Nearly 600 pigeons competed this weekend at the annual Spirit of St. Louis Winter Pigeon Show. Held at Purina Farms, just outside St. Louis, the competition showcased a flock of some of the finest pigeons in the country.
The entrants — or “fanciers” — represented Missouri, Illinois and at least 15 other states.
“When you get people to come from California to drive to this show in St. Louis, you know it's got to be a passion,” said David Averbeck, the show secretary and vice president of St. Louis Metropolitan Pigeon Fanciers Association.
“They build a relationship with these birds,” he continued. “They're taking years to breed some of these birds to get the type of quality they want. And so you can see their hard work when they come to the shows. Some of these guys have been at it for 30, 40, 50 years. We're trying to get young people involved — so that they can be the next 30-, 40-, 50-year breeders as well.”
On this episode of St. Louis on the Air, producer Danny Wicentowski explored the pigeon show and how the judging process attempts to elevate champion pigeons from the rest of the flock.
To hear the full conversation about the St. Louis pigeon show, listen to “St. Louis on the Air” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The production intern is Darrious Varner. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
