Girl raises the grandest goose

PERKINS TWP. — A girl and her goose, named Tennessee, made a huge statement this week at the Erie County Fair in Ohio. Raised by 9-year-old Alice Wagner, she and Tennessee claimed the fair's top prize for geese. They're forever known as a grand champion in the exhibition goose category. Akin to the Stanley Cup for hockey teams, this marks the competition's ultimate prize for anyone showing geese at a fair. In other words, it's what all geese-showers seek. "It made me so happy," said Alice, who's going into fourth grade at Meadowlawn Intermediate School in Perkins Township. "I love my goose. I worked hard all year. She loves me, and I love her. She lets me hold her all the time, and she likes talking to people." On an everyday basis, Alice looks after Tennessee — known as a Sebastopol goose, a threatened species due to their relatively small worldwide population of 5,000 — from her family's Sandusky-area property known as Firefly Farm and Rescue. Unlike other fair animals, which get sold for meat after being shown — namely livestock, like cattle, sheep, pigs and chicken — Tennessee falls into the exhibition animal category. Exhibition animals simply get shown, showcasing their physical features. After the fair, Tennessee is coming home with Alice. They won based on several criteria, including Alice's ability to present Tennessee and her meticulous record-keeping abilities, detailing essentially every aspect of Tennessee's life. "I am so proud of her," said Alice's mother, Danielle Wagner, noting her daughter continues on their family's proud Amish legacy of showing fair animals. It started with Danielle's grandfather, Norman H. Bilger, in the 1920s. Then his son/Danielle's father, Norman I. Bilger, followed. Negative to a positive On Tuesday, a person made an "ill-informed" post on social media criticizing Tennessee and, thus, Alice's work, Danielle said. It sparked much conversation with nearly everyone coming to the defense of Alice and Tennessee. "There was a misconception that my daughter's animal was stressed out, with how the feathers look, but that is the way they are supposed to look and be bred," Danielle said. "They look 'stressed' due to them being genetically mutated, which makes their feathers long and curly, but it only affects their feathers and not their health. (Tennessee) "is very happy and very friendly and loves to talk to people," Danielle said. In the comments section of this post, many from the Erie County Fair community rallied around the duo, specifically pointing out their grand champion status. Farigoers even made it a point to visit Alice and Tennessee where they saw, firsthand, the goose's healthy, happy condition. "We have gotten a lot of positive reception because, after all, she is a grand champion," Danielle said about Alice. "I realize not everyone is involved in fair, and some do grow up in the city, but if you don't know something, just ask and don't try to embarrass a young girl and shame her hard work." Always adoring animals Alice doesn't just raise Tennessee, who's named after her real-life sister and Danielle's other daughter, Memphis. She also cares for the 60 animals in total on her family's property, ranging from other Sebastopol geese, chickens and rabbits. "With these geese, we breed them to actually grow the population," said Danielle, noting Alice wants to show other geese hatched from Tennessee's bloodline at next year's fair. Alice aspires to pursue an animal-related career. She's interested in both becoming a veterinarian and a zoologist. "Showing and raising animals is great," said Danielle, noting their family belongs to the Erie Challenger organization, a part of the Erie County 4-H youth development network. "The kids learn about hard work, dedication and an animal's life-and-death cycle," Danielle said. "They learn so much about what animals eat, different breeds, the farming process. These are really some valuable life skills." Alice plays a large role in carrying on her family's rich tradition of caring for animals. "She continues to impress me," said Danielle, boasting how Alice even scored a 100% on a test, known as skillathon, which tested her knowledge on Tennessee and other show rabbits. "She has learned so much about animals, and she always wants to care for them. No matter if it's raining, freezing temperatures or sweltering heat, she always prioritizes what's most important to her: her animals."