Saturday was a bittersweet day for the Carbon County 4-H Livestock Club members at the Youth Livestock Sale at the Carbon County Fair.

The sadness was that they were selling animals which they raised as babies as 4-H projects and had thus formed attachments. On the other hand, the auction was the culmination of those monthslong projects.

Amanda Gowin, 17, had tears streaming down her cheek as she walked her 1,230-pound, angus steer “Onyx” around the show ring, but still forced a smile as spirited bidding catapulted the price she would be receiving for the animal.

Gowin, a senior at Lehighton Area High School and the Carbon Career and Technical Institute, handled Onyx, the grand champion, with ease despite the animal weighing about 10 times more than her and is just as tall. Eventually Onyx fetched a top bid of $6,500 by JBM Mechanical of Lehighton, which is $2,400 more than what was paid for the grand champion steer at last year’s auction.

“It was sad,” Gowin said of selling her steer.

On the other hand, she said, “I think it’s cool to be part of the food process.” She is a culinary student at the vo-tech school.

A member of the 4-H for nine years, she displayed 13 rabbits, a market steer and one dairy cow at this year’s fair. This is her first year raising a steer. Her pen of rabbits was reserve champion.

She said she got the steer in October when it was about 10 months old. “I walked him, I petted him, I watered him, and I had to break him in,” she said of the time she spent with Onyx.

Two siblings also showed in this year’s fair. A sister, Daphne, and a younger brother who is in his first year, Cameron, both showed rabbits and dairy beef.

Cameron had the grand champion pen of rabbits.

Last year’s grand champion steer was raised by Morgan Myers of Lehighton. Myers, 17, opted this year to show dairy beef with her cow “Triger” being name grand champion.

This is the ninth year in 4-H for Myers who had various grand champions virtually every year since joining.

The Lehighton Area High School senior admitted it was emotional putting Triger in the auction pen.

“You get so attached to them. You have them seven months so you form a connection with them,” she said.

Myers hopes to become an ultrasound technician.

Mia Graver, a fifth generation 4-H member, had both the grand champion and reserve champion swines. She purchased the grand champion, a 275 pound porker named “Schwaz,” as a bred gilt, a Hampshire, and raised it from three weeks old at the family’s Fairyland Farm in Franklin Township.

Her sister, Cadence, had raised the grand champion swine at last year’s auction.

Cadence had the grand champion lamb this year. She also displayed two swine and another lamb.

A special tribute was paid to Teri J. Mertz, who was active in the 4-H program for many years and whose son, Kolten, raised the reserve champion dairy beef.

Mertz, of Lehighton, died unexpectedly on July 31. Her husband, Brian, and children, Kolten, Dakota and Jacie, were introduced, with Brian sharing fond memories of his late wife.

Her obituary said she was “known as the dedicated cow mom.”

Also remembered was Sarah Nothstein Thompson, a 4-H alum who died Feb. 7 at age 30 in a motor vehicle accident.

Two 4-H members were awarded the $500 Floyd and Jean Smith Memorial Scholarship, donated by the family of Richard and Barbara Getz. The recipients are Ava Eroh and Lyma Dunbar.

Mia Graver was awarded the third annual Bob Dunn Excellence Award. Dunn, who died in 2018, owned the Hometown Farmers Market.

The auctioneer for the event was Tim Houser of Houser Auctioneers. He has been volunteering as the Youth Livestock Sale auctioneer since 1989 after his father, the late Curtis Houser, passed away. Houser Auctioneer has provided the volunteer service at the Carbon County Fair, even at the former Carbon Fair when it was held in Lehighton, for well over 50 years.

Tim said he volunteers because he understands the struggles in farming and agriculture. He said he has a farm that’s used only for hay “but I grew up on a dairy farm. Farming is getting tougher every year.”

His son started doing the auctioneering at the Schuylkill County Fair last year. Tim also does the livestock event at the Blue Valley Farm Show and the West End Fair in Gilbert.

A box truck, donated by Richard and Nancy Knadler marking the 50th anniversary of Charles S. Snyder, was purchased for $260 by the Yemm Family.

The 2024 Carbon County Fair Quilt, a handcrafted lap quilt, fetched $410 and was purchased jointly by Miller Farms and Blue Mountain Insulation.