August 18, 2025 • 7 mins
On this edition of ACF 411, Russ is joined by Melania to talk about her various 4-H poultry projects!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And we're back to another edition of ACF four one one.
It's the official podcast of the Allen County Fair and
I'm your host, Russ Decker and joining me here in
the podcast parlor that used to be the dairy milking
parlor here at the Allen County Fair.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Melania.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Welcome, Hi, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So you're a senior where at I.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Just graduated from Alia High School and Apollo Career Center
through the health science program.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It's a good bulldogs right, all right?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
So you're showing poultry and you told me like everything
in poultry, you're showing.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Almost so walk us through that. What are all those projects?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
So I have a standard hen and we had our
breeding show on Sunday and she won grand champion.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Wow, graduation, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I have an egg production which they're just standard hens
and they won fifth place. And then I have a
standard cock roll. I have a standard duck. I have
a standard or breeding royal palm turkey. He won grand champion.
And then I have a pin of market birds and
they won second place for Division two and then third
(01:08):
place overall. And then I have a ban I'm hen
and I'm pretty sure it's everything, but.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You have two Grand champions, Yeah, out of this fair.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Yeah, how's that feel really good? I feel like one
of my main goals was we have two hundred and
twenty market pins and I've really worked hard over the
past years on market birds, so I was really hoping
to play this place this year. So that felt really good.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So I want to talk about that because one of
the things I've talked Kelly Cobble and you know Kelly, Yeah,
so we've talked about there are a lot more poultry
entries this year that they've had in a long time.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah. I feel like it goes up every single year,
which is amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So for folks that have that aren't into agriculture, you know,
they live in the city and so they're not having
chickens and ducks and things, tell us a little bit
about I mean, what are they going to see if
they come out and go to the poultry barn.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
So if you come into the poultry barn, it's definitely
loaded with all kinds of animals, and people that don't
show may not know what all that looks like. Some
people might think it's easy or they just don't know
how it works. So in the poultry barn everything, but
the meat turkeys and market birds are animals that will
take back home. They're all breeding birds, so we're able
(02:21):
to take them back home get them ready for next
year if you want to bring them back. But they
don't go to the auction, just our market pen birds
and the meat turkeys. Well, so we get to bring
them home and get them better for next year.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
So are they more like pets then, because if they're
going to market, you're probably don't want to get too attached, right,
are the other are the other species?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Are they more like a pet?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
You have names for them?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I don't, but a lot of people do.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Okay, So you've got a lot of different varieties.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Do they all eat the same thing?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I have all my birds on the same thing, except
like our market at birds. But are other animals.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes, well that's pretty that's pretty neat.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
And we have a lot at home. We have like
over one hundred animals at home. Birds really yeah, So
we have goats and we just got guinea's which is
just another bird.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So you you live on a poultry farm? Yes, okay,
all right here in Allen County.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Yes, we live in Elida.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Okay, Oh that's right. A lot of schools.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
All right, So what attracted you to getting involved in
the fair in the first place, because you're a senior, right.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yes, I just graduated. So nine years ago. Our neighbors
they show at the Allen County Fair and they encouraged us.
They knew that we had poultry animals and they encourage
us to come show at the fair. And I used
to be extremely shy, so I just kind of was
following my brother around. He graduated last year, so he
(03:51):
doesn't show anymore. But they encourage us to get into it,
and we did. And I got on Junior fairboard three
years ago, which definitely helped too. But over the past years,
I've definitely came out of my shell. But our neighbors
is kind of what started it.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So that speaks volumes about why kids should think about
getting involved in.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Four h or FSA or junior fair.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And yeah, tell me about the junior fair board. We
you know, we just talk about people are on the
junior fair board. We really never talk about you guys
do a lot of work.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah, I think we do. It's sometimes it's not always
just like we're out everywhere and scenes, so not everyone
like knows what we do. I feel like we're a
good background of it. We volunteer a lot of our time.
We have work days and then during the fair you'll
see the junior fairboard kids working the shows or handing
out awards if the royalty's not in the barn. And
(04:43):
then we also help out with singo and dodgeball and
barn games. So we're sometimes behind the scenes a little bit,
but we definitely do volunteer a lot of time.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
But I love it all right.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
So you brought up barn games.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, and again for the city folk that might be
listening to the podcast, we're watching the podcast what are
barn games?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
So barn games are anyone at the fair. You don't
even have to be showing. You can come and play
the games and they're in the show arena and we
just put games out for the kids and it's kind
of like we run it and there's like different games.
