MONROE – Trent Vanhulle knows how to make a cow beautiful.
More important, he knows how to do it legally.
Making a cow look good is key to winning ribbons at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe, which runs through Sept. 6. But while some cheating may take place at competitions nationwide, Vanhulle, 18, of Monroe, won’t stoop to that level.
Vanhulle, who prepared two steers and three cross-bred cows for the fair, knows how to get the hair on their legs to stand up by spraying and combing, making their legs look thicker to impress judges.
That’s legal.
But he also knows that some people at bigger competitions inject oil into cows to enhance their appearance or implant silicon to make them look more robust.
While those competitions recently have instituted safeguards such as DNA or blood testing to ward off cheating, the Monroe fair that he’s been involved in for nine years doesn’t need that, Vanhulle said.
The Evergreen State Fair doesn’t offer many safeguards to protect competitors and customers from cheaters, but Vanhulle and many others at the fair say they aren’t needed.
It’s a matter of trust.
“You want to win, but you want to have fun,” Vanhulle said.
Julie Vanhulle, the superintendent of beef cows and Trent Vanhulle’s mother, said the use of steroids, which gives cattle more muscle, is banned, but the fair doesn’t test or inspect for their use.
“It’s just a honesty thing,” she said.
That theme was echoed in other parts of the fair, from the vegetable and flower competitions to the carnival games.
Besides, cheating doesn’t pay off at this size of fair, officials said.
The highest prize for a cow is $100, which is not a lot given the expense to bring cows to the fair, said Anna Groeneveld, 27, a dairy farmer in Sultan.
“It’s not a big money maker,” she said.
Groeneveld, who has participated in the fair for 19 years, said most dairy farmers here are local and have known each other for a long time.
“We value our honesty and hard work more than the prestige of winning,” she said.
She tries to pass those values on to children who show cows at the fair.
“You work with what you have. We want to teach the importance of fairness,” she said.
Many other contests at the fair also count on trust.
Marcie Allen, the superintendent of fruits and vegetables, said the fair had about 500 entries this year.
A variety of produce – carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, apples and berries – was neatly displayed with ribbons. All of them were raised in Snohomish County, Allen said.
At least she believes they were. The fair doesn’t do any inspection to make sure they are locally grown, she said.
“I guess I just take the people’s word for it,” she said.
Allen selected two judges by their knowledge and experience with produce, she said. They gave away three sweepstake awards – a $20 gift certificate for a farm supply store – for the categories of youths, adults and seniors.
Debbie Marsh of Everett was browsing through the displays of produce at the fair Friday.
If some of the produce was from stores, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, Marsh said. But she believes every entry follows the rules.
“I just come in good faith,” she said.
Meanwhile, carnival games get some scrutiny. Police inspected all the games before the fair began, said Gary Beaudette, a manager of the games.
Rigged games are a thing of the past, he said.
“They don’t get money if they get a lot of complaints,” he said of game operators.
Dale Riel of Snohomish was following his grandson, Sawyer, 2, from one game to another Friday. Sawyer got a stuffed mouse after playing a ball-throwing game for $5.
Riel said whether a game is fair doesn’t matter to him.
“(Sawyer) is as happy as a clam,” he said. “That’s all I care about.”
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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