sd county fair

The County Fair

I had not been to a County Fair since our days in 4-H...so today, we decided to see how the fair for Morris County (New Jersey) fared with the McPherson County Fair held in Leola, South Dakota. Honestly, I was surprised how big this fair was; and also how many children participate in 4-H.

I remember going to the Robert Gab's farm for our 4-H meetings...and while I recall the motto having something to say about "hearts, hands, etc.", I can barely remember what we did during those meetings. The Gab farm was probably the furthest point one could go before leaving the school district, and it was a trek just to get to these meetings. We always could tell we were close to their house when the "big bend" in the road approached...and once there, the meeting would be comprised ONLY of Smith and Gab children.

Since we didn't live on a farm, raising a prize cow or pig was not possible. That didn't matter, though, because there were other contests that you could enter and still remain in 4-H. As we went through the 4-H exhibits today, we saw that "arts and crafts" has taken on a new direction. Gone are the days of wood working and leather crafts. They have been replaced with sketches, photography, pottery, and architecture. We saw farm animals such as ducks, chickens and horses; but the animal selection has also changed to reflect the 21st century. Now there are large selections of lizards, snakes, and pet rodents.

...and of course something that has not changed in 40 years...the ribbons. Everyone gets a ribbon! There were best in class ribbons, ribbons ranging from good to excellent, and ribbons which said only "participant."

The pictures on this page reflect some of the projects that were submitted for 4-H competition.

A "young" Tim (above) is standing next to two exhibits: he built a display case for his rock collection, and secondly the twins won first place for their presentation on geology and fluorescence in nature. They also made a presentation at the State Fair.

A "young" VJ is holding a leather belt that he hand crafted. It took many hours to stamp the pattern evenly on the belt, and for his efforts, he received a blue ribbon.

As an FYI, August 12th is the County Fair in Leola.