Sets of siblings present double threat in goat, rabbit competitions at Westmoreland Fair
Young siblings in two Westmoreland County families may compete in the same categories when they show their animals at the county fair — but they’re more likely to demonstrate cooperation than rivalry when vying for ribbons.
On Sunday, when Deegan Hast, 13, of Salem Township, had two Nigerian dwarf dairy goats to exhibit in the same age category, her younger sister, Rayen, 10, stepped up to lead one of them into the show ring.
Fourth-generation members of 4-H, they belong to the Loyalhanna Creek Club.
“We like to work together with the goats — with most of the animals, actually,” said Deegan.
At this year’s fair, he captured a grand champion title with one of his Nigerian goats and a first-place ribbon with another member of the diminutive breed.
He also exhibited a reserve champion alpaca.
His sister claimed a reserve title with a Nubian goat, which is a taller variety.
When showing Nubians, Rayen noted, “I don’t have to hurt my back bending over.”
The dwarf goats, though smaller, can still be a handful — sometimes exhibiting a frisky nature before the judges, Deegan said.
“I had one a few years ago that was hopping all around,” he said.
With five years of experience showing animals at the fair, he’s learned “not to get frustrated. A lot of people get frustrated, and a lot of the animals an actually tell that.
“So then, they stop working, which just makes it worse.”
It’s not uncommon for exhibitors to draft supplemental handlers when they have multiple animals entered in the fair’s competitive events.
That was particularly true for this year’s field of goats — which exceeded 100 entries across all breeds, 40 more than at the previous year’s fair.
There also was a higher than typical number of entries in the fair’s rabbit show — 325.
Accounting for some of that number were Hayden Dillon, 13, of Mt. Pleasant Township, and his sister, Jocelyn, 12.
The siblings have traded top honors back and forth in recent years, with their entries in the fair’s rabbit meat pen judging. In that category, rabbits are assessed for their potential production of edible meat.
This year, it was Hayden’s turn to take home the grand champion prize. But, instead of reveling in his achievement, he expressed more concern for his sister and her rabbits, which didn’t react well to the sweltering temperatures that prevailed during the fair’s opening days.
Scoring well in that competition can be triply hard since each exhibitor’s meat pen consists of three rabbits that should be well matched.
“It’s one of the hardest things to do,” said their father, Josh Dillon, who exhibited rabbits when he was growing up in 4-H. “You want them to be similar in weight, color and body type.
The Dillons enter New Zealand white rabbits in the category since the variety is known for quick growth and a favorable meat-to-bone ratio.
Hayden said their dad gives them a head start in the competition, crediting his experience with selecting good young rabbits to raise for show purposes.
Then, he said, “You just need to feed them the same thing and the same amount.”
At the end of the fair week, the Dillons will sell their meat rabbits.
Josh Dillon touted rabbit as a healthy alternative meat, indicating it is low in fat and cholesterol.
He said he sometimes roasts rabbit meat to include it in a salad, but admitted he’s the only one in his family to do so.
“Most people can’t get past the fact that it’s a cute bunny,” he said.
The cute factor is one of the assets of Jocelyn’s Netherland Dwarf rabbit, Hank, which she is raising as a pet as well as to show.
“I like them because they’re soft, ” she said of her rabbits.
She’s planning to construct a special wardrobe for Hank before entering him in the fair’s animal dressing contest, set for 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
“He’ll be ‘Hank the Tank,’ ” said her father.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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