It wasn't quite Jesus born in a manger, but what could have been the first live birth of a calf during Indiana's oldest county fair was certainly a "moooving" experience for a large crowd that made their way over to watch.
A dairy cow named "Kangaroo" on July 11 gave birth to a son, "'Joey," with hay scattered inside a tiny fenced in area at the LaPorte County Fair for mother and her newborn to lay on.
The cow was provided by Luke Minich, a Kingsbury area dairy farmer who delivered the calf with very little pulling in front of more than 50 applauding onlookers with help from his 8-year old daughter, Mary.
Since there were no complications, all they really had to do next was place the calf next to the head of the mother for her to lick him clean.
"The cows. They know what they're doing. They can handle it on their own most of the time," said Minich.
Two large animal veterinarians after looking over the cows gave each of them a clean bill of health.
"They're resting comfortably. They're eating well and they're enjoying their little vacation," said Minich.
The birth was inside the new wooden barnyard in an area of the fairgrounds known as Pioneer Land.
When the 7-year old, 1,600-pound red Holstein described as an excellent milk producer went into labor, fairgoers over the intercom system were invited over to watch the delivery.
Minich estimated it took just 10 to 15 minutes for "Joey" to enter the world just after 2 p.m.
He weighed in at a normal 75 pounds.
"It was great and the kids got to see it and they got to pet the new calf. It was terrific. Absolutely terrific," said Carl Schultz, one of the Pioneer Land volunteers.
Considering the fair was established in 1845, nobody knew for sure if it was the first live delivery of a calf ever at the fair, but there had not been one there at least in recent memory, said Dick Reel, a longtime fair volunteer who helped spearhead the creation of Pioneer Land in 1995.
"I don't know about making history. I'm just happy that we can participate in the fair and everybody had the opportunity to see something they don't see everyday,'' said Minich.
Minich had chosen a second cow for another live birth attempt, but she delivered before he could get her to the fairgrounds.
He came up with the idea to try a live delivery to teach people something about agriculture and would welcome another chance to do it at next year's fair.
"I hope to. We'll see how things work out,'' said Minich.
Plans are for Kangaroo to go back into milk production at the 1,000-head Minich dairy farm while Joey is going to be raised at a nearby beef cattle farm, he said.
"The cow having the calf was a real highlight," said Reel.