Published: October 01, 2012

The smell was barnyard manure.

The sound was one long, cacophonous “baaaaa.”

The dress was farm casual: button-up plaid shirts, jeans, rhinestone-studded belts and boots.

The sheep barn at the Dixie Classic Fair is its own world, far removed from the blood-curdling screams and pulsing hard rock of a midway dense with the scent of cotton candy, caramel corn, candy apples and funnel cakes.

If the midway, with its thrill rides and barkers, represents the fair’s flashier side, the livestock barns are its heart and soul, a link to its agricultural roots.

Sunday, that tie with the past was on display at the sheep barn, where dozens of young people competed in the junior market lamb show.

Leah Thomas did not have the past in mind when she stepped into the show ring with her lamb, Squatch. Her eyes were fixed squarely on Jeff Hoppes, who traveled from Clyde, Ohio, to judge the show.

“I never drop my focus,” said Leah, an eighth-grader at Forbush Middle School. “The outside world is not here. It’s my lamb and the judge. I call it my game face, and I’ll never change that.”

Leah, 14, and her brother, Eli, 10, showed their lambs Sunday in the showmanship competition. They were judged by how well they handled their lambs and their demeanor inside the ring.

In preparation for the fair, she spent time with Squatch each day, leading him up and down hills on the family’s farm near Enon in Yadkin County.

Leah’s father, Marc, and her mother, Leanne, showed livestock for years when they were growing up. They have passed along their love of 4-H and animals to their children, who belong to the Deep Creek 4-H Club.

Over the weekend, the family spent 14-hour days at the fair, feeding, washing and tending to the sheep.

Once work and school let out today, the family will head back to the fair. They will load up the nine sheep they brought and take them home, then bring five more on Tuesday for additional shows.

“He’s already begging me to pick him up early from school,” Marc Thomas said of Eli.

Sunday, just before showing his lamb, Mrs. Spot, in the showmanship competition, Eli and a friend played near a shearing stand.

Leanne Thomas said the family rarely ventures into the midway or in search of some of the fair’s infamous junk food. They keep a cooler packed with sandwiches, drinks and snacks in a clean, spare pen in the barn, next to their sheep.

Eli and his friends have spent the past few days hanging out in the livestock barns, helping out occasionally when a livestock judge or official needs a hand.

“That’s what builds memories,” Marc Thomas said.

Leah wound up with an exhibitor’s white ribbon, not the blue ribbon she had hoped. She was disappointed in the result but took pride in the judge’s choice ribbon she got for a dress she made.

Both sets of Leah and Eli’s grandparents and an uncle came to watch them show Sunday. Melissa Staebner, the 4-H agent and interim cooperative extension agent in Yadkin County, came by as well.

She said children who show animals at the fair learn responsibility and hard work.

“It’s not about whether you come out with a blue ribbon,” said Staebner, who showed animals while growing up in Connecticut. “But we’re raising blue-ribbon kids here.”

lo’donnell@wsjournal.com (336) 727-7420

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.– A team of 9 inspectors from the North Carolina Department of Labor, hundreds of volunteers, and hundreds of employees with Strates Shows are getting ready for Friday’s 11 A.M. opening of the 130th Annual Dixie Classic Fair.

Ride inspectors say they have to look at every ride multiple times before they are cleared to open. Inspectors say the ride must meet all manufacturer specifications or it won’t be allowed to open.

“We check every nut and bolt, washer, screw, seat, and steps.  We go over the whole ride fencing and all and everything has to be 100% or it don’t open,” said Tommy Petty, Department of Labor Bureau Chief.

There are 76 rides for inspectors look at this year.

Along with the ride inspections, volunteers are busy judging more than 33,000 agricultural, craft, collection and baking entries.

Fair organizers say the Dixie Classic started as a showcase of area agriculture and it’s important to them to keep that portion of the fair strong.

“Its an educational thing for folks who live in urban areas and don’t deal with farmers on a normal daily basis. It’s to get educated about what it takes to grow food supply and what takes to have food safety in place,” said Fair Director David Sparks.

The gates open at 11 on Friday morning. The fair runs through October 7th.

For more information on concert schedules, shows, ride prices and exhibits check out http://www.dcfair.com.

