WELLINGTON – 4-Hers paraded their steers Saturday afternoon during the market steer auction and hoped to see their college accounts grow.

Lamar Horton, 12, of Grafton, had the Grand Champion Dairy Beef Cross, which weighed in at 1,363 pounds and sold for $2.20 per pound – 35 cents shy of a fair record.

That’s $2,998.60 for the veteran fair participant.

Lamar, a seventh-grader at Eastern Heights Middle School, said it was a lot of hard work to take care of a steer every day for nearly a year but said remembering to “always show him you’re in charge” helped him control the large animal.

Showing for the fourth year in a row, Lamar said he was thrilled with his win.

“It feels pretty good to have a grand champion,” he said, “but I’d like to give other kids a chance to win so everyone can be a winner.”

Wal-Mart of Oberlin bought Lamar’s steer.

Kirsten Long, 12, of Wellington, had the Reserve Champion Lottery Steer and struggled afterward knowing she had to say goodbye to the animal she’d raised to a whopping 1,315 pounds. Her steer sold for $2.05 per pound.

“I wanted to do it because I know it’s good money for college,” the McCormick Middle School student said.

4-H veteran Ryan Bradley, 19, of Wellington, said he, too, was emotional the first few years he showed steers, knowing they were being sold for food. He’s a little sad this year, too, because it’s his last year. He raised the Grand Champion Lottery Steer.

“I think I’ll be a little sad,” he said. “I’ve been doing this for so long. … I’ll want to come here in the fall and get my steer, and I’ll have to remember that I can’t anymore.”

Bradley is studying at Lorain County Community College to become a middle school math teacher, so the sale of his 1,354-pound steer for $3 per pound will come in handy.

Amy Sayler, of Wakeman, also intends for funds from the sale of her 1,398-pound Reserve Champion Dairy Steer to help pay for her classes in early childhood education at Bowling Green State University’s Firelands campus.

For 9-year-old Kyle Piscione of LaGrange, his first time out at the county fair was highly profitable. Kyle took home six titles, including Reserve Champion Dairy Beef Cross, which weighed in at 1,216 pounds.

Kyle said he was happy to have shown three grand champions and three reserve champions.

“I’m proud,” the Keystone fourth-grader said.

“I go out and feed them every night and morning and play with them and stuff,” he said.

Kyle intends to save his winnings for college and is already looking forward to competing next year.

In all, 80 steers were sold Saturday.

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

Odds are, plenty of folks double-checked their tickets moments before Miranda Lambert’s Lorain County Fair grandstand show last night in Wellington.

Seconds before the 25-year-old Texas native took the stage, a dance-heavy hip-hop track blasted out over the denim-clad audience. “How you doing tonight?” Lambert yelled. “Are you ready for a little rock ‘n’ roll?”

Like a powder keg of enthusiasm and driving guitars, Lambert didn’t so much start the evening off as ignite it for her loud and boisterous fans with her 2005 hit single and title track “Kerosene,” which was followed by the energetic break-up song “Getting Ready.”

Lambert, who surprised audiences last year by joining boyfriend Blake Shelton on his song “Home,” commented on the fair’s no-alcohol status.

“I did hear this is a dry county fair,” Lambert said. “I do feel your pain. I’m from a dry county in Texas. And it sucks.”

Armed with an acoustic guitar, she delved into the midtempo drinking song “Dry Town,” which features plenty of beer company names and longing for, well, a long neck.

Lambert slowed things down with the tender “New Strings” from her 2005 platinum debut “Kerosene,” and the catchy track was a hit with the crowd. The same could be said about her acoustic cover of John Prine’s “Angel from Montgomery”

Compared to country music legend Randy Owen on Monday night, a decidedly younger crowd – at near capacity in the grandstand – was in attendance.

From the start, it was obvious that Lambert, who first emerged onto the country music scene in 2003 after appearing on the reality show “Nashville Star,” is cut from a different – almost rebellious cloth – than her Music City peers. More Gretchen Wilson than LeAnn Rimes or Carrie Underwood, Lambert catered to the hellraisers in the audience, who gladly enjoyed her hard-working, hard-living anthems.

“She’s just great,” said Elyria resident Thelma Lowery, who brought her granddaughter, Brittany Brown, to the show. “I like country music, and she’s a little more rock. ”

The crowd also received a sneak peek of Lambert’s new CD “Revolution,” which is due out Sept. 29. In the process, they also learned a little about what makes her tick. She prefaced the country jam “Only Prettier” by saying it was about when she was a cheerleader in high school and she dealt with the mean, skinny cheerleaders on her squad.

Among the other highlights were a lap guitar-fueled cover of Rod Stewart’s “Stay with Me” and the Fleetwood Mac-esque “Down.” Eventually, Lambert kicked into “Gunpowder & Lead,” which was the crowd’s apparent favorite. The show ended on a mellow note with the after mentioned “Home.”

Delivering the energy, angst and rowdy behavior her albums promise, Lambert provided a memorable soundtrack to a perfect and cloud-free summer night.

Contact John Benson at 329-7155 or ctnews@chroniclet.com.