FRYEBURG – This year’s 4-H Beef Steer Grand Champion banner went to native son Raymond Gushee-Frost of Fryeburg.

Loud applause erupted when Judge Randy Daniel of Colbert, Ga., slapped the 17-year-old’s Cross Breed steer signaling the selection of the event’s top award out of 37 steers shown. The 1,255-pound steer will be on display throughout fair week in the 4-H barn along with the Grand Champion Market lamb.

Gushee-Frost, a junior at Fryeburg Academy, won the blue ribbon for the medium weight class earlier in the day. He also won a blue ribbon in Senior Showmanship class.

The Reserve Champion went to Sarah Carter, 15, of Canaan, N.H., with a Maine Anjou-Simmental Cross. The animal placed second in the Heavy Medium class at 1,265 pounds. She also received a first-place trophy in the Intermediate Showmanship class.

The Highly Commended went to Morgan Clauss, 11, of Lancaster, N.H., with a 1,237-pound Maine Anjou Cross that placed first in the Medium weight class. She received a blue ribbon in the Junior Showmanship Class. She won the Highly Commended award last year as well.

The Commended award went to Gemma Young, 14, of Paris with a Maine Anjou-Angus Cross weighing 1,318 pounds. She placed third in the Heavy Medium class and received a blue ribbon in the Intermediate Showmanship class. Gemma raised the Grand Champion steer in 2005.

4-H Market Lamb

In the 4-H Market Lamb judging, the Grand Champion went to Cody Coutts, 14, of Chelsea.

The Cross Breed weighed 138 pounds. Last year, Cody had the Commended lamb. He received the first-place trophy in the Intermediate Showmanship class.

Reserve Champion went to Marley Smith of Windsor with a 167-pound Cross Breed. Marley had the Grand Champion last year. She received the first-place trophy in the Senior Showmanship Class.

Highly Commended went to Gemma Young with a Hampshire Breed weighing in at 134 pounds. She received a blue ribbon in the Intermediate Showmanship Class

Hattie Gushee-Kimball had this year’s Commended lamb. The 16-year-old from Fryeburg who had the Grand Champion Beef Steer last year had a Cross Breed lamb weighing 104 pounds. She received a blue ribbon in Senior Showmanship Class. She also had the Grand Champion lamb in 2002 and again in 2003.

All animals will be sold at Friday morning’s annual auction, which attracts buyers from throughout New England.

Fryeburg has the oldest continuous show and sale in New England, which began when Randolph Stacey had the first champion steer in 1938.

Friday’s sale begins with the market lamb auction at 11 a.m. in the Livestock Show Arena followed by the beef steer sale. Both sales are open to anyone and all processing arrangements may be made at the auction.