Brady Menge of Fruita is looking for a good landing spot after being thrown from the bull Shetland at the PBR event at the Mesa County Fair.

Chance Wright, 9,  pets Squirt, a partridge Cochin bantam, at the small animal show.

Colton Milholland, 9, watches his New Zealand rabbit during the Rabbit Show at the fair. This is the first year he has participated but plans to do it again.

Little two-year-old cowboy Porter Briscoe of Grand Junction is excited about petting the goats in the pen next to him.

Janey Been, 15, of Fruita holds on with all her might to the tail of a calf in the Catch-A-Heifer contest put on by the Mesa County Cattleman’s Association during the mesa County Fair.  Four youth had to catch the bovines in an arena and drag them back to the trailer.

Allison Burenheide, 16,  wipes some tears as she brings her Grand Champion steer back to its stall after the bovine was auctioned. The steer sold for $8,000 to the Crown Supply Co. at the Mesa County 4-H and FFA Livestock Sale at the fairgrounds.

Three 4-H girls watch the judge in one of the market goat classes.

Kholton Kyle brings his market lambs for weigh-in.

Coy Craig, 12, of Grand Junction tries to catch a calf in the Catch-A-Heifer contest. He succeeded even after being kicked in the jaw by a calf.

A Chihuahua named Gina wasn’t too sure about Opie the donkey which won the pet costume contest at the Mesa County Fair for the second year in a row. Both animals are from Grand Junction and were shown by Dwain Watson and Chloe Hammond respectively.

Fence riders watch a rider fall.

Tristin, 13, Destrie, 11, and Mitchell Monger, 9, of Loma try to stretch out a frozen t-shirt during a contest at the Mesa County Fair. The shirts were soaked in water and frozen in the shape of a cube. The kids had to smash the shirt on the pavement and pull it apart until one of them could put it on.

Azumah, a 22-year-old Mandrill baboon, stares down the crowd at the “Wild about Monkeys” show at the fair. This baboon weighs 90 pounds.

Annie Richardson of Grand Junction kisses her five-year-old llama, Lyla, as she blow dries the animal after a bath.

Danny Brown, owner of Brown Amusements and the carnival at the MC Fair, watches his operation in front of the ferris wheel.

Nick Shaffer, 9, of Grand Junction places a ribbon on one of his chickens in the poultry show.

Shayna Chism of Grand Junction concentrates as she tries to win a prize at the carnival.

Morgan Walter, 5, second from right,  of Fruita eats her way to the championship of the Watermelon Eating Contest for five and under at the Mesa County Fair as one of her competitors eyes the stack of spent rinds.

Madison Cook, 3, has a comfortable perch an her dad, Brent’s shoulders.

Matt McCabe of Loma stays on for the eight seconds on a bull named Hog Wild.

Ashtyn Walter, 7, of Fruita attempts another piece of watermelon as her cheering section encourages her.

Jessica Casebolt, 19, and Taylor Cadden, 14, share a really big chair in the show ring.

Shealyn Smith, 9, gives her pig Big Booty a drink of water.

Five-year-old Lane Himes pulls his calf Lizzie into the show ring. He was the youngest of the of the children which were given orphaned calves which they are raising. The bottle and bucket program is designed to get youngsters into 4-H and raising beef by the time they turn eight.

McKenna Young, 10,  cuddles with her hogs Princess and Sundae.

Teddi Larson, 16, who has been showing at the fair for eight years, feeds Cosmos some lemonade.

Antonio Treto, 8,  has a grip on his lamb during a showmanship class. He said, “It felt more like a rodeo than a 4-H thing.”

A woman looks at a display of quilts in the indoor exhibit hall at the fair.

Derek Deen of DeBeque won the first lawnmower race at the Mesa County Fair. He bought the racer online from La. It was fast.

Ashley Stieg, 10, nudges her Grand Champion, 36 pound turkey around the show ring at the auction. The bird sold to City Market for $500.

Allison Burdenheide, 16, left, pays close attention to the judge during the Senior Showmanship championship round. She won the Grand Championship Showmanship, one of many awards in eight years of 4-H competition.

Eddie Vial, wearing the 4-H logo, waves to the crowd.

Bull rider and bull are eye to eye.

A bull rider ends up in a bad position above the bull.

Allison Burenheide with her Grand Champion steer and Kati Keys with her Reserve Champion.