Connoquenessing family wins Eagle Bowl
CONNOQUENESSING TWP — For the Peters family, winning the Butler Eagle Bowl at the Butler Farm show runs in the family.
Steve and Lona Peters, along with their daughters, Robin and Brooklyn, have been named the Eagle Bowl winners for 2015. This is the third generation of Lona Peters’ family to win the award.
“I know my parents will be ecstatic about it,” she said.
In 1962, her grandfather, Clinton Rader, and his family won the Eagle Bowl. Lona’s father, Harold Rader, and his family won it in 1980, 1988 and 2000.
The award is given to the family who is judged to be the most involved in the farm show that year. It was presented on Friday night at the farm show and has been sponsored by the Butler Eagle since 1952.
The Peters family lives on two and a half acres in Connoquenessing, just behind the Connoquenessing Elementary School. Their property is adjacent to the 188-acre farm owned by Lona’s parents and grandparents.
The family raises dairy replacement heifers and beef cattle, and grows some crops.
Robin, 17, and Brooklyn, 13, both attend the Butler School District. They showed dairy cattle, livestock and market sheep at the show.
Robin had the supreme grand champion and supreme reserve grand champion winners at the 4-H dairy show. At the open show, Robin had the reserve grand champion for Holsteins and the grand champion Ayrshire. Brooklyn also had a reserve junior champion there.
The girls participated this year in the first cheese auction at the show. Brooklyn was the first to display at the auction, and she netted $700 for her cheese basket. Robin got the most for her basket — $1,500.
“It was great,” Lona Peters said.
Additionally, the girls had photographs displayed at the Grange tent.
“They had a really good year, fun year, a fun week,” Peters said.
Robin is the president of the 4-H Dairy Club and president of 4-H Media Arts, and Brooklyn is the secretary of the Butler County Dairy Club. Robin is the Butler County Diary Princess this year.
The family has participated in the show in the past, and Peters said they will continue to do so.
She said they are involved at the show because of their love for farming and the show, and that it is family-friendly.
“The kids learn so much,” Peters said.