Pee wee shows in beef, sheep, goat and swine return to the Wood County Fair this year.

The pee wee shows are for children ages 2 to 8, where they will be paired up with an older 4-H member, who teaches them anything they need to know about the animals and showing.

“It’s always nice to see the next batch of up-and-coming kids take that interest in showing at a young age,” said Paul Perry, the second vice president ofthe Wood County Senior Fair Board. “That’s when we can teach them what show life is all about and see the work that these little ones have put into it.”

Each child will be brought out by their ages when they show. Everyone gets a prize at the end, and they do pick grand and reserve champions.

Perry said the event is kind of a recruitment event for 4-H and junior fair.

“We have it pretty much across all species now besides rabbits and chickens, and it’s a really cool opportunity for the young youth who are up-and-coming 4-H members to kind of get a little bit of a taste of what fair life is like, what show life is like, for them to get in the ring and try their hands at it,” he said.

Perry, who oversees the pee wee goat show, said they had over 100 kids at his event last year, and he anticipates a number very close to that or a little above this year.

“The parents and grandparents all come out and watch,” he said. “It’s all about the kids at the Wood County Fair.”

Amanda Barndt, who hosts the pee wee sheep show, enjoys the event, including the practices she hosts throughout the week. During those, they’ll pair up anyone still needing a partner.

“That’s my favorite part, the amount of joy these kids have,” she said. “They love being around the animals. They get to show them off in the show arena like their older siblings or their friends or cousins. They get a lot of excitement from being able to do it themselves.”

This year will be the third incarnation of the pee wee beef and sheep categories. Goats have been around for a little longer than that, while pigs have been a fixture for at least 10 years.

“It’s a cool opportunity for these younger kids who don’t necessarily get a chance to show yet because they’re not of age to try their feet at showing an animal in a show ring just like the big kids do,” Perry said.

The first pee wee event, which will be pigs, took place Monday.

Goats will take place at 9 a.m. on Thursday at The Grove. The beef show is Friday at 5:30 p.m. in the Pavilion Show Arena, and the sheep event is Saturday at 10 a.m. in Sheep Show Arena.