RONAN — The folks and businesses of the county’s agriculture sector took to the Ronan Community Center for a hot meal, a scope of the stands featuring everything from chocolate fondue to power tools, a walk through an exotic petting zoo and just plain caught up with people they hadn’t seen in a while at the 19th Annual Lake County Expo and Livestock Show on Sunday.

Let’s start with the food. The Lake County Leader, which hosted the event, asked the guys and gals from the Mission Valley Rodeo Club to play chef for the event. It was no surprise since the club has been cooking up a feast at the event for five years.

One of the club’s biggest fundraisers of the year, adviser, AKA Head Honcho Rocky Knight, said the group didn’t mind.

“It is absolutely one of the funnest things we do,” Knight said. “People get to meet people and it gives it to the public. It is a great way to let everyone know what’s coming up.”

What’s coming up for the club is its first rodeo of the year, at the end of March, Knight said.

Knight also mentioned her partner in crime, another one of the many members who kept guests bellies full at the event and makes sure the club’s kids are bucking broncos come rodeo season. Her name is Nona Gilmore. 

“She’s the one that keeps everything in order,” Knight said.

Some features of the show which might have caught eyes of the visitors were: a St. Luke stand trying to ensure the cowgirls and cowboys attending the event were riding the range healthy. Free blood pressure, blood sugar level and cholesterol tests were underway all day.

A chocolate fondue fountain by St. Charlo Floral didn’t disappoint, leaving man, woman and child licking their lips after scrumptious chocolate covered treats as they wandered through the other stands.    

The St. Ignatius Amish community showed up to display its wares with a leather, fence, and truck business on display. The Amish children enjoyed their first look at the Nintendo Wii and a lot more, laughing as they played the game for some time.

Coming from a community without electricity, the game was pretty exciting for the youngsters.

The Wii was set up by Mountain West Co-Op.

Out in the barn, there were some creatures to behold. Rosie and her daughter, Wild Irish Rose, are yaks  – and yes, they live in Ronan.

Patti and Denny Winter have been raising yaks for five years, harvesting the meat and fur, which makes quite a nice scarf or sweater, Patti said.

They also do a little packing which Yaks are certainly built for – they don’t take these guys up Mount Everest for nothing. Denny barbecued yak meat for the bravest of guests to take a bit of.   

Further into the barn was another surprise, two curly horses raised by Tracy and Fred Dalke. Ruger and Slash have impressive manes which look like they’ve been permed. According to the Dalkes’ son Jordan Christiansen, the animals’ curls are natural and the they are also amazing horses otherwise.

The Dalkes first began raising the horses because they are hypoallergenic. This means they were the best breed for his little brother Domonic Shively who has Cerebral Palsy to enjoy, Christiansen said. 

The family has built a tradition of necessity and now has 14 head of the beautiful animals south of Charlo, which they take great pride in, Christiansen said.