Valley youths bring animals to stock show

LOS FRESNOS — Dust blew across the fair grounds on a sunny Friday afternoon as the Los Fresnos PRCA Rodeo and Cameron County Fair and Livestock Show opened.
The smell of barbecue was thick in the air as eager 4H-ers and their families primed livestock in rows of stalls with straw-covered floors, prepared for the judging of the lambs and goats.
Lane Thomae, 11, couldn’t be happier because he won grand champion for his lamb, Riley.
He said winning involved a lot of dedication, around-the-clock practice and provided a sense of self-satisfaction.
“It felt pretty good,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh, crud, I won!’”
He is a member of Los Fresnos FFA and Highland Hustler’s 4H Club and is no stranger to livestock shows.
“I’ve been doing it my whole life,” he said, adding that in past years, he raised a goat and a pig. “So I’ve almost done them all.”
He said his involvement in FFA and 4H is important to him because it gives him a chance to meet new people and work with animals.
“I always have a good time and our whole family comes out,” he said.
Lane said the key to winning is setting the lamb up fast and keeping it under control.
“This is something I’ll do for the rest of my life and if I have kids, they’re going to do it, too,” he said.
Hannah Cisneros, 16, hadn’t shown her goats, Ace and Brownie, by mid-afternoon Friday, but she was well-prepared for the goat judging.
Hannah is with the Resaca City 4H Club.
“Before you get to a show, you have to groom them, feed them, exercise them, work them and then when you get to a show you have to wash them, make sure they are comfortable and feed and water them every two hours,” she said while standing in between rows of stalls, waiting for her turn to show.
And she isn’t a newcomer to these shows. While this is her first year with Resaca City 4H, she also spent some time in Los Fresnos FFA.
“The judges are looking for top muscle structure and making sure they look pretty and have no extra skin, flab and are not too fat,” Hannah said.
Participating in livestock shows and 4H events are important to her because she learns so much about animals.
“And I like it because when you win, you know you did it by yourself and nobody else accomplished it for you,” she said.
She should know because she recently won grand champion at the South Texas Livestock Show in San Benito, which means her goats were the best in all of South Texas.
But the livestock show isn’t just about winning; it’s also a chance to have fun with the family.
“My mom and sister are here and you just get to meet a lot of people,” she said.
Today, the Cameron County Livestock Show opens at 8 a.m. along with a flurry of other events from PRCA Rodeo activities, a Texas Hold’em tournament, concerts, comedians and fireworks. The rodeo, livestock show, carnival and other activities conclude Sunday.