OTTUMWA —
Lizzy Jones was having a good time at the final day of the Wapello County Expo, but you couldn’t tell at a glance.
Age 4, Lizzy turned shy when people talked with her. She might shake her head or nod, but she wasn’t interested in talking and clung close to her mom, Brenda. That is, until Ty Bolte walked back to the Blank Park Zoo table.
“Look!” Lizzie squealed. “Here comes the snake!”
Bolte carried a ball python perhaps four feet long. It was doing its best to live up to its name, curling itself as best it could and trying to perch on one of his arms. Bolte gently eased the snake out to about two-thirds of its length so the gathering children could pet it.
Lizzie’s eyes lit up as she reached out to touch the snake. People might be a bit intimidating, but the snake was not.
Saturday was a mix of ongoing competitions, championship displays and a chaotic, swirling crowd. Classic cars filled the parking lot outside as a long line of people waited for their chance to get an ear or two of sweet corn for lunch.
A handful of people wandered through rooms dedicated to quilts or to Civil War memorabilia, but most stuck to the main areas of Bridge View Center. That’s where Andy McMullin was. He had a few items on display.
McMullin’s food was on a table surrounded by other entries.
“Yeah, I do a little baking,” he said.
He started doing some baking a few years ago and decided he liked it. At 12, he looks older and figures the skill is a good one to have for when he eventually leaves his parents’ house. Being able to cook means you’re not dependent on a microwave or dining hall for food.
Cooking is not, however, his career. Not at this point, anyway.
“I haven’t thought that far ahead in my life yet,” McMullin said.
Rylee German was inside the exhibition hall, where she had competed in the bucket/bottle calf show. The competition in the main ring was for the expo’s overall cattle champion. The cattle outweighed their handlers by a few hundred pounds in most cases, but that’s part of the challenge. Getting a large animal to do what you want takes a combination of patience and confidence.
German was happy to stick with her calf.
“It’s easier to show,” she said.
Local News
Related Photos
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Lizzy Jones waited patiently for her chance to pet a ball python on Saturday at the 4-H Expo, but was very excited when Ty Bolte finally approached with the snake. The exhibit from the Blank Park Zoo was part of the weekend’s shows at Bridge View Center. Matt Milner/The Courier
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