PHOTO COURTESY OF THE IOWA GOVERNOR’S CHARITY STEER SHOW Colbie Fevold, right, of rural Gladbrook pictured alongside her steer Mighty Maverick.

GLADBROOK — Colbie Fevold of rural Gladbrook, who will be a sixth grader at G-R this fall, has had a busy summer preparing to show Mighty Maverick, her 17-month-old, 1,500 pound steer, at the Tama County Fair, but her hard work has paid off as she will be one of just 24 exhibitors in the state invited to the Governor’s Charity Steer Show at the Iowa State Fair on Saturday afternoon.

Since she acquired Mighty Maverick from her uncle last November, Fevold, the daughter of Cody and Taylor Fevold, has spent every day with him, put him on a diet that has helped the steer grow from about 400 pounds to his current weight and started going to shows in the spring.

“You break him first to walk, and then you start getting into the washing and doing all that while you feed him the whole time,” Colbie said. “Our daily routine is I wake up before the sun comes up, feed him and get him inside under his fans. Then we let him eat, and then, when the sun is up, I usually blow him out because he gets dirty, and then I go out and rinse him or wash him.”

From there, she dries him and then applies the bovine equivalent of hairspray and fly spray to Mighty Maverick so that he can lay down under his fans “like a king.”

The Governor’s Charity Steer Show, which benefits the Ronald McDonald House charities of Iowa, will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, and attendees are encouraged to arrive early as seats typically fill up fast. After each steer is auctioned off, the meat will be donated, and Colbie Fevold has already raised over $11,000 from area businesses to donate to the Ronald McDonald Houses along with over $2,000 worth of supplies.

Colbie’s mom said she grew up in the rodeo world, so showing cattle is a whole new world for her. Nonetheless, she has enjoyed the chance to witness her daughter’s passion and the fact that she’s found success in a relatively short period of time.

“Not only just the steer, but all the other extra (things) that she did just because she wanted to, that’s pretty amazing for an 11-year-old,” Taylor Fevold said.

At the show, each exhibitor has a “celebrity” guest, and Colbie’s will be none other than 2022 Tama County Fair Queen Kaylynn Murty. She is sponsored by Iowa Premium Beef of Tama.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.