Couple attends state fair for over 50 years

Duane and Rose Watkins have been attending the State Fair for over 50 years.

Duane said he is the goat superintendent.

"That means all the goats are my responsibility - putting them in classes and making sure they are properly stalled and handling all the showing," he said.

Rose said she announces the goat shows now.

"I announce five goats shows over the loud speaker," she said. "I used to announce horse shows. I've also announced beef shows and sheep shows."

At this year's state fair, Duane said a little girl came up and shook his hand after the show.

"That's the biggest part of it," he said. "Children come to respect you. I like to see kids identify that respect and say 'Thank you.'"

"She came up and shook his hand and said, 'Thank you very much for taking care of our show,'" Rose said. "It makes your heart feel good."

Rose said she enjoys going to the State Fair because she gets to see old friends.

"I enjoy the State Fair because I get to see people we haven't seen for a year that I've been seeing for 25 or 30 years," she said.

"You get to see generations," Duane said. "You get to see grandparents, their children and their grandchildren over the years. It comes as quickly as it goes out."

"Because of the fair, we have lots of kids," Rose said.

Duane said he has always liked livestock and going to fairs.

"I've been around fairs all my life," he said. "I'm just going to keep doing it every year until I can't do it, but I'm not there yet."

Rose said it is all about teaching children.

"We are helping young children learn to take care of animals, to be responsible, to make decisions and become better members of the community," she said.

A love for livestock and fairs runs in the family, Rose said.

"All three of our children were in the 4-H and FFA programs," she said. "They showed dairy cattle, sheep, pigs and beef cattle."

Though he is retired now, Duane has a long history in working with agriculture, Rose said.

"He was the dairy herdsman at the University of Wyoming Dairy Farm and he was taking cattle to the State Fair for the FFA judging contest," she said. "Then they asked him to be the Registration Paper Reader for the Open Dairy Show."

Rose said they wanted him to be the Superintendent of the Dairy Cattle Show. Then in 1992 or 1993, they said they had some goats that they needed him to take care of too.

"He started being the Dairy Cattle Superintendent plus the Goat Superintendent," she said. "Then they closed the dairy show and he is just the Goat Superintendent now."

Duane also was the FFA Advisor in the Hot Springs County School District for about 20 years, where he took kids to the fair to exhibit their animals, Rose said.

Rose said Duane went through the offices for the State Vocational Agricultural Teachers Association, as well as the national offices.

Duane said he is retired now, but he continues to ranch. Rose, on the other hand, acts as Chair of the Cemetery Board and the Secretary of two Irrigation Districts. She also has been a school bus driver for the Hot Springs County School District for 45 years.