Lincoln Beachy, a Delaware resident and student at Carlisle Elementary School, took home the top award in the Market Turkey Show on Saturday. Beachy’s Grand Champion Meat Turkey, which was purchased from Champion Feed and Pet Supply, weighed in at 32.2 pounds.
Asked how it felt to have a grand champion turkey, Beachy described the feeling as “awesome,” adding he was very surprised to win the top award. “We knew we had a good bird, but we didn’t know that we had that good of a chance,” he said.
A member of Nature’s Friends 4-H group, 10-year-old Beachy was showing a turkey for the first time this year. Beachy’s response, when asked why he decided to get into turkey showing, was simple and as one would expect from a child.
“I played soccer with a friend, and I saw him one year with a turkey and said, ‘Oh, I want to do that,’” he recalled of how the idea began.
Beachy’s parents, Wendell and Rachelle Beachy, said they had little prior experiences with showing before this year, having moved from Cincinnati four years ago. Their daughter, Eva, is also active in showing, entering two fancy bantam chickens this year.
Among the things Wendell Beachy said the judges were looking for in their son’s grand champion bird were a squared body, even meat distribution, firm meat, and an overall healthy looking bird. There is an element of showmanship that also goes into the judging.
Lincoln’s advice for anyone showing a project at the fair or who wants to show in the future is as relaxed and laid back as his demeanor.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Just do your best and try.”
While Lincoln’s approach may be simple, he did acknowledge there is a lot of work daily and weekly that goes into raising animals, such as cleaning the cage, and watering and feeding. He said his parents were a big help, although his father was quick to give his son credit, saying, “He did pretty good. He did the majority of the work.”
Lincoln is also grateful for his neighbor, Dick Hamilton, who he said helped build the pens for the birds, as well as watch them while the family was on vacation.
Rachel Kulha, also a Delaware resident and member of the Barrels, Rails and Such 4-H group, took home the Reserve Grand Champion Meat Turkey award. Andrew Coy, Noah Krantz and Emma Hildebrand rounded out the top five finishers.
