photo by: Mike Yoder

Abby Brown, 12, a member of the Eudora 4-H Club, leads her llama, Dalai, to the costume event during the llama competition at the Douglas County Fair, Wednesday July 31, 2019.

Rocky, a brown llama, came with experience, which helped Newt Schreiner, 11, Wednesday as he led the animal around the show ring at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

This was Newt’s first year in the llama project, but not Rocky’s. Newt shares the animal with his older sister, Sawyer Schreiner, 14, who has been in the project the past four years.

“I don’t mind sharing,” said Sawyer, who offers tips to her rookie brother. The two are members of the Eudora 4-H Club.

During the pack class of the competition, the 4-H’ers had to attach a pack filled with items to the llama’s back and then select a hat to put on its head before leading it through a course. Sawyer went first. Afterward, she gave Newt advice.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Newt Schreiner, a member of the Eudora 4-H Club, competes with his llama, Rocky, in the costume portion of the llama competition at the Douglas County Fair, Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

“I told him to pick the really big hat because it would be easier to put on,” Sawyer said.

When it came time for the costume class, Newt dressed like a defeated boxer, complete with a black eye. He led “Rocky Balboa” into the ring with boxing gloves dangling from the animal’s long neck.

Sawyer and Newt’s parents, George and Gretchen Schreiner, who live south of Eudora, said they had to encourage Newt to enroll in the llama project.

Newt was apprehensive, George said, because he wants to be perfect. But the parents believe Rocky is a teaching tool for their children.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Collin Flory, 16, a member of the Jayhawk 4-H Club, leads his llama through an obstacle course at the llama competition at the Douglas County Fair Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

“I’ve learned patience,” Sawyer said. Plus, she has learned to be there for her younger brother as they worked with Rocky.

Llamas are camel-like pack animals from South America. They are very social and are prized for their wool.

“Trust between a llama and a 4-H’er is important,” said Carrie Mershon, the llama show judge. She told the audience that as a returning judge she has watched some of the 4-H’ers grow up with their animals.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Devin Aldrich, 11, a member of the Jayhawk 4-H Club, leads her llama during the llama competition at the Douglas County Fair Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

Mason Kelso, 23, who returned to Lawrence to be this year’s llama superintendent during the fair, said he shared a llama with his brother Matthew when they were in the project.

Now living in New York City, where he works in musical theater, Kelso said his years in the llama project taught him life skills that he continued to use.

“With llamas, you are definitely dealing with intelligent animals,” Kelso said. “I learned to work smarter, not harder.”

Watching from the bleachers as the llamas were led through water, Lane Anderson, a 4-H’er from Baldwin City, said he could get his pigs to do that but probably nothing else that the llamas were doing.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Sibling members of the Eudora 4-H Club, Newt Schreiner, left, and Sawyer Schreiner share their llama, Rocky, during the competition at the Douglas County Fair Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

“These are excellently trained animals, which makes the judging hard,” Mershon told the audience during the show. She was watching for the subtleties that made one 4-H’er and their llama stand out in each class: showmanship, public relations, obstacles, pack and costumes.

While the show does not award one overall grand champion, there was a grand champion Wednesday in each of the five classes. Abby Brown, 12, a member of the Eudora 4-H Club, won in three of the five classes. Collin Flory, 16, and Devin Aldrich, 11, both members of the Jayhawk 4-H Club, each received one grand champion ribbon in the other two classes, according to Kaitlyn Peine, 4-H youth development extension agent.