King

              Richard Vaerewyck

I am really proud to be the AREA 2009 King. My name is Richard Vaerewyck and I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have a registered caviary, Richard's Pigpen, which is one of the few caviaries in Western Pennsylvania. I just finished writing ARBA's new book "The Cavy Registrar's Study Guide" along with my good friend Erin McGrath. If you are studying for royalty, or just like cavies, it's a good book to have.

I am very active in 4-H where I am the only cavy breeder in my club. I raise Abyssinians and Blanc de Hotots. The Abyssinians have always been my favorite. I love the way they jump around, bounce and squeak. I have other animals including cats, hamsters, horses, chickens and ducks and a skink, but none of them are as personable or interactive as an Abyssinian.

I'm a senior at St. Joseph's High School where I usually make the honor roll. It is a small school with only 300 students in ninth thru twelfth grade. It's a great school and the principal encourages me to do well and allows me to be absent from school to attend rabbit and cavy competitions. I won first place in the Pittsburgh Regional Science fair two years ago for my project on Vitamin C Levels in Guinea Pig Feed. I can tell you, if you raise cavies, don't buy your feed at the grocery store, buy it from a good feed store.I love competing for royalty. I last competed in Lancaster this year for the ACBA King. I have had to do lots of studying and spent a lot of time to achieve the position of King. I would encourage anyone to try for a royalty position because you meet lots of new people, learn a lot and have fun. I have friends in every state now. It also gave me a better understanding of how shows are run and judged, which made them much more enjoyable. I now understand what judges are looking for and why they choose one animal over another.

I like to do a lot of other activities as well. I like water skiing and most water related activities. I am active in the Boy Scouts and I have my Eagle, I scuba dive and whenever I visit my grandparents in Colorado, I volunteer at the Pueblo Raptor Center. Since I have lots of experience with small furry things, the center usually has me take care of the mice and rats. I love going into the cages and interacting with the raptors, particularly, Hurley, a vulture and Libby and Griffin, who are kestrels.

I want to thank my 4-H leaders who have been great leaders and have helped me, encouraged me and put up with me at every turn. I also want to thank our teen leaders, who over the years were so active with the younger members of our club, teaching us and being patient. We were fortunate to have Jessie Kummer, the Former Pennsylvania State Rabbit Queen in our club. She was a great inspiration.

Queen

Sarah Gregory

Hello, I am Sarah Gregory. I am happy to be your 2010 PaSRBA Queen. I live on 10 ½ acres next to a farm in a small town called Wrightstown. I am in 10^th grade and go to Council Rock North High School.

I have three rabbit breeds, Holland Lops, Dwarf Hotots, and Satins. My favorite breed is the Holland Lops because I love their cute faces and personalities. I currently have 23 rabbits and my herd is growing.

For six years I have been a member of the Little Rascal 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club. I am also a member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association, Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association, and the Open secretary for the Bucks County Rabbit and Cavy Breeders Association. I am also in my breed’s specialty clubs, including: the American Dwarf Hotot Rabbit Club, the Mid-Atlantic Dwarf Hotot Rabbit Club, and the Holland Lop Specialty Club.             

I am very active in 4-H in my county. A long with the rabbit club, I am a member of the Swine Club, Beef Club, Shooting Sports, Vet Clinics, and Teen Council. I participate in the State Teen Leadership Conference in February and Pennsylvania State Achievement Days during the summer in the Rabbit Bowl.

I want to thank my mom, Debbie Gregory, for driving me to shows at four in the morning and for helping me get into rabbits. Without my mom and dad I would not have had a chance to do what I am doing today and I love them very much. I would also like to thank my 4-H leaders Dan and Mary Ann Ancharski and Denise and Andy Stutler.  Without their help I would never have gotten this involved with rabbits. They have taught me so much about how to improve my herd. The Dwarf Hotot breeders have been wonderful especially, Joyce and Paige Holton, Marilyn Miller, and the Turner family. Gerry Vaerewyck has also been a big support. There are too many supporters to list, but I want to thank all the friends I have made showing rabbits.