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From The-Dispatch.com  To view article: http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20120903/NEWS/309039992?p=1&tc=pg

Luke Arrowood, 8, enjoys winning ribbons and cash at both the Dixie Classic and Davidson County Agricultural fairs. He prepares for the fair season throughout the whole year.

The third-grade home-schooler spends all year preparing for fairs in hopes of not just winning ribbons but taking home cash prizes.

When asked what was his favorite category to enter, Luke replied, “That’s hard to say. The one that gives me the most money.”

Luke, of Arcadia, started entering fairs at the age of 4. His interest was sparked after seeing his older siblings, Hope, 14, and Alex, 13, win competitions. They participate in the Dixie Classic and Davidson County Agricultural fairs. This year’s Davidson County Agricultural Fair is Sept. 17-22.

“He’s just following in their footsteps,” said Luke’s mother, Carla Arrowood. Her husband is Mark Arrowood.

Arrowood said Luke started doing the decorated potato competition and hobby crafts in preschool and started entering more categories as he grew older. Once Luke received his first ribbon and realized he could possibly win money, Arrowood said her son became hooked and wanted to do more.

During the past couple of years, Luke has also competed in the horticulture competition with potatoes, peanuts and sunflowers. He even canned food like green beans. His grandparents — Wayne and Esther Arrowood of Midway and Larry and Louise Jackson of Wallburg— helped with the gardening and canning competitions.

Luke’s clay otter that he made in art class won a purple Judge’s Choice ribbon one year. Last year, Luke won with a display of bees. That award earned him $60. This year he plans to try the essay and poetry contest.

Luke is happy to receive the money and buy items like video games and sports equipment.

At the Dixie Classic Fair last year, Luke won about nine ribbons, Alex earned 22, and Hope received 23. Between the Dixie Classic and Davidson County fairs, Arrowood said Luke has close to 40 ribbons from each. As a child, Arrowood used to participate in competitions at the fair, too.

“It’s a big family affair,” she said.

All of Arrowood’s children started entering the fair competitions at young ages. They visit all of the exhibits and check out the work of other students during fair week.

“I think every kid needs to experience a sense of accomplishment and be recognized for it,” she said. “It’s fun. They look forward to it every year.”

Arrowood even encourages other youths to participate in the competition. She said parents can use artwork or projects from school.

“The last couple of years, more students have been involved. I’m not sure what the push is,” she said. “Winning a ribbon gives any child a gain of self-esteem.”

Deneesha Edwards can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 213, or at deneesha.edwards@the-dispatch.com.

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4-H member Allison Wise lives on the edge of Guilford County. She made the 2011 blue ribbon quilt and entered several other items and helped with her club’s fair booth.

Samuel Barrick lives in Walkertown near Winston-Salem. He entered several horticulture competitions, gardening and a few craft and technology items. Samuel is the only certified youth Master Gardener.

Luke Arrowood, eight years old, received the Judges Choice award for arts. He lives in Lexington, at the edge of Davidson County, and participates in Forsyth County 4-H. He has participated since the age of four and has several ribbons to show for his winning entries.

The Harward Sisters, of Stanly County, had the Grand Champion Angus female in 2011. There are six sisters and the youngest five show livestock. The oldest, Brooke, is the 2012 Miss American Angus and is a student at NCSU. The sisters also help with the Special Needs Showmanship Class where youth with disabilities borrow a beef heifer to show.

Lynae Bowman of Stokes County, shows sheep and cattle. She also participated in horticulture, arts & crafts, and photography, and helped with special beef and lamb showmanship.

Rules, regulations and additional information are available at www.DCFair.com.

About The Dixie Classic Fair

Celebrating its 130th year in 2012, the Dixie Classic Fair is the second largest agricultural Fair in North Carolina, with attendance averaging 325,000 visitors each year. Owned and operated by the City of Winston-Salem, after being donated to the City by the Winston-Salem Foundation in December 1969, the 10-day annual Fair features nationally known musical entertainment, delicious food and beverages, exhibits for livestock, poultry, fine arts and crafts, a world-class carnival with numerous rides and games among many more activities. The Dixie Classic Fair is scheduled from Sept. 28 – Oct. 7, 2012. For more information on the Dixie Classic Fair, please visit www.DCFair.com.

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There is no better place than the Dixie Classic Fair to experience some of the Southeast’s finest agriculture, competitive entries, delicious food and diverse entertainment.  It’s ONLY AT THE FAIR that you get to experience all of this and more!

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