.

"I just try to learn from people who have done it longer and are more advanced than us," she said. "I just learn a lot from them."

Sydney Lowrimore, 11, president of her Elkins 4-H Club, knows a lot about patience. Her market lamb, Dipper, garnered $500. Sydney wasn't sure how it'd go, so just for good measure, she gave Dipper a good coat of glitter.

It's all about the presentation, Sydney said. She wasn't too worried on the auction floor.

"I was just like, 'I wonder how much he's going to go for?'" she said.

Her dad, Ryan Lowrimore, didn't show livestock growing up. The family has a farm in Hazel Valley, just east of Elkins, where they also raise goats.

It took a lot of work in the barn, a lot of nights sweating, but Sydney put in the work. She discovered Dipper really likes drinking Gatorade out of the bottle and on occasion, cotton candy.

Seeing his daughter get her first sell made for one proud dad, Ryan said.

"This is her thing," he said. "This is what she prides herself on. She likes getting out there."

NW News on 09/02/2016

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