Yes, that sentence is a simile, because it uses the word 'like'. For a sentence to be a simile, it has to use the words 'like, or 'as'. A metaphor compares things without using like or as, for example: He is a cheetah that zooms across the Savannah. :)
Blurry as a bird in a dusty field bob
A conjunction, in the context of grammar, refers to a word used to connect clauses, phrases, or words that are considered conjuncts or group of words that add information to the sentence. In the given sentence, the conjunction used was the word 'but'. It links the two clauses: "Cathy won not only a blue ribbon" and "a<span>lso took home the champion trophy.</span>"
They're families hate each other and there would be no chance of them being excepted.