Eagle County Fair 2025

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Swan View

This year, we traveled to Eagle for their County Fair Goat Show once again! Our daughter, Colleen, usually comes from Idaho to attend this show with us so that makes it even MORE special.

When we arrived, we found our two families busy brushing their goats and getting ready for show time.

Here is Lizzy with Romulus ready to enter the ring.

Lizzy and Romulus

Lizzy had surgery on her arm just a few weeks before and was not supposed to be showing her animals, so she had a friend helping her. That was confusing for Romulus as he kept wanting to go to Lizzy! Plus, unfortunately, the friend really didn’t know how to show a goat.

Lizzy with her friend showing Romulus.

Lizzy with her friend showing Romulus.

Matthew had two goats to show in the market classes. However, they weighed within a couple pounds of each other!

Matthew with his goat, Rex (Armani) & Dune (Thomas).

Matthew with his goats, Rex (Armani) & Dune (Thomas).

That meant that Matthew had to have a friend show one of the goats for him, too. It is always confusing for the animals when someone new steps in to help as they are used to one person working with them.

Here is Matthew with Rex (Armani) and his friend with Dune (Thomas).

Matthew (in teal shirt) with Rex & Friend with Dune on Matt’s right

The Judge wanted them to walk around the ring and then stand their animals up again. Here is Matthew with Rex and his friend with Dune. We thought Matthew had done well improving his showing skills this year.

Matthew with Rex & Friend with Dune

Matthew with Rex & Friend with Dune (to Matt’s right)

Lizzy had felt frustrated at not being able to show her first goat, so she asked for permission to change her status for her second show. We were worried about her arm, but she wanted to show Rand on her own, so she got permission and in she came.

Rand was positively gorgeous! What a beautiful animal. I really don’t know how you could ask for anything better than what he was. His breeding is excellent and Lizzy had done a wonderful job developing him. Here she is holding Rand.

The Judge made his choices and here he is telling Lizzy how much better he liked Rand (Lizzy’s goat) over the two goats that he placed in front of him! We didn’t understand why he didn’t change things around then, as we agreed that Rand was better. Interesting reasoning, we thought?

The Judge with Lizzy & Rand

Lizzy, of course, was very respectful regardless and we were so proud of how she did this year.

Following the show, we went to our friends’ home for an absolutely delicious dinner that they had prepared for us. It has been such a pleasure to watch these children grow up and we have enjoyed being a small part of their lives. They are all very near and dear to our hearts!

Such a fun time! From left to right in the back, Lizzy’s dad, Ernie, older brother Jacob, mom Cindy, Mary and Gerald and their daughter, Colleen. In the front, little brother Isaac and Lizzy.

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Park County Fair, 2025

Posted on August 20, 2025 by Swan View

We are thrilled to welcome new customer Jolynn to Swan View Ranch this year! She found us on our website and we are so glad she did. She told us she would be showing at the Park County Fair. We had never been to that fair, so we were excited to check it out.

Jolynn and her Mom came to the ranch and purchased our last two wethers of the season for Jolynn to show at the fair. They told us they lived in Fairplay, but I didn’t realize how far away that was from us as I had only been through there once several years ago.

Jolynn and her mom

Jolynn was a great communicator. She let us know when the fair would be held. It was the day after the Mesa County Fair, which meant that we had a lot to do to get there on time!

We got up early that morning, did the chores, got ready, and headed for Fairplay. What a beautiful trip!  We went over Hoosier Pass which was spectacular. I had never been over that Pass before. The elevation was 11,539 feet, so it is almost as high as Loveland Pass.

Hoosier Pass

Hoosier Pass

Entering Fairplay was a delight. We saw this sign and thought it was very unique.

Fairplay sign

Fairplay sign

We made our way through town and found the fairgrounds. We walked in and saw Jolynn trimming her goat, Rambo (that we called Tobias).

Jolynn trimming Rambo

Jolynn trimming Rambo

It was great to see her again. We went into the barn to see her other goat Reaper (that we called Abbott). We could tell that Jolynn had put a great deal of work into her two animals. They both looked wonderful.

Reaper in the barn

Reaper in the barn

We were amazed to see that on her poster located above her animals, she had listed Swan View Ranch as the Breeder. We had never seen that before on any of the posters in any of the fairs, so that was a real treat.

Poster

Poster

As we strolled through the barns of animals, we met this young man who owns Yaks. He had shown this one, whom he called Flipper, and was obviously very attached to him. Flipper was a beautiful Yak and was super soft. Not something you see every day so we definitely wanted a picture!

Flipper The Yak

Flipper The Yak

When we entered the building where the goat show was to be held, we were amazed! We had never seen bleachers with backs on them! What a wonderful idea. Just look at these bleachers! You know how they usually are—back-breaking planks that leave you sore for hours. But with these, we were perfectly comfortable all the time we were there watching the end of the sheep show and then all of the goat show!

