Enjoy hayrides, a petting zoo, inflatables and showmanship Thursday at the Head of the Lakes Fairgrounds. Visitors are invited to stick around to bid on locally raised beef, lamb and pork during the 49th annual 4-H/FFA Livestock Auction.
Judging for the livestock show begins at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Youngsters exhibit their animals to earn ribbons and top spots.
The public is invited to a free Farm Fun Day 3-6 p.m. Thursday featuring animals, pony rides, face painting, arts and crafts, and more. The day rounds out with the auction at 7 p.m.
Due to the late date of the Head of the Lakes Fair, the Douglas County Beef Improvement Association made the move to hold their livestock auction separately last year. They added Farm Fun Day to include the public.
"We’re still trying to maintain the exposure out there for community kids," said association treasurer Chris Litchke of Superior. The event gives downtown residents the chance to see a goat, take a hayride and learn more about local agriculture.
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"It’s nice to see the facility utilized, if only for a day or two, for that purpose," Litchke said.
The inaugural Farm Fun Day was a success, he said, with numbers that far surpassed expectations. The association also saw a bump in the number of bidders for last year’s annual livestock auction.
"In terms of buyers showing up, it was our best year ever," Litchke said.
With the fair scheduled to take place Aug. 23-27 this year, Farm Fun Day gives residents an extra chance to enjoy the site and recognize the work of local youth.
"This particular event, the annual livestock auction, is unbelievably important to them personally," Litchke said. "They’re saving for the future and it’s making them better people."
Raising animals for auction teaches them responsibility and the importance of giving 100 percent, he said.
His own son, Daniel, raised cattle for the event 11 years in a row, spending $100 of the proceeds and saving the rest. Those savings will help pay for his second year of college at University of Wisconsin-Superior this fall.
"That’s how important that money is to those kids," Chris Litchke said.
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For more information, go to www.dcbeef.com or the Douglas County Beef Improvement Association Facebook page.
