Zane Trace FFA members enjoy 80th Ross County Fair

CHILLICOTHE — The 80th edition of the Ross County Fair took place Aug. 3-10 and many members of the Zane Trace FFA enjoyed success in their Jr Fair activities.

Before the fair began, ZT FFA officers created a display of member projects and FFA involvement throughout the year in the fair booth. The booth was visited by thousands of fairgoers during the week and highlighted the chapter’s gold-rated program of activities. Isaac Detty won Best of Show in the FFA project competition with his collection of canned goods.

On Tuesday, several members participated in the long-standing tradition of Junior Fair Night in the grandstand. Kendra Detillion placed 3rd in the Apple-Pie Bake Off and her pie was auctioned off to raise funds for Jr. Fair activities. In the outhouse race, the team of Isaac Detty, Brooklynn Fisher-Riffle, Savannah Jenkins, Keira DiBenedetto and Mariska Wax ran their outhouse on wheels to a 2nd place finish in their heat. In the premier event of the night, Isaac Detty caught a calf in the 41st annual Calf Scramble. Isaac will raise the calf for a year and show it as a steer in the 2025 Jr. Fair Beef Show.

In addition to participating in competitions, the FFA members found time to give back to the fair community by volunteering as servers in the Ross County Cattlemen’s Booth. The cattlemen use funds raised during the fair to support beef education projects at the local level.

The group sold over 200 sandwiches during their time in the booth.

Throughout the week, dozens of ZT FFA members competed in market, breeding and showmanship competitions with their livestock projects which ranged from turkeys and chickens to large animals such as cattle, goats, sheep, hogs and horses. These students learned many important skills through these projects including budgeting, discipline, problem-solving and record-keeping.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Zane Trace FFA members enjoy 80th Ross County Fair