Bleachers & Show Ring

Bleachers & Show Ring

Park County has done a fabulous job setting up their show ring. The animals enter and exit from one side of the ring. On the other side of the ring is another gate through which the winners exit and pose for pictures.

We love getting pictures after the shows, but usually it is difficult as there is no designated place to do it. This was a much more efficient setup.

Here is Jolynn (on the left) coming in with Reaper. He weighed 83 pounds and looked great in a class that presented stiff competition.

Jolynn & Reaper

Jolynn & Reaper

Next Jolynn brought Rambo in (on the left). He was a big boy and very muscular, weighing 93 pounds. He took first place in his Market Goat Class.

Jolynn showing Rambo

Jolynn showing Rambo

Winning first place in the Market Goat Class allowed Jolynn and Rambo to be shown in the Championship class where all the first and second place winners have the opportunity to compete for Grand and Reserve Grand Champions.

Jolynn and Rambo took Reserve Grand Champion! Here they are in the winners circle. I don’t know who was more excited—Jolynn, her Mom, or Gerald and me!

Jolynn & Rambo Reserve Grand Champion

Jolynn & Rambo—Reserve Grand Champion

As we left Fairplay and drove on through the gorgeous Colorado landscape, I just felt so lucky to have such great 4-H goat customers. We do so enjoy traveling to see these young people as they do a super job feeding, trimming and showing their animals.

Congratulations to Jolynn. It was very exciting to attend the goat show in a new County and see how they do things. Jolynn and her mom are both delightful people and we are really looking forward to seeing them again next year.

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Mesa County Fair, Grand Junction, Colorado—2025

Posted on August 9, 2025 by Swan View

Mesa County Fair Goat Show is always exciting, and this year was no exception. We had eight goats showing—three in the breeding doe classes and five in the market goat classes.

We arrived early so we could walk around and see all of the animals. They look so pretty all clipped up, washed, and ready to go. The show was supposed to start at 4:00 p.m. but they were still showing pigs at that time.

After much delay, they announced that the pig show was running late, as they so often do with the pigs, so the goat show wouldn’t start until 5:30 p.m. That was disappointing as it was hot, the animals were uncomfortable, and the 4-H kids were all tired from a long day at the fair!

When they finally got started, they did the breeding classes first. Here is McKenzie showing her doe Pistachio that she bought from us back in 2024.

McKenzie & Pistachio

Now McKenzie is showing Vanna. She bought Vanna from us back in 2024 as well.

McKenzie & Vanna

Alyssa purchased Cindy from us this year. Cindy was a triplet and was pushed out of her mother’s milk most of the time by her bigger brother and sister. However, she looked pretty good and will make a fine doe for breeding and as you can see—she is very happy with her new owner!

Alyssa & Cindy

Our wether Dolce was disqualified as there was some mix-up with his papers and the board said his owners turned in his pictures too late. It was a shame as he was a beauty. Here is Avalena and Dolce when she purchased him from us and took him home.

Avalena & Dolce

Taylor came in with Euro. He was good looking too as you can see from the picture. I’m sure he weighed more than Taylor did but she did a super job of showing him!

Taylor & Euro

Jaiden purchased two goats from us this year. Unfortunately, they weighed out at only three pounds difference making it impossible for Jaiden to show both goats as they would be in the same class. He had to ask a friend to show his other goat for him. Of course, the friend didn’t know the goat, but she did her best.

Here is Jaiden with Jarrod and his friend with Slingo.

Jaiden & Jarrod, friend & Slingo

Alyssa came in with Toto. He looked fantastic and she did a great job showing him. Toto took first place in his market goat class! Here is Alyssa with Toto in the winner’s circle. She looks so proud and Toto seems to know that he took first place!

Alyssa & Toto</strong

We didn’t stay for the showmanship classes because of the late start to the show. Most counties have their pig show on a different day from the sheep and goat shows. We left at 10:00 p.m. and the goat show was still going on! Poor kids and animals! We are hoping that next year they will do a better job at planning out the times for these shows.

Nevertheless, the kids hung in there and did a great job. Congratulations to everyone!

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Cattlemen’s Days—Gunnison County Fair 2025

Posted on July 31, 2025 by Swan View

It’s a beautiful trip going up around the Blue Mesa Reservoir into the City of Gunnison.

We were so pleased to find that this year (unlike the last couple!), there was no construction on the Canyon! The bridges were all fixed too, so we didn’t have to stop or even slow up which is a first in several years!

Unfortunately, there was a fire in the Black Canyon which filled the whole Gunnison area with smoke. 🙁

Our 4-H families did a great job feeding their animals and getting them ready to be shown. Gabriel had purchased a young buck from us months before for breeding. He decided he’d enter him in the buck class.