It's not just like boring games. We have fun games
that we do and the kids are able to come
and play them, and it's posted everywhere so people do
(05:25):
know about it, which is nice. And then they can
come and we put on a little game show if
you want to say, so.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Let me get my head around this.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
So if if you had a child and they're not
and they don't have an animal or something, but they
could come out and participate if you wanted. In the
so that every barn, so if they wanted to go
see like barn games at the Chickens, and then they
could go down and see barn games at the Swine.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
So it's in the show arena, but it's not like
a specific barn game. It's like barn games, so like
anyone can come and play.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
So it's a chance for kids to get up close
with an amble and not maybe not be afraid of them,
and those kinds of.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Things would be great. Yeah, so what are you gonna
do now? You said you just graduated from both Apollo and.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Eliina, right, Yes, I'm at Rhodes State College for a
nursing school. Great. Yeah, I'm excited. And then I'm going
to be a superintendent next year.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
If I don't show, are you allowed to show next year? Yes?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
I have another year if I want, so you can show.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
What is it one year out? When does it end?
Is it one year after?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
So it goes by your birthday from January? So I
have a March birthday, so technically at the fair, I'm seventeen,
but I'm really eighteen. And then once you turn eighteen
and that's your actual like birthday by January, you're done.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Then well, if you want to be a superintendent, I
know they'd love to have you, because superintendent's are the
unspoken hero of the Alley County Fairs, I think, because
they do a lot of work in all these buildings
to keep the doors open, lights on, and the place
from going crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right, I agree.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, Well, thanks.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
For stopping by and joining us in the in the
podcast having me. Yeah, if someone out there is thinking
about going to the fair, they haven't been to the
fair for years, I always ask this question, why should
they come out to the Allen County Fair.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I think the Allen County Fair is a good place
for the community to come and connect, and the community
can come and see what all the youth that do
show projects here are able to show off, and not
just animals but special interest and I think it's just
a good place to be.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Melania, thanks for being here.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
We'll be back with another edition of ACF four one
one right after this
And we're back to another edition of ACF four one one.
It's the official podcast of the Allen County Fair and
I'm your host, Russ Decker and joining me here in
the podcast parlor that used to be the dairy milking
parlor here at the Allen County Fair.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
Melania.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
Welcome, Hi, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
So you're a senior where at I.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Just graduated from Alia High School and Apollo Career Center
through the health science program.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
It's a good bulldogs right, all right?
Speaker 1 (00:28):
So you're showing poultry and you told me like everything
in poultry, you're showing.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Almost so walk us through that. What are all those projects?
Speaker 3 (00:38):
So I have a standard hen and we had our
breeding show on Sunday and she won grand champion.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Wow, graduation, Thank you.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
I have an egg production which they're just standard hens
and they won fifth place. And then I have a
standard cock roll. I have a standard duck. I have
a standard or breeding royal palm turkey. He won grand champion.
And then I have a pin of market birds and
they won second place for Division two and then third
(01:08):
place overall. And then I have a ban I'm hen
and I'm pretty sure it's everything, but.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You have two Grand champions, Yeah, out of this fair.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
Yeah, how's that feel really good? I feel like one
of my main goals was we have two hundred and
twenty market pins and I've really worked hard over the
past years on market birds, so I was really hoping
to play this place this year. So that felt really good.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
So I want to talk about that because one of
the things I've talked Kelly Cobble and you know Kelly, Yeah,
so we've talked about there are a lot more poultry
entries this year that they've had in a long time.
Speaker 3 (01:42):
Yeah. I feel like it goes up every single year,
which is amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
So for folks that have that aren't into agriculture, you know,
they live in the city and so they're not having
chickens and ducks and things, tell us a little bit
about I mean, what are they going to see if
they come out and go to the poultry barn.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
So if you come into the poultry barn, it's definitely
loaded with all kinds of animals, and people that don't
show may not know what all that looks like. Some
people might think it's easy or they just don't know
how it works. So in the poultry barn everything, but
the meat turkeys and market birds are animals that will
take back home. They're all breeding birds, so we're able
(02:21):
to take them back home get them ready for next
year if you want to bring them back. But they
don't go to the auction, just our market pen birds
and the meat turkeys. Well, so we get to bring
them home and get them better for next year.
Speaker 1 (02:36):
So are they more like pets then, because if they're
going to market, you're probably don't want to get too attached, right,
are the other are the other species?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Are they more like a pet?
