Lake County Fair features shear entertainment

A dozen kids lined up Thursday to give their first haircut to a sheep, named Diva, at the Lake County Fair in Grayslake. The demonstration, held at the Livestock Barns, featured a brief introduction about sheepshearing followed by a display by Susie Fisher, Diva’s owner and member of the fair’s livestock committee.

“I like showing kids something they’d never have a chance to do,” Fisher said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people.”

At the end of the demonstration, Fisher reached out to the audience and encouraged people to give it a whirl. Several stepped up to the plate.

“It was a first experience for me,” said 20-year-old Brittani Schisler of Fox Lake, who earlier this week captured the Miss Lake County Fair Queen Pageant title. “It’s definitely not what I thought it would feel like.”

Thirteen-year-old Destiny Martin, who made it to the fair all the way from Arkansas, spent several minutes carefully shearing the leftover tufts of fur after most of the kids had taken a turn.

“I did it to get all the stuff the other kids missed,” Destiny said with a laugh. “I feel kind of bad for the sheep having all these different kids shaving her.”

Diva, a 1-year-old who comes from Fisher’s breeding stock, was chosen for her quiet and easygoing temperament.

“The shearing is just like a haircut for them, doesn’t hurt at all,” Fisher said.

Fisher was full of interesting facts, from the type of blade she used during the demonstration (a “fine-shear” blade) to how regularly a sheep is sheared (once a year).

“A professional can do it in two or so minutes,” Fisher said to the audience’s amazement.

Each sheep is also washed, blow-dried and pedicured before the big haircut, she said.

The sheepshearing event was put on by the 4-H Club, an organization in which Fisher and her daughters, Sarah, 8, and Julie, 10, participate.

“There are so many different projects available to kids through this organization,” Fisher said. “Livestock is just one of the divisions for kids. It helps them develop their leadership and confidence.

“The sheep shearing demonstration gets the kids to participate and gives more public awareness to the fair.”