December 24, 2023 | Vol. 3, Issue 4
Showing Lambs Builds Character
A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM By Lee Johnson leej19558@gmail.com One day in early 2021, my wife April called and said she had seen a website that had information about kids showing lambs in Alabama and that maybe we should look more closely as something for our granddaughters. My response was something along the lines of "I didn't know anyone showed sheep in Alabama, but I'll check it out." After a few visits to the Alabama Lamb Producers Association's (ALPA) website and Facebook page, together with some phone calls with an ALPA board member, we decided as a family we were going to show lambs. At the end of April that year, the first two show lambs arrived at our barn, and our now 11-year-old granddaughter, Zoe Flowers, took them under her wing. Our family is still "all in" three show seasons later with showing lambs. The Alabama lamb show season starts in late May and concludes in early November with the National Peanut Festival in Dothan. When mid-August arrives, it
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Lee Johnson
Showing lambs is a big investment of time and energies for these young participants. In the lower left are Zoe Flowers and her cousin Bailee Roberson with ribbons of success and in the lower right is Josie Shirley, Pell City, showing on the green shavings in Louisville. resembles a sports travel ball, where you can be at a show every weekend until wrapping up in Dothan. After Dothan, several families travel to Louisville, KY, to show at the North American International Livestock Exposition, where almost
30,000 animals of different species and breeds pass through the barns in 10 days in early November each year. The youth love showing on the green shavings in Louisville. The Mississippi Youth Expo in Jackson in early December is another favorite show. Many
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families also show in Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee during "open" weekends throughout the summer and fall months and county fairs throughout the fall. Show days typically mean early mornings and late nights. (Continued on page 2)