THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 19, 1996 TAG: 9605170224
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY GARY EDWARDS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Ryan Horsley spent 18 months raising his prize steer and 15 minutes selling it last weekend.
The grand champion weighed in at 1,130 pounds and was auctioned off for $4.50 a pound at the 47th annual Virginia Beach 4-H Livestock Show and Sale. That brought the 16-year-old Horsley a whopping $5,085. The auction sale grossed more than $85,000 during the two-day ``Beach Ag Fest `96'' at Princess Anne Park May 10-12.
Horsley was one of a record 92 exhibitors from the 4-H Livestock Club who showed off 81 hogs, 40 lambs and nine breeding ewes.
In keeping with the country theme, the park also was the location during the weekend of the third annual Pungo Strawberry Festival World Championship Rodeo.
The rodeo featured seven events with Gene Snow of the Tidewater Western Riders serving as chairman.
``We have bare-back riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, cow girl barrel racing, team roping and bull riding,'' said Ken Treadway, of Treadway Rodeo Company, which provided the stock for the show. ``Plus clowns and trick riding.''
Among the dignitaries present for the weekend's events were Sheriff Frank Drew, chairman of Beach Ag Fest '96, which included both events, Agricultural Department director Louis Cullipher, and the Strawberry Festival's honorary Mayor of Pungo, Frank Craft. His honor was accompanied by first lady Beverly Craft.
``It's nice to see this many people out for our show,'' said Craft from his seat on the top row of the bleachers.
Drew said that, while he had never been in 4-H as a student, he had been an avid supporter for more than 20 years.
In addition to the livestock for sale, a petting zoo with chickens, ducks, rabbits and lambs provided entertainment for many Ag Fest attendees. There were arts and crafts, food and drink as well.
Ryan Horsley won three firsts. In addition to his winning grand champion steer, Horsley took top prizes in senior steer showmanship and champion pen-of-three hogs.
Other winners were:
Billy Albert, novice hog champion
Ashley Roberts, junior hog champion
Nicole Orsagos, intermediate hog champion
Hollie Kovacs, senior hog champion and senior 4-H showman
Brandon Atwood, intermediate steer champion
Megan Kovacs, novice sheep champion
Tiffany Spillers, junior sheep champion
Amanda Baker, intermediate sheep champion
Hilary Pavlidis, senior sheep champion ILLUSTRATION: Photo by DAVID EDWARDS
Ryan Horsley's 1,130-pound steer was the grand champion. Horsley
also took top prizes in senior steer showmanship and champion
pen-of-three hogs.
by CNB