Life

Sandburg goats win at mountain fair

First and second place Toggenburgs Shamrock and Shadow are shown with youth volunteers Evan and Mara Shook and park rangers Katie Dotson and Janene Donovan.

By Bill Moss, Published: September 19, 2013

Shamrock and Shadow, Toggenburg dairy goats from Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, won first and second place respectively for Best in Class, intermediate doe kid class, at the North Carolina Mountain State Fair on Sept. 7.

The does are a seventh generation descendents from Lillian Sandburg's champion Toggenburg Jennifer II, who in 1960 earned a Top Toggenburg World Record for milk production. Mrs. Sandburg was often recognized for her accomplishments as a champion goat breeder and these goats winning awards fifty years later with the same genes is a testament to her legacy. The goats were shown at the competition by youth volunteers Evan and Mara Shook.
The Toggenburg's weren't the only winners at the fair. Youth volunteer Anna Yokote showed Nubian doe, Catie, in the Nubian Junior Doe class and was also awarded first place for Best in Class. Anna was also awarded second place in the junior showmanship competition which judges her ability to handle a goat and her knowledge of goat care.
Youth from the site's volunteer program are selected each year to compete at the fair. They form the group of volunteers known as Flat Rock Exceptional Sandburg Helpers, or FRESH, which assists with farm chores and provide visitor information. Showing a goat requires hours of practice in walking and positioning to show them at their best advantage to the judges. Hooves are trimmed, hair sheared and general grooming needs to be done before the show. Preparing the goats for show is a group effort by all the volunteers at the farm.