In true Cass County fashion, Miss Dowagiac Mackenzie Whitmyer is just as comfortable on the farm corralling her small assembly of lambs, pigs and rabbits as she is on greeting onlookers on a float.

So it is only natural, then, that she use her knowledge of livestock to help the next set of Dowagiac beauty queens. At the upcoming Cass County Fair, Whitmyer will be auctioning off the brown-featured mallard duck she has spent the last few months raising, with the proceeds going toward the Miss Dowagiac Scholarship fund.

“The organization has done a lot for me,” Whitmyer said. “Besides helping to pay for college, the pageant has helped my confidence and improved my public speaking. I wanted to give back, and what better way than to do it with my passion.”

She purchased the bird, which she named Rita, from a friend in April, and has been raising it at her Aunt Lori’s farm ever since, preparing for the big day later this month.

“This is the first year I’ve ever handled a duck,” Whitmyer said. “I was really nervous about it.”

Despite the initial jitters, she has spent every morning taking care the waterfowl alongside her other animals, feeding her, maintaining her pen and even playing with her every once in a while.

Whitmyer has been raising animals with the Legacy 4-H program since middle school, she said. Every summer, she travels to her aunt’s farm, spending a good portion of her day taking care of
her livestock.

“I think I’m at the farm more often than my house, honestly,” she said.

While this is no small task for any recent high school graduate, Whitmyer has been successfully juggling her part-time position at Lakeside Parlor in Cassopolis along with her responsibilities as Miss Dowagiac. Despite the long days and early mornings, she said she has little complaints about putting in the time necessary to prepare for the yearly fair.

“I don’t need to be motivated to do it,” she said. “I like it, I just enjoy doing it.”

In addition to her bird, Whitmyer will also be showing two rabbits, two lambs, two pigs and a steer at this year’s fair as well.

“Fair time is like Christmas for me,” she said. “All the time you’ve put in since April finally pays off.”

During the auction, Whitmyer said she is hoping that the duck fetches a decent price from buyers looking to do their part to support the pageant’s cause.

“Our buyers are supportive of every single kid,” she said. “They know the dedication that goes into raising livestock, and are super helpful.”

In the fall, Whitmyer will attend classes at Michigan State University, where she plans on studying agribusiness. With two years left of eligibility in the 4-H program, though, she said she will hardly be stranger at coming county fairs.

“I’ll continue to show until I can’t anymore,” she said.