Market lambs judges at Weld County Fair

Bailey Wise brought two lambs to Saturday's 2007 Weld County Fair market lamb show.

One she named Shrek, but it was just before the show started that fair queen Erin Marvin and her attendant, Katie Samples, came up with a name for the second.

"They decided I should call him Freckles," Wise, 16, said of the 136-pounder that first won the crossbred division, then was named grand champion of the show by judge Joel Morrical of Clarion, Iowa. He named Jenna Frink's "Chomp" as the reserve grand champion.

Wise, daughter of Todd and Lori Wise of Keenesburg, said she raised the two lambs she brought to the fair. They were among the 12 she is working with for various shows, including the Colorado State Fair, which starts Aug. 24 in Pueblo.

"I've been working with him since February, when he was born," said Wise, who will be a junior at Holy Family High School in Broomfield. She is a member of the Hoof 'N Horn 4-H Club.

Jenna, 10, won a reserve championship in just her second year as an Eaton member of the Wyatt Ag 4-H Club with a lamb she got from Mark Overman of Eaton.

While not standing still, the 111-pound lamb did his best to chew Jenna's shirt.

"That's how he got his name," she said. She is one of three daughters of Mike and Amy Frink. Jenna admitted she originally didn't think her lamb would do too well, explaining, "I thought he was too small."

Both girls weren't sure what they would do with the money their champions will bring at Monday's Junior Market Livestock Sale, but parents indicated a lot of it would go into savings accounts.

Morrical, who has degrees in animal science from Iowa State University and owns Morrical Show Lambs in his home state, said he was impressed with the excellent quality of the 160 lambs he judged.

"It was a real pleasure to work through the lambs and interact with the exhibitors," he said. While he said "it's really fun to compete and to win at these events, kids can also learn life experiences they can use down the road," in being involved in 4-H and FFA livestock projects.

He said the two lambs he chose as his champions stood out among the others.

"They were fresh, had a lot of muscle and were sound in structure and bone. You can't ask for much more than that," he said.

Today at the 2007 Weld County Fair:

8 a.m.-8 p.m. -- Fairgrounds open to the public.

8 a.m. -- Market swine show (Exhibition Building).

9 a.m. -- Inspirational Service, non-denominational (South Oval Stage).

10 a.m. -- Car show, (South Oval).

10 a.m. -- Dairy cattle judging (North Oval).

10:30 a.m. -- Horse Awards Presentation (South Oval Stage).

Noon -- Dairy Catch-It Project Heifer Sale (North Oval).

1 p.m. -- Sheep lead contest (South Oval).

6:30 p.m. -- Family Night at the Fair (Grandstand Arena, followed by concert).