By Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian

The SEMO District Fair is a farmer reunion of sorts.

Jerry Wolfenkoehler hasn't missed one since 1964.

Lonnie Peetz was raised in Jackson, moved to St. Joseph, Mo. He took a vacation this week and hauled cattle some 400 miles to come back because he missed the fair.

Carol Haley of Sedgewickville has been showing cattle for 32 years.

Fred Ostendorf, 84, hasn't missed a fair in at least half a century.

Though they might all have different reasons for coming back, the fair is worth the time off the job or on the road.

"I started back in 1964 when I was a freshman in school," said Wolfenkoehler, describing his work in ranching. "I worked at Meyer Angus farm and got into it. Now, my kids grew up and just kind of took over. The kids love the competition and they love the blue ribbons, too."

Family affair

That was a familiar story told at the fair on Tuesday -- fathers and sons, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives were all in the cattle-washing, dung-removing, ribbon-winning effort together.

Teri Shoen of Oak Ridge, Mo., was reading a book in one of the 4-H shelters Tuesday afternoon. She was keeping an eye on eight of the 20 cows that they were going to show this week. Her oldest son, daughter, nephew and niece have entered the cattle. Her youngest son didn't enter any cattle. Though he has helped take care of them, he was lucky to make it himself.

"I told him this morning if he didn't get to his spelling words, he couldn't come to the fair," Shoen said of her 7-year-old son, Corvin.

Some out-of-towners started coming to the fair because of business rather than tradition. They have enjoyed the experience.

"This is one of the biggest cattle shows in the state," said Kris Harah of Warrenton, Mo., a three-hour drive from Cape Girardeau. "Other fairs have become more commercialized, while this one has a better agricultural feel to it. We came two years ago but couldn't make it last year. But the people are really, really friendly. These are good cattle people."

Apparently the SEMO District Fair made a good enough impression on Harah that she encouraged a neighbor to attend this year. Her friend Kevin Eggering made the trip to help promote his Hereford cattle. He has two bulls for sale.

Barnyard scene

While the cattle were mooing under open shelters, there was a quack here, a chirp there and everywhere a cluck, cluck in the nearby temporary bird and rabbit sanctuary on the edge of the fairgrounds where the 4-H poultry entries were being judged.

On Tuesday, Larry Denny -- who traveled from Lebanon, Mo. -- inspected 589 chickens, 97 ducks, 25 geese, 13 turkeys, 68 pigeons, four guinea pigs and 70 rabbits.

For each different type of animal -- there are 57 breeds and 439 varieties of chickens -- there are different criteria for judging, like the shape of the head, the color of the eyes, the way the feathers or fur lay.

But even after inspecting hundreds of animals, the only complaint Denny had was of the heat. He complained, jokingly, to a fair superintendent that he made him judge the furry animals in the hottest part of the day just to make him miserable.

Later, Denny didn't seem to mind at all, even though he says the money he is paid barely covers the cost of travel.

"I just do this for the enjoyment," Denny said.

bmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127