Giant rabbits a sight to behold at fair

MOSCOW — It would be difficult to walk past Paxton Dorigo’s prized rabbits on display at the Latah County Fair and not do a double-take.

On Thursday, a small group gathered in front of one of the cages to marvel at Pele, a 20-pound Flemish Giant rabbit. Oblivious to his admirers, Pele rested while Dorigo added another ribbon to his collection of awards.

Dorigo, a junior at Moscow High School, has been raising rabbits for five years. He has become adept at breeding large ones, including a 20-pound French Lop named Nani and an 18-pounder named Kai.

His furry friends often get a reaction from people who see them, he said.

“With the big ones it’s like, ‘Wow, that’s a big bunny,’” he said.

In addition to the seven rabbits he brought to the fair, he has 20 rabbits at home. Dorigo said he enjoys watching the animals grow up and develop personalities.

As a person who shows his animals at multiple conventions, Dorigo said the tricky part is breeding the animals.

“I’d say the most challenging part I ran into was getting the genetics right, because with the Flemish Giants I’ve had to breed about four different litters to be able to get the right type of rabbit you want for a show,” he said.

His hard work paid off, as multiple ribbons could be seen hanging above each of Dorigo’s rabbits.

The Latah County Fair is not just about showing off animals, however.

Local organizations came together to make it an opportunity for children to get excited about science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Inside the National Guard Armory Building, children like Troy residents Vyla Hurst, 11, and Ledger Hurst, 9, could be seen playing with puzzles and games designed to teach them about basic STEM concepts. The two Troy residents were figuring out how to stack balls into a pyramid for one of the puzzles. At another station, they could play with displays that showed how magnets repel and attract each other.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, the University of Idaho, the Palouse Discovery Science Center and multiple other organizations came together to organize the event.

Bobby Provost, an ambassador from UI’s College of Engineering, said it is important to get younger people excited about engineering and other STEM subjects that are often seen as boring.

He said the games and puzzles, like building a tower out of spaghetti noodles, are about problem-solving.

“I think a lot of these projects help with kids kind of seeing how stuff goes together and how stuff interacts and it makes it more fun and more hands-on,” he said.

More Latah County Fair activities are in store for visitors this weekend. The Latah County Fairgrounds in Moscow will be open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. today and Saturday. It will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.

Kuipers can be reached at akuipers@dnews.com.