Case siblings show for last time together at Fair

• Jaylen and Samantha Case

Elmwood's Jaylen and Samantha Case stand by the cattle they will display as part of the Elmwood High School FFA project at this year's Pierce County Fair.

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This will be the last Pierce County Fair brother and sister Jaylen and Samantha Case of Elmwood will be showing animals together.

Samantha, 19, will be heading off to college at Northwestern in St. Paul this fall to become an event planner while Jaylen, 17, has two more fair he can show in after this one. He graduates from Elmwood High School this spring. Ever since they were eight-years old they have been displaying at the fair.

"The fair has been a summer tradition for our whole family," Samantha said. "We've grown up around it."

The cattle they will be displaying together were born in March of 2010. They're raised on grass before switching over to grain in December of that year. The time they put into raising them and getting them ready for the fair almost can't be measured.

"It's at least two and half to three hours a day on top of everything else we also do," Jaylen said. "Our parents give us some help because there's a lot of work which goes into it."

The Cases have been displaying either dairy cattle or steers as members of 4-H clubs like the Olivet Otters and Valley Eagles and now a part of the Elmwood FFA. They say they've never been nervous with judging or the auction part of the fair, only when they've handled steers.

"They're a lot bigger than dairy cattle so there is risk involved," Jaylen said. "Our dad really prepared us well for the judging, so it's never been a problem."

Samantha says there will be a lot about the fair she'll miss.

"Seeing the other animals, the demo derby, walking the Midway and just lounging around in the barn, all these things I always look forward to each fair I've been at," Samantha said. "More than anything, it's a great place to be with your friends."

Tags: pierce county fair, elmwood, agriculture, education