Strangely, Gunnison County had never had bucks shown before, and they didn’t seem to be certain how to handle it? However, here is Gabriel showing Solitaire.

Gabriel showing Solitaire

Solitaire was a real beauty and, in our opinion, should have had a Grand Champion ribbon! But there was no Championship class for bucks, so he had to be happy with his blue ribbon!

Later, Gabriel showed a wether that was born on his property out of Maui—a buck he purchased from us about three years ago. Here is Gabriel with Jubilee.

Gabriel & Jubilee

Tristan came in the show ring with Chance, a whether he had purchased from us. The collar he had was too loose…so it came off! Chance took off for the gate. Fortunately, Tristan was able to catch him and bring him back to show.

Here is Tristan with Chance.

Tristan and Chance

Abigail entered the show ring with Trentino, another of our wethers. She did a good job showing him and ended up with Grand Champion! She was given a beautiful ribbon and a duffle bag.

Here is Abigail trying to manage Trentino, the Grand Champion ribbon and her duffle bag all at once!

Abigail and Trentino

We always love going to Gunnison and visiting with these two great families. It’s such a pleasure to see these fine young people do such a good job with their animals!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next year.

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Rio Blanco County Fair, 2024

Posted on August 18, 2024 by Swan View

The Rio Blanco county fair this year was a new one for us. We had never had goats shown in Meeker before.

We were contacted by this family later in the kidding season, so we had only a few babies left that had been born in February. We weren’t sure if they would make the weight limit by fair time.

However, this family came and Johnny picked out Poker for his wether. They seemed like a great family and we sure enjoyed meeting them.

New Family

New Family

We traveled to Meeker on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon. It’s such a pretty little town with some very nice, friendly people. We had lunch at a local restaurant and then made our way to the fair grounds.

We found Johnny and his family and we were very happy to see the fine job they had done with Poker. He was smaller and he was young but he had made weight. He was well fed, clipped perfectly, and looked show ready.

Johnny came in for showmanship with another of his goats that he had purchased. He did an excellent job showing that goat and we were certain that he would take first place.

Several of the people sitting around us told how that tall kid with the blond hair was going to take it. However, the judge put him in 4th place in his showmanship class. That was disappointing! But then, you never know with these things.

Here is Johnny coming in the ring with Poker for Poker’s market goat class.

Johnny and Poker entering the ring

Johnny and Poker entering the ring

Johnny did a wonderful job showing Poker. Here he is taking him around the ring.

Johnny showing Poker

Johnny showing Poker

We enjoyed our trip to the Rio Blanco Fair and we sincerely hope that Johnny will give it another go next year.

We should have babies in November/December that will be older, bigger, and more mature by fair time. We are looking forward to seeing this family again!

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Eagle County Fair 2024

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Swan View

We had a new Eagle County family this year that we really enjoyed getting to know.

They contacted us rather late in the year, so all we had left were a few babies born in February. We let them know that they would really have to push the feed to these babies so they would make weight and be eligible to show at the fair.

New Family

New Family

This family did a fantastic job of feeding, training the goats to lead, clipping them, and washing them to make them show ready. We were delighted to see what a great job they had done.

Here is Matthew showing his wether, Chip.  I believe this was his first year of showing an animal. We think he did a super job.

Matthew showing Chip

Matthew showing Chip

The Judge seemed to be more interested in his own personal problems than he was in helping the kids. He made some of them wait in the ring for nearly 10 minutes while he told stories of his own difficulties. We weren’t really happy with his judging skills! But it is good for the kids to learn how to work with all sorts of people!

Here is Marcos showing his wether Stetson (Spice) in the show ring.

Marcos showing Stetson

Marcos showing Stetson

What super young men Marcos and Matthew are. They have great parents as well! Hopefully they will contact us early this next season so they can have their choice of the new wethers.

We were happy to see our other Eagle family return for their goats this year. They have been our customers and friends for going on six years now. They always do a fantastic job of feeding, training, clipping, and washing their goats, getting them in top-top shape for show.

Here is Lizzy showing her doe Jamaica.

Lizzy showing Jamaica

Lizzy showing Jamaica

The goat classes in Eagle County are always huge, but Lizzy did great with her two goats. Here she is with Galena. You can see her intense concentration!

Lizzy showing Galena

Lizzy showing Galena

Following the show, we gathered with our friends for a delightful taco dinner. We send a big thank you to Cindy and Ernie for preparing it.

It’s always fun to spend time with this wonderful family and we have loved watching their children grow up. Our daughter, Colleen, comes down every year from Idaho for the Eagle County Fair. She, like us, has grown quite attached to this family.

Here we are after dinner. This year Hannah—who used to show goats as well, along with her older brother Jacob and younger brother Isaac—was able to set up her phone so we could all be in the picture! Thank you Hannah!

After dinner family shot

After dinner family shot

We sure look forward to seeing all of you next year.

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