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I traded in a pig for a goat at the Celebrity Showmanship event at Tanana Valley Fair this year. But not just any goat. It was Curry, the famous goat.
Curry, who is now three years old, gained fame in 2019 when he managed to escape just before he was due to be butchered and boiled into an Indian food delicacy. His escape became big news in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, and he eluded capture for several days.
Eventually, he was captured, placed in the back of a police car, and transported to the Fairbanks Animal Shelter. He wound up escaping thwe butcher for good, but his fame has never diminished. Curry even has his own Facebook page with more than 1,300 followers: Curry the Goat.
So when I was invited to be Curry’s handler for the Celebrity Showmanship event, I gladly accepted. After last year, I knew the pigs did not respond to my wrangling. Maybe I would fare better with Curry.
This was a rehabilitation walk for both of us.
Ryan McGuire knows how to handle Curry and gave me all the warnings of what he might do. Keep his head up, he said. If he pulls, if he tries to butt you with his horns, just let him go.
To my absolute delight, Curry did none of those things.
“He’s really doing good,” Ryan whispered to me from the other side of the fence when Curry and I were inside the arena.
“I am emanating calm,” I told him, anxious to finish up and hand him safely back to Ryan.
Almost everyone who volunteered to show livestock at Celebrity Showmanship were new to the experience. I’m sure the 4-H teens found us all very amusing.
There was even an opportunity for any of us to milk a dairy goat and receive a special ribbon that said “I Milked A Dairy Goat.” Our reward at the end was a bright yellow celebrity showmanship ribbon and renewed admiration for the 4-H kids who raise these animals and know exactly what they are doing.
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