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
You have names for them?
Speaker 3 (02:48):
I don't, but a lot of people do.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Okay, So you've got a lot of different varieties.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Do they all eat the same thing?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
I have all my birds on the same thing, except
like our market at birds. But are other animals.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes, well that's pretty that's pretty neat.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
And we have a lot at home. We have like
over one hundred animals at home. Birds really yeah, So
we have goats and we just got guinea's which is
just another bird.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
So you you live on a poultry farm? Yes, okay,
all right here in Allen County.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Yes, we live in Elida.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Okay, Oh that's right. A lot of schools.
Speaker 1 (03:24):
All right, So what attracted you to getting involved in
the fair in the first place, because you're a senior, right.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Yes, I just graduated. So nine years ago. Our neighbors
they show at the Allen County Fair and they encouraged us.
They knew that we had poultry animals and they encourage
us to come show at the fair. And I used
to be extremely shy, so I just kind of was
following my brother around. He graduated last year, so he
(03:51):
doesn't show anymore. But they encourage us to get into it,
and we did. And I got on Junior fairboard three
years ago, which definitely helped too. But over the past years,
I've definitely came out of my shell. But our neighbors
is kind of what started it.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (04:07):
So that speaks volumes about why kids should think about
getting involved in.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
Four h or FSA or junior fair.
Speaker 1 (04:14):
And yeah, tell me about the junior fair board. We
you know, we just talk about people are on the
junior fair board. We really never talk about you guys
do a lot of work.
Speaker 3 (04:22):
Yeah, I think we do. It's sometimes it's not always
just like we're out everywhere and scenes, so not everyone
like knows what we do. I feel like we're a
good background of it. We volunteer a lot of our time.
We have work days and then during the fair you'll
see the junior fairboard kids working the shows or handing
out awards if the royalty's not in the barn. And
(04:43):
then we also help out with singo and dodgeball and
barn games. So we're sometimes behind the scenes a little bit,
but we definitely do volunteer a lot of time.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
But I love it all right.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
So you brought up barn games.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Yeah, and again for the city folk that might be
listening to the podcast, we're watching the podcast what are
barn games?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
So barn games are anyone at the fair. You don't
even have to be showing. You can come and play
the games and they're in the show arena and we
just put games out for the kids and it's kind
of like we run it and there's like different games.
It's not just like boring games. We have fun games
that we do and the kids are able to come
and play them, and it's posted everywhere so people do
(05:25):
know about it, which is nice. And then they can
come and we put on a little game show if
you want to say, so.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Let me get my head around this.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
So if if you had a child and they're not
and they don't have an animal or something, but they
could come out and participate if you wanted. In the
so that every barn, so if they wanted to go
see like barn games at the Chickens, and then they
could go down and see barn games at the Swine.
Speaker 3 (05:53):
So it's in the show arena, but it's not like
a specific barn game. It's like barn games, so like
anyone can come and play.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
So it's a chance for kids to get up close
with an amble and not maybe not be afraid of them,
and those kinds of.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Things would be great. Yeah, so what are you gonna
do now? You said you just graduated from both Apollo and.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Eliina, right, Yes, I'm at Rhodes State College for a
nursing school. Great. Yeah, I'm excited. And then I'm going
to be a superintendent next year.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
If I don't show, are you allowed to show next year? Yes?
Speaker 3 (06:25):
I have another year if I want, so you can show.
Speaker 2 (06:27):
What is it one year out? When does it end?
Is it one year after?
Speaker 3 (06:30):
So it goes by your birthday from January? So I
have a March birthday, so technically at the fair, I'm seventeen,
but I'm really eighteen. And then once you turn eighteen
and that's your actual like birthday by January, you're done.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Then well, if you want to be a superintendent, I
know they'd love to have you, because superintendent's are the
unspoken hero of the Alley County Fairs, I think, because
they do a lot of work in all these buildings
to keep the doors open, lights on, and the place
from going crazy.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
Right, I agree.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Yeah, Well, thanks.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
For stopping by and joining us in the in the
podcast having me. Yeah, if someone out there is thinking
about going to the fair, they haven't been to the
fair for years, I always ask this question, why should
they come out to the Allen County Fair.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
I think the Allen County Fair is a good place
for the community to come and connect, and the community
can come and see what all the youth that do
show projects here are able to show off, and not
just animals but special interest and I think it's just
a good place to be.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Melania, thanks for being here.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
We'll be back with another edition of ACF four one
one right after this
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