Thank you PaSRBA for giving me this opportunity to run for Queen. It has been a lot of fun and I hope to represent you well at shows in the future.

Duchess

Hailey Wolfe

Hi! My name is Hailey Wolfe and I live in Myerstown, Pennsylvania.  I am proud to represent the Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association as the 2010 Duchess.  I joined PaSRBA in 2004 along with my family.  I am twelve years old and in sixth grade.  I live with my parents Russell and Robin Wolfe and my older brother Kyle Allen who is currently attending our local community college.  We live on a small farm and raise rabbits, chickens and hogs.  I also have a pony named Princess.  The name of our farm and rabbitry is Hop-N-Hoof Farm.  The breeds of rabbits that I raise are Jersey Woolies, New Zealand Whites and Mini-Satins. I really love to raise animals. I have had my own rabbits since I was five years old.  Jersey Woolies are the main breed I raise and show.  I currently have 53 of them.   Our rabbit barn has 100 cages.

 I belong to the American Rabbit Breeders Association, Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Association,  National Jersey Wooly Rabbit Club, Lebanon County 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club, Lebanon Valley Rabbit Breeders Association, American Satin Rabbit Breeders Association, and the North Eastern Wooly Fanciers.  Since the spring of 2004 I have attended Rabbit shows in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, New York, New Jersey and West Virginia. I have also attended three National ARBA conventions in Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky. I have had a lot of fun and enjoy going to the shows with my family.  I have met a lot of great people!  I look forward to attending more shows and having fun!

       I have so many people to say Thank You to: My 4-H club leaders Sue Werner, Kristina Kolb, my parents, and Art Sweinhart who has helped me with judging and breed indentification, and Hannah Kiscadden who has helped me with showmanship, and Paul and Chris Fauser who have helped me with my Mini Satins.         

Duke

Robert Vaerewyck

I am really proud to be the PaSRBA Duke. I have studied really hard to get here and I am glad I did. I have many Florida Whites and a polish. I am thinking about getting 1 new breed of rabbit. I am a member of Boy Scouts, my school's robotic team, Butler Bunni Bunch, Butler Poultry Club, Butler Green Meadows Horse Club, PaSRBA, and ARBA. I also raise chickens and ducks with my brother and our family has 2 cats, 2 snakes, a hermit crab, an iguana, and a horse. I like math, science, art and music. I love to build and design new things. As soon as I can, I plan on becoming an ARBA registrar, then becoming a judge.  I would like to become an engineer or a physical therapist as a full time job and own a wind mill farm.

                        Prince

          Matthew James Nock

My name is Matthew James Nock. I am 10 years old, I am in fifth grade and have always been home schooled. I live in Jamestown, Pennsylvania.

I raise Dwarf Hotots and have many other breeds. Belgian Hares are one of my favorite breeds, I also have a New Zealand White, Mini Rex, Polish, Himalayan, English Spot, Tan, and a Netherland Dwarf. Having many breeds helps me to learn about all the breeds of rabbits.

I am a member of many rabbit clubs including ARBA, PaSRBA, Lake/Geauga Rabbit & Cavy Club, American Dwarf Hotot Rabbit Club, Mid-Atlantic Dwarf Hotot Club, and am a member of the Bodacious Bunnies 4-H Club.

I would like to get a registrar's license and want to be a rabbit judge when I get older. I would also like to learn more about cavies and all their colors. I like to attend the Rabbit School in Westmorland, PA every year because I learn so much there.

I really like to go fly fishing, mountain hiking and going to summer camps. I also like swimming in the summer and taking arts and crafts classes. I also have a lot of fun at my Church activities. I am in my fourth year of Cub Scouts and really like outdoor activities and spending time with my friends.

The thing I like most about showing rabbits is having fun with my friends at the shows. I also like traveling to many different places when we go to rabbit shows. Some places I have been to are Canada, Virginia, Michigan, Ohio, and New Jersey. My most favorite trips are to Washington, DC when my mom judges in Maryland.

