A Little Rodeo Action at the Heifer Show

A heifer got loose at the Fayette County Fair Jr. Commercial Heifer Sale Friday and ended up down the ravine along the Colorado River.

The heifer was still loose in the brush along the river on Sunday, although she had been spotted and appears to be healthy, according to heifer show organizer Lee Fritsch.

“Yeah, we had one get loose,” Fritsch said. “First time that’s ever happened since I’ve been involved.”

This years heifer show was one of the only Fayette County Fair events to take place. Most other events were cancelled this year due to COVID-19. Fritsch said show organizers set up a video livestream of the cattle sale so that buyers who didn’t wish to attend in person could bid from home. While they were videoing for the sale, something spooked a heifer belonging to Schulenburg youngster Emma Kubala.

“She hit her head on one of the panels, picked it up, and took off across the fairgrounds,” Fritsch said.

The heifer headed towards the main stage area near the point that looks over the Colorado River and began traversing down the steep embankment.

“Down into the brush she went,” Fritsch said.

Show organizers called local cowboy Cody Wilson for help. He arrived on horseback and tried catching the heifer without success.

“We couldn’t put dogs in there because of the heat, it would have killed them,” Fritsch said.

Everyone eventually decided to let the heifer calm down. Fritsch said the owners called the heifer from the neighbor’s property that evening. They saw her but were unable to lure her into the neighbor’s property.

“We contacted the neighbor, and he has cattle there and feeds them every day,” Fritsch said. “So he’s going to try and feed her into his place. Hopefully we’ll get her back.

“It’s 2020, what do you expect,” he joked.

Kubala had hoped to sell a pen of two heifers, but she had to settle for selling only one. Fritsch said buyers at the sale appeared to have sympathized with her by bidding a little higher than expected for her one heifer that sold.

Fritsch said anyone who would like to help Kubala recover her lost sale proceeds could contact him or another Fair Association member to make a donation.

“We’ll make sure it gets to her,” Fritsch said.

Commercial Heifer show results

Pen of one

Grand champion Tatum Fritsch

Reserve champion Brady Dooley

3rd Ryker Goehring

4th Tatum Fritsch

Pen of two

GC Tatum Fritsch

RC Bree Dooley

3rd Logan Fritsch

4TH Dallyn Bishop

Halter class

GC Kannyn Goehring

RC Addy Maas

3rd Klayren Schimdt

4 Reagen Karisch

• Tatum Fritsch won two GC and is daughter of singer Todd Fritsch, this was Tatum’s first show.