Groveland Twp.- A local family has not one, but two grand champions after the Oakland County Fair held July 10-15.
Katie O’Shea, 14, won grand champion for pair of market lambs, while Bridget O’Shea, 12, won grand champion for single market lamb.
The sisters showed the coveted purple banners they received last week, the highest honor at the fair. But they, and their younger brother and first-time fair competitor Brendan O’Shea, 8, were winners in other categories, too, and had 28 ribbons in all, in showmanship, market and judging.
‘It’s a lot of fun,? Bridget said of the fair. ‘And when you win, it’s more fun.?
Bridget and Katie have been competing in the fair, always with lambs, for five years. They began after their parents, Megan and Patrick O’Shea, bought property here and they had space. Patrick had grown up on a farm in Ireland and wanted his children to experience raising farm animals.
Katie’s pair of lambs were born in January, while Bridget and Brendan’s lambs were born in February. The siblings picked out which lambs they wanted from a breeder.
When choosing lambs, the sisters looked for muscle in the leg and long loin, while Brendan says he looked ‘for cute ones.?
They brought six lambs home on Good Friday, when the animals were 2-3 months old, and began giving them about 3 pounds of feed daily that included corn, molasses, grain and protein pellets.
Each lamb has their own personality and coloring and every year, Katie says, they get one lamb that is very friendly.
‘It’s kind of hard to give them up, but we’ve been doing this for five years, so we’re kind of used to it,? Bridget said.
The grand champion lambs and one other lamb were auctioned, while the family kept two lambs.