Fifty-plus at the fair

Victoria Kunk had a goal for her 10th year in 4-H –– to show more than 50 animals at the Jay County Fair.

She succeeded.

“We typically always have around 40, and as we’ve gotten older, the number has increased every year,” Victoria, 18, explained. “We were close to 50 last year, so I told Mom we’re going to hit it, maybe even go over.”

Victoria and her 16-year-old brother, Joseph, showed 53 animals combined this year. They competed in everything from beef, dairy and swine shows to rabbit and dog shows.

Their mother, Nancy, was skeptical about the idea at first.

“I said, ‘Well first of all, you know what your dad would’ve said,’” Nancy recalled of her late husband, Andrew, who died in 2016. “We had 18 (animals) one year before Joseph started, he thought that was absolutely insane.”

She told her daughter that was a lot of animals to clip and show. But, she said, she looked forward to the challenge. “I said sure, why not?”

Both Victoria and Joseph have been involved in numerous animal clubs since starting 4-H in third grade. The only animal show at the Jay County Fair they haven’t competed in is the cat show –– Victoria doesn’t like cats. (Joseph, however, would like to try competing in it before he finishes his 4-H career.) Still, they’ve been about as active as their schedules allow, Nancy noted.

“There’s only so much time,” she said of scheduling to attend club meetings.

The family lives on about 3 acres and often holds some of its livestock at farms scattered around the area. Just this year, in addition to the 53 animals at fair, Victoria estimated they also have three horses, about 15 goats and nearly 80 rabbits still at home. Having more of their animals at the fair made the week surprisingly less busy for them.

“Less chores in two places,” Joseph said.

Taking care of so many animals isn’t cheap. In addition to purchasing the animals and other upkeep costs, the Kunks usually have to restock on feed from a variety of places at least once a week throughout the year. If they take Nancy’s truck, they’ll haul about a ton at once.

This year, Joseph wanted to pass the 50-animal threshold to prove they could handle it. Some of their peers, he explained, didn’t think they could manage that many animals.

“Knowing people say we couldn’t do it … that’s kinda why I also wanted to do it,” he said.

The connections they make with their animals –– as well as others –– have kept them devoted to their full-time hobby. Victoria and Joseph can still recall names for several of the animals she showed her first year –– Pongo, Twix and Skittles (cattle), Spice (goat), Penny and Pearl (pigs), Molly and Chet (rabbits), and Dan (horse).

“It’s hard to forget (their names) because you form a relationship with them,” Nancy said. “Some of them become part of the family until they go to do their purpose for what we had them for.”

Victoria will be attending Ivy Tech Community College of Muncie in the fall for early childhood education –– she follows in the footsteps of her mother, an agriculture teacher at Delta High School –– with plans to later transfer to Ball State University. (She’ll be taking classes in the Associate Accelerated Program, a full-time commitment for recent high school graduates to earn an associate’s degree in less than one year.) Victoria hopes to come back to Jay County and start her own daycare.

She said she’ll miss showing at fair and getting close with the animals. Although, she added, her brother still has two more years, meaning she’ll probably be just as busy helping him.

A majority of the members of the extended Kunk family are or have been involved in 4-H, including their grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Nancy Kunk’s father, Larry Pluimer, was a 12-year member in Benton County –– she said she’s not sure how he did more than 10 years –– and her mom, Janet Pluimer, was a 10-year member in Blackford County. (Janet Pluimer also served as the first Miss Blackford County Fair Queen.)

Overall, Nancy noted, their week has gone smoothly. The family usually divides chores among each other, but this year she’s felt like she’s had more free time on her hands.

“I would say probably this week, I’ve had more time to sit on the show box and talk to people than I have before,” she said, wondering aloud if it was because her children are older and more efficient. “I’m not sure what the difference was this year, but I don’t think we were any busier this year than with, say, 35 animals.”