“I wish I could pick two, but I can only pick one,” lamb judge Gail Christian said, going on to compliment the quality of lamb shown by local youth at this year’s Sonoma County Fair. “But I think the little girl’s lamb is just a bit better.”
And then he strode over to shake the hand of nine-year-old Rio Pagliaro of Sonoma, designating her as the owner of the Supreme Champion Lamb of the Fair. Just minutes earlier she had been awarded honors for 4-H Grand Champion. Rio is a member of the Green Valley 4-H Club, and her Hampshire lamb weighed in at 130 pounds—quite a bit more than Rio.
“Awesome,” answered Rio’s mother, Rori Pagliaro, when asked how it feels to be the mother of a Grand Champion winner. “She’s really worked hard, spending endless hours feeding, exercising and training her lamb since March.”
Rori and husband Tony Pagliaro have two sheep ranches, one in Tomales and one in Sonoma where they make their home. This was Rio’s first year showing as a 4-H member; last year she showed lambs as a special junior.
The fair runs through Aug. 4.
