Square dancers grab haul of Farm Show blue ribbons
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HARRISBURG -- Square dancing stole the stage Monday night at this year's Pennsylvania Farm Show at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg.
Teams "squared off" in a modern western square dance competition, featuring calls and hundreds of dancers from all across the state sporting their finest dancing garb, from cowboy boots to petticoats.
Dancers from Mifflin and Juniata counties grabbed their partners and certainly put on a clinic in the New Holland Arena.
The five sets, or teams, from Juniata County brought home five blue ribbons, while their counterparts from Mifflin County earned two blue ribbons and Perry County added one blue to the haul.
Juniata County 4-H Leader Joyce Krow said this marked the club's 27th year of competition. This year's sets had 22 4-H members and 22 former members, parents or friends.
The set names were Junior Hillbillies, Hillbillies and Senior Hillbillies as well as Mixed Hillbillies, which had two entries.
Krow wasn't totally surprised with the results as members had worked tirelessly to prepare for the competition. However, having new members always makes her a bit nervous.
"We hope to always win blue," Krow said. "We cross our fingers and hope for the best. We always have new dancers, so there's a lot to learn. We've always had good success getting blue."
Krow said some of the dancers also exhibit animals at the Farm Show, so their focus turns to their rabbits, goats or dairy cattle once the square-dancing wraps up.
"They're very active kids," Krow explained.
Mifflin County's two entries were the Crazy Eights and Country Kids, said Helen Kirk, who does a lot of behind-the-scenes work with the dancers. Like their Juniata County counterparts, Mifflin County also had great success at the competitions.
Their sets are also a mixture of 4-H and non-4-H members. Mifflin County's run of success has followed one of its long-term members, Jamey White, Kirk said. "I think there's only one year where he came home with a second place," she explained. "He's always gotten first place."
Kirk said White, who turned 57 in July, is a member of the Crazy Eights. "We're always hoping to get it (blue ribbon), but one person could mess up so we shouldn't assume. We've been very lucky coming home with blue ribbons."