Countywide : Cows Fail to Get Fair Contestants’ Goats

The competition for the title of best-dressed barnyard animal took an interesting turn Thursday at the Orange County Fair.

For the first time in 30 years, a pair of haute couture cows joined the regular contestants--dozens of goats in tutus and party frocks--to vie for the crown in the annual Barnyard Fashion Parade.

That didn’t bother goat owner Justine Minot, 12, of the Trabuco Trailblazers 4-H Club. The fashion event, she was quick to point out, is not about winning ribbons. It’s strictly for fun.

Justine, who took home the blue ribbon last year for most original costume, drafted her sister this time to help out. Together they showed their family pets, Heidi and Honey, dressed as a devil and an angel.

“It suits their personalities,” said Jennifer Minot, 14.

Justine will put her two Nubian goats up for serious judging today. The Laguna Hills resident said she prefers showing the animals seriously rather than frivolously. “They don’t jump around as much,” she explained, “because they aren’t in costume.”

The costume parade, however, is by far the bigger draw, attracting a huge crowd every year to enjoy the spectacle of goats in drag and owners struggling to maneuver them around the ring.

Kathleen Huff, coordinator of the barnyard parade, said it is one of the most popular animal events at the fair. “People keep telling us it is the funniest thing they have seen,” she said.