Palmer woman claims 3rd Master Showman title at Alaska State Fair

PALMER — Not much at the Alaska State Fair gives you more bragging rights than a blue ribbon. Whether it’s a prize-winning pickle or world-record cabbage, a blue ribbon marks you as the top dog.

For 4-H youth and adults, that top spot is called “Master Showman,” a distinction that marks you best of the best.

Fair volunteer and Mat-Su Copper River 4-H Livestock Council Vice President Jenny Wren said earning that top spot takes a lot of work. She said both animal handling and knowledge play into becoming a Master Showman.

“This class is judged on how the handler presents the animal to the judge and how good their knowledge is, and right now our judge is really making them work,” she said.

Each participant in Sunday’s Adult Showmanship class won in their respective species; Dorothy Jacobson with beef, Heather Fair with her goats and Emily Bequette with her sheep. They each earned a spot in the final showdown for Master Showman.

The twist, Wren said, “is now they have to come back and show everybody else’s species. That makes them a Master Showman.”

The way this class works is the winner of each showman class earns a spot in the Master Showman arena. Once in the ring, they will do what Wren calls a round-robin.

“The round-robin is when they show everybody else’s animals,” she said.

Wren said this really highlights the skills of an all-around showman.

“This determines who is the best,” she said.

And who is the best?

On this day, it’s Palmer resident Dorothy Jacobson.

Jacobson answered the judge’s questions correctly and showed the three animals like a pro.

Jacobson’s win on Sunday wasn’t her first. It is her third in eight years. For Jacobson, winning the title Master Showman is nice, but she agrees with Wren on the level of commitment and knowledge base it takes.

“Knowledge is big,” she said. “In 4-H, I showed horses and sheep, and so back then that was a big challenge to be Grand Champion,” she said. “Now I work with 4-H kids, and every year I am learning more from them. It just takes time.”

Jacobson said it still wasn’t easy. “Some of the things the judge was asking me, I had to reach way back in my memory.”

Jacobson also had to overcome the lack of experience with goats.

“I did sheep when I was a kid,” she said. “I did pigs with my kids, and I’ve done beef for several years, so my knowledgebase in goats is the worst.”

Jacobson said she also wasn’t up to par on all the fine points of how to show a goat, so for her the goat was hardest.

“I don’t have much background in them,” she said. “That is why that was the most challenging.”

Challenging or not, Jacobson knows what needs to be done.

“Our job is to present the animal at its best,” she said. “To try and highlight its best characteristics.”

She did just that and for her efforts she was awarded the blue ribbon and the title of Master Showman for the 2013 Alaska State Fair.

If you want to see more on showing the different animals and how the young kids handle it, the 4-H competition starts this week. Wednesday is the confirmation class where auction rankings will be given out. Thursday is the breeding stock competition and Friday is the showmanship competitions. Then Saturday, it all culminates with the livestock auction with viewing beginning at noon.

Contact Robert DeBerry at 352-2266 or robert.deberry@frontiersman.com.