Kensley Fox works in the ring with her pig, which was named the overall grand champion at the 2024 Delaware County Junior Fair.
Courtesy | Kaci Fox
The 2024 Market Hog Show at the Delaware County Junior Fair belongs to Kensley Fox.
Fox, an eighth grader at Big Walnut Middle School and a member of the Eagle Country 4-H club, showed a 279-pound barrow that was named the overall grand champion. Fox was also named the Showman of Showman.
“I was thrilled. It was a really cool experience,” Fox said of topping the competition.
While this year marked the first time she’d shown the grand champion hog at the Delaware County Junior Fair, taking home the top honor isn’t anything new to Fox. In both 2022 and 2023, Fox showed the grand champion hog at the Hartford Fair in Licking County.
“I was really happy. I remember getting in the truck (after the show) and just telling my dad, ‘This is my third year in a row!’” Fox recalled of the moment she realized she’d made it three consecutive years.
Fox said the soundness and structure of the hog stood out to the judge, noting a squared back and appropriately proportioned back legs are among the important features of a prospective champion. While she felt the hog was solid, Fox never considered the possibility it was the best in the show. However, her father was convinced it was a contender, she said, adding, “I had hopes.”
“I was thrilled to death when (the judge) put his hand up and congratulated me,” Fox said. “I wanted to give him a big old hug. I couldn’t believe it was happening. I was kind of shaking when we went back to the pen to do the testing after the show. I was kind of in shock.”
Showing a pig with champion-level qualities doesn’t happen by accident, though. Showmanship also matters a great deal, and Fox said that aspect is not lost on her.
“I spend a lot of time walking them and building that relationship when they’re babies to get to that point,” Fox said. “And sitting in the pen and loving on them in addition to walking them every day.”
She added, “It is every single day. We will go out and walk them, and when they’re younger we’ll go out and sit in every pen and love on them to make sure they know who we are and what we want to do with them.”
It’s all work she’s willing to put in, especially knowing how it could pay off at the fair.
“It’s worth it. I’m very happy when I win something because it makes all the work worth it,” Fox said.
Fox knew she wanted to eventually show hogs at a very young age. She was just 3 years old when she got a pig stuffed animal in the pig barns at the Ohio State Fair. That pig, which she named “Piggy,” kicked off her interest in pigs, leading her down the path of what’s already become a very successful show career.
“I would always watch people show, and I had some friends who showed sheep,” she said. “So they got me to discover 4-H and Cloverbuds and built my interest in that. I did peewee for sheep and goats before starting with pigs.”
Asked what she enjoys the most about showing, Fox said she loves being at the fair and spending time with friends and family. Ever the competitor, however, Fox is all business when she enters the ring.
“When it’s time to show, I love the excited nerves I get before going out into the ring and knowing I want to be competitive because I like competition,” she said. “It’s more exciting for me, and losing can be a good thing too because it makes me better the next time I go out into the ring.”
With several years still ahead of her, Fox isn’t resting on her laurels despite a lengthy run of success.
“I definitely want to do it again next year and work harder to accomplish my different goals,” she said. “This year, I had the goal of winning a belt buckle, and I did. So I’ll set new goals next year.”
Reach Dillon Davis at 740-413-0904. Follow him on X @DillonDavis56.
