Tuscarawas County Fair sales were up and down

There may not have been rides and grandstand shows, but there was excitement at the Tuscarawas County Junior Fair sales during fair week.

In an incredible show of support, bidders ran up the total purchase price on the pen of three chickens raised by Trenton Haney, age 9 of Gnadenhutten, to $3,300. The winning bid was placed by Bliss Veterinary Services of Newcomerstown.

Haney was diagnosed with a rare cancer in his left arm earlier this year. He underwent two surgeries in the spring and spent his summer undergoing treatment. Two years ago he was diagnosed with another rare condition, Perthes, which effects the hip joints and also required two surgeries and a lengthy recovery.

To speed along the auction due to COVID-19 restrictions, only the grand champion and reserve champion winners brought their animals into the ring this year. That left many kids standing by themselves when it was time to sell their animal.

“I was so nervous to be standing in front of everyone,” said Haney, the son of Ryan and Debbie Haney, although it was hard to tell from the smile on his face with the bids quickly escalating.

His family was in disbelief, but afterward, in a gesture that is typical of Trenton Haney, he requested to share some of the money he’ll receive from the sale.

“He asked if he could use $100 to donate to the Shower’s Family Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Akron Children’s Hospital,” said his mother, Debbie Haney, who noted September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. “The kid has such a good heart.”

Trenton Haney’s parents purchase the animals for their children and pay for the feed. Once the animals are sold, the children are allowed to spend $50 of the money they earn with the rest going into a college fund.

“Trenton thinks he will probably spend his $50 on some candy, a game and a new movie,” Debbie Haney said.

Trenton Haney’s family is grateful for all the support he has received.

“I am so happy that people support my brother with everything he has been through, and I want to say thank you to everyone who has helped us through this tough time,” said Gracie Haney, Trenton’s 15-year-old sister.

All three siblings show animals at the fair and are members of the Kountry Kids 4-H club. They are grateful for the generosity of the community.

“I appreciate that so many people and businesses support the animal sales at the Tuscarawas County Fair,” said Koy Haney, Trenton’s 12-year-old brother.

The parents and friends of Brody Alford, age 17 of the Ropin’ Ranchers 4-H club, decided ahead of time to make his final hog sale one to remember. Last year Brody Alford’s hog did not make the minimum weight requirement and wasn’t able to be shown or sold at the fair.

The group consulted with fair auctioneers and decided running up the bid at the sale would be more exciting than adding to the final bid after the fact.

There was a mix-up in the beginning, though, when one friend mistakenly started out by bidding $200 online, not realizing the bids were price per pound and not per animal. The hog weighed in at 276 pounds and would have resulted in a payout of $55,200.

After the bid was corrected, five bidders started running the price up with the final total ending up at $56 per pound. The sale added $15,456 to Brody Alford’s college fund.

The hog was purchased by Savvy Sniper LLC of Port Washington, a business owned by the Alford family that sells gun slings.

“We set a record,” said Brody’s father, Lt. Brian Alford. He said his son is going to use the money to attend Kent State University Tuscarawas and study engineering. “The auctioneers made it fun.”

The 2020 Tuscarawas County Market Livestock Auction held on Thursday evening was the most successful sale of the week. The sale totaled $748,195.05; this amount was up significantly from the 2019 sale, which totaled $713,164.25.

The top sales with species, exhibitor, price and purchaser included:

Grand champion lamb, Adeline Kendle, $12 per pound, Saltwell Western Store; reserve champion lamb, Marshall Miller, $8 per pound, Sugar Valley Meats; grand champion hog, Wyatt Gordon, $20 per pound, D & J Sales & Service; reserve champion hog, Emma Leggett, $14 per pound, Mobile IBC Services; grand champion market steer, Reid Black, $5.50 per pound, Mushrush Utility Contracting Inc.; reserve champion market steer, Kelly Hinds, $5.50 per pound, Heffelfinger’s Meats; grand champion dairy steer, Jenna Horn, $2.75 per pound, Kimble Company; and reserve champion dairy steer, Brittany Finton, $4 per pound, Kimble Company.

The dairy sale held on Friday totaled $86,400. This was down from last year, but this year’s sale did not include the specially made wooden products that were sold in the past. The total of the 2019 sale with added donations was $95,650. Six large baskets and 34 smaller baskets were sold.

The buyers of the six large baskets are Mako’s Market & Pharmacy, $4,250; Kimble Company, $4,750; Dover Trucking, $5,250; Gerber & Sons and Huebner Seed, $4,750; Bill and Wanda Zeigler, $4,750 (they then raised the final amount to $5,000); and Gordon Milk Transport, $4,500.

The small animal sale on Saturday raised a total of $70,044. This was down from the 2019 sale, which raised $76,105.

The top sales with species, exhibitor, price and purchaser included:

Grand champion market duck, Rory Chismar, $500, Schlabach Painting; reserve champion market duck, Cassie Miceli, $550, Bennington Propane; grand champion rabbit, Hailey Schlabach, $600, Jenn’s Custom Meats; reserve champion rabbit, Meghan Kieffer, $700, Jamie’s Apple Treats; grand champion goat, Kaitlin M. Yoder, $800, Boltz Family Farm Market and Gooding’s Farm Market; reserve champion goat, Lillian M. Sproul, Boots N Chutes, $800, Dr. Steven Chismar; grand champion broilers, Rory Chismar, $750, Beitzel Meats; reserve champion broilers, Madison Burkholder, $675, Royal Acres Poultry and Harper Farms; grand champion turkey, Britney Zurfley, $600, Steve Cronebaugh Auction Services; and reserve champion turkey, Ashley Zurfley, $625, Kate and Joe Schweitzer.

The total of all three sales this year was more than $904,639.05, up from last year’s total sales of $884,275.