Someday I would like to be a judge and be able to travel around the world and judge in places like Hawaii, Australia, and Japan.

                     Princess

       Elizabeth Ann Gallagher

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Ann Gallagher, I am 11 years old. I live in Lititz, PA. I am in 6^th grade and attend Kissel Hill Elementary School. Besides raising and showing rabbits, I play the drums in the band and I am a Cadette Girl Scout. I have earned the Bronze Award in Scouting and I am working on meeting the requirements for the Silver Award. I joined Lancaster County Bunny Business last year when I bought my first rabbit from one of the members. It was an Opal Mini Rex I named Octavia. I now have 11 Mini Rexes and 5 Holland Lops. I love showing rabbits and meeting new people at the rabbit shows. I also enjoy participating in the Showmanship and Skillathon contests. Every show I attend I learn many new and interesting things about rabbits. I recently bought my first cavies, a boar and a sow, that I can't wait to start showing.

I have an older brother, Parker, who is 13 and a younger sister, Eva, who is 6. They both help me with my rabbits, and Eva has started showing the Holland Lops. I have 3 dogs, 3 fish and a turtle named "Squirt". I love caring for animals and hope to be a veterinarian. I want to go to Penn State to prepare for veterinary school. I enjoy taking care of my rabbits and love to watch them play. I have had 5 successful litters and loved watching the babies grow and change. I am working on developing a growth chart for newborn kits from birth to 6 wks old. I weigh and measure my kits every day. I document the weights and lengths, and I also write down the changes I see, 1 will plot the growth on a graph and see if there are any differences based on litter size, what number litter it is for the Doe, and the size of the Doe and Buck.

I am a member of two rabbit 4-H clubs, Bunny Business and Rags to Rabbits. I served as Treasurer of Bunny Business last year and was elected as Vice- President for 2010. I have many new and exciting ideas to help with the club, and look forward in getting to know the new members. I received the Junior Honor Roll Award from the Lancaster County 4-H Extension and earned two blue ribbons for my essay and rabbit photos during the Achievement Days. I enjoy creating posters and displays about my rabbits. I have earned several ribbons at the local fairs and various rabbit shows for my posters. I am a member of ARBA and PaSRBA, as well as the Holland Lop Rabbit Specialty Club and the Majestic Mini Rex Specialty Club. I am looking forward to attending the National Convention next year, and competing with the PaSRBA Youth team.

                                                                 Lady

                                                         Lauren Turner

Hi, my name is Lauren Turner and I am proud to be representing the Pennsylvania Rabbit Breeder's Association as the 2010 PaSRBA Lady! I am eight years old, in second grade, and homeschooled. I live near Philipsburg, Pa. with my mom and dad, my sisters Morgan and Sydney, and my brother Devon. We own a farmette and raise rabbits, have several horses, a mule, and a miniature horse named Sunny. The name of our rabbitry is Turners' Rabbit Habit and we raise Dwarf Hotots, Mini Rex, and Californians.

My mom and dad are 4-H leaders and my brother and sisters are very active with 4-H, so I grew up around animals. My mom started taking me to rabbit shows three years ago and I enjoyed them so much that this year I started my own line of Mini Rex that I am breeding, raising, and showing. I also go on community service trips with my 4-H club to visit nursing homes, classrooms, or other clubs to talk about my rabbits.

There are several clubs that I am a member of, including ARBA, PaSRBA, the American Dwarf Hotot Rabbit Club, the Mid-Atlantic Dwarf Hotot Club, the Californian Rabbit Specialty Club, the National Mini Rex Club, the Central Pa Rabbit Breeder's Association, and the Tri-County Rabbit Breeder's Association. This is my first year as an official member in my 4-H club, Thundering Hoofbeats 4-H Horse and Rabbit Club of Clearfield County.

I really like the outdoors and swimming, my Siamese kitty "Sarah", playing with my animals, going to church, church camp and 4-H activities, playing with friends, and traveling to rabbit shows. Every trip we go on is an adventure!