Ryan Tammaro, 10, left, and his brother Ben, 8, with Charlie, an 18 month-old Angus steer and Abby, a 2-year-old Aberdeen cow, at Down Home Farm in Cape Elizabeth. The four fairs where the boys would have shown their animals – the Topsham Fair, Ossipee Valley Fair, Cumberland Fair and the Fryeburg fair — were canceled this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Ryan And Ben painted the chicken coop. The two brothers are involved in local 4-H clubs. They are part of what their father calls "a fair family".
Ryan walks Charlie, an 18-month-old Angus steer at his family's farm in Cape Elizabeth. Ryan is a member of the 4-H beef club and is also in the swine club with his younger brother Ben.
Ryan, right, and Ben, 8, work with market hogs. Ben would have participated in the racing pig program at the Cumberland fair. The racing pigs are 8 weeks old when the kids get them. They have 4 weeks to train them to come to a treat before the competition.
Ben and Ryan are extremely disappointed that the fairs are canceled this year. Their father, Nick Tammaro, says they truly miss everything about the fairs and can't wait for 2021.
Allison Brown, 16, and her steer Flash pose for a portrait outside of the family's barn in Pownal. Brown, a rising junior at Freeport High School, planned to show at multiple fairs this year until they were all canceled. She got Flash in a calf scramble at the Cumberland County Fair last year. Brown said that not being able to see all of her 4-H friends at the fair is one of the hardest parts of the cancelations.
Jacob Brown, 12, tends to the family's pigs in the barn behind the family's house in Pownal. Brown, a student at Freeport Middle School, is raising two pigs for market, one the family will keep and one to be sold.
Jacob pets the family dog after completing his chores.
Allison, right, and her mother Jessica Brown measure Allison's steer named Flash to get an approximate weight.
The Domin siblings, Clara, 13, left, Natalie, 17, and Ethan, 16, show off their sheep Nala, Fern and Harriet. All three sheep were born in the spring and would have been auctioned off at 4-H shows this summer. Without the fairs, the Domins are not sure how they will sell their sheep.
A hen balances on the back of Clara Domin's sheep Nala.
Clara kisses her 5-year-old gelding Happy. Happy would have competed in his second season. His rookie year did not go well, but Domin had high hopes for this year because of increased training. "He would've done much better," she said.
Natalie Domin, 17, prepares to saddle her horse Toby, a 12-year-old gelding in Freeport.
This would have been Natalie Domin's last season as a 4-Her. "I'm pretty disappointed," she said. "It's been a big part of my life for 10 years now. It's kind of sad for it to end, but there's still a lot I can do as an adult volunteer."
Martel siblings Aine, left, Ronan, and Aidan, right, raised Finn sheep at their home in Cumberland. The three are all part of the Cumberland County Sheep Club. It is Ronan's first year in the club, and Aidan serves as president of the club.
Aine Martel, a rising eighth grader, visits with Opal, one of the Finn sheep that she and her siblings raised as a part of the Cumberland County Sheep Club.
Kat Leach pets her 8-month-old heifer Twix at her family's farm in Kennebunk. Leach, 11, says the thing she will miss most about not being able to show her heifer at fairs this year is spending time with her 4-H friends. This year would have been her fifth year showing at the Acton, Ossipee and Fryeburg Fairs.
Sophia Bogh, 11, left, and her sister Ella, 12, hold their rabbits Jupiter and Specky at their South Berwick home. The girls have shown rabbits at the Acton Fair for five years, and it's one of the highlights of their summer. They camp at the fair the whole week and are disappointed the fairs have been canceled this year.
Jillian Sawyer, 15, lifts a bale from the hay loft at her family's farm in Limington at feeding time. It's hard work to keep up with eight cows, but winning ribbons at fairs makes it all worthwhile. "It's nice to know that my work pays off," she said.
Jillian nuzzles with Belle, her 3-year-old Brown Swiss dairy cow. Sawyer, who belongs to the Cumberland County All-Star 4-H Dairy Club, said the hobby gives her something to do. "I'm not very athletic," she joked. The yearly fairs will be something she misses. "I like all the people, the experiences and the cows," she said.
Connie Sawyer, 9, leads her 4-month-old Jersey cow Buttercup on a halter at the family farm in Limington. Sawyer, who started raising cows at age 7, belongs to the Cumberland County All-Star 4-H Dairy Club. She said the hobby is both a social and learning experience. "I like being with the other 4-Hers that are at the fairs," she said. "It's fun to hang out with them and walk cows with them."
Connie pets her 2-year-old Jersey cow Spice. One of her favorite aspects of raising cows is "when they're laying down to go in and sit with them" in their pens, she said. Spice would have been up for auction this year.
Don Strawbridge, 16, releases the family's Lamancha and Oberhasli goats to be milked in his family's North Yarmouth barn. The goats wear blankets for sun protection because they are closely shorn.
Nora Strawbridge, 14, talks to 3-month-old Canyon. Strawbridge was 6 when she started raising Nigerian and Oberhasli goats. Most of her friends raise goats and compete at the fairs. "If I don't win, I can be happy for them. If I win, I can be happy for me. It's a very team environment," she said. "It's really hard because I won't see my friends, and I have really good goats this year."
Don and Nora milk goats Kalyn and Wave in a small milking room in the barn.
Lamancha kids Cielo, left, Masquerade, Canyon and Maggie drink fresh goat milk from a bucket at From Away Farm in North Yarmouth. Lamancha goats are known for their lack of ear flaps.
Local & State 
