Thatcher Mueller’s Allen County Fair schedule may be lighter than it was a few years ago, but his summer is still packed. The 17-year-old plans to enter animals in the beef and sheep shows this year, adding to his track record that includes a purple ribbon for a chiffon cake.
Mueller also keeps busy beyond the fair grounds. A City Slickers 4-H member, he works this summer at B&W Trailer Hitches in Humboldt and takes on occasional jobs for family and friends, including covering a shift at a sno-cone stand. The timing matters: his food project was among the first items judged during Wednesday’s open class session so he could make his 4 p.m. shift.
While he has pulled back from some earlier fair activities—after years of earning many purple ribbons in woodworking, arts and crafts, and goat projects—Mueller is still leaning on experience. He hopes his animals perform as well as they did at the 2025 fair, where his lamb was named overall reserve champion. With that foundation, he also plans to keep building confidence through spring livestock show experience and continues baking chiffon cakes with guidance from his mother, Natalie.