Celebrities show pigs at Kutztown Fair
Morgan Krick, Reading Fair alternate queen, won first in Showmanship Class
The Berks County 4-H Swine Club hosted a Celebrity Showmanship competition at the Kutztown Fair on Aug. 18.
Berks County celebrities were Y102’s Andi Kurzweg, Jamie Klein of the Reading Eagle, 2016 Reading Fair Queen Lindsey Zimmerman, and 2016 Reading Fair Queen Alternate Morgan Krick.
“I think they had a lot of fun with it,” said event judge Michele Brown, assistant Swine Club leader and coach for the Berks County 4-H Livestock Judging Team. “The contestants were good sports. It was something completely out of their comfort zone.”
The Swine Club members were split into teams. Each team worked with a celebrity and the celebrities drew a number from a hat to determine which pig they would work with.
“The celebrities did all the work themselves,” said Brown.
This included scrubbing the pig and preparing for the showmanship competition.
“The 4-H members gave tips and instructions,” she said.
The 4-H members taught the celebrities how to show a pig using a practice pig. They used a pig whip to tap the pig’s shoulder to guide the pig in the ring.
The celebrities were judged on Fitting Class and Showmanship Class.
In the Fitting Class, Klein won first, Kurzweg won second, Zimmerman won third and Krick won fourth. In the Showmanship Class, Krick won first, Klein won second, Zimmerman won third and Kurzweg won fourth.
“The purpose (of the Celebrity Showmanship competition) is just to reach out to the community. There’s so much misinformation... We thought it would be a good way to educate people who are not connected to the livestock industry and give them some insight into what these kids do and the work they put into preparing their animals for the fair,” said Brown.
The celebrities and the 4-H Swine Club members who served as coaches received a free treat from Way-Har Farms of Bernville. First place winners received Kutztown Fair Tshirts also.