Dealing with heat is commonplace at most county fairs in the area, a byproduct of having the events held in late July and early August, noted Southwind Extension District Agent Carla Nemecek.
But the heat wave that has baked the Midwest for the past few weeks is likely unprecedented for most of the 4-H’ers presenting their animals at the Allen County Fair.
“This is as warm as I can ever remember it, especially at the fair,” Nemecek said.
The stifling temperatures mean extra care for the animals, Nemecek said: Watering them more frequently, keeping them in front of electric fans, and letting the animals rest whenever possible.
“With our rabbits and our poultry, we can put frozen bottles of water in front of them, so they have something to keep them cool for a while,” Nemecek said. “We don’t really have anything like that for our larger animals. It’s just a matter of keeping fresh, cool water in front of them.”
The searing heat is hardest on the pigs, noted Jim Smart, whose children Nathan, 16, and Emily, 11, are showing animals this week.
Pigs, he pointed out, are incapable of perspiring and depend solely on soaking in water or slop to keep cool.
Water misters are running nonstop to keep the pigs cool, Nemecek said, while soaker hoses set up in animal barns throughout the fairgrounds help abate the heat somewhat.
“And our ceiling fans in the show arena have made quite a bit of difference for the kids showing their animals,” Nemecek said.
Still, there’s only so much the kids can do, Smart acknowledged.
“We keep the fans on, but all they do is blow hot air,” he said.
And the animals are only half the equation.
Smart said his children take full advantage of their easy access to the nearby Iola Municipal Pool to keep cool when temperatures are soaring.
A quick dip in the pool, he said, is just enough for the youths to recharge their batteries as they tend to their animals for long hours each day.
“It makes a difference for the kids, too,” Smart said. “I know the animals don’t like to cooperate when it’s hot. Kids are the same way.”
BEASTING THE HEAT
