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It's only the fair . . .As you pull into town from any direction this week, you are greeted with a big yellow road sign that reads "Local Celebration; Drive With Care." There are pickups with trailers, mini vans and kids scurrying everywhere. The local grocery store has had ice deliveries three times this week instead of just once. To the untrained eye, this place is chaos. What on earth could all of the fuss be? Of course all of you in 4-H country know, it is county fair time. Our county fair kicked off with the horse show. When people think of horse shows we might envision lots of ladies dressed in sparkly tops and fancy western hats, parading around high dollar horses adorned in silver headstalls. Not at a county fair horse show. We had kids riding mules and one on a Mustang/Belgian cross. They show in everything from nylon halters to a few with leather and a little silver. They are riding in saddles that might be their own or one that one of their parents used when they were in 4-H. Regardless of what they ride and how they are tacked up, they all have a couple things in common. They are all wearing the standard blue jeans, boots and white shirt with a green 4-H armband. They are all so thrilled just to have their horse in town to get to ride around with their friends. They may have never seen the reining pattern before but they are going to give it a 4-H try. They might get a red ribbon but they still have a smile pasted from ear to ear. When the pictures come out in the paper next week, it will be an orthodontist's dream come true just to see all the white. One of the most popular events at the fair has become the decorated cake contest. There are cakes in this contest that range from a cartoon cow with flies on his head to a three-tiered wedding cake. Little bakers show up with carefully frosted creations covered in jelly beans and plastic figurines. And when it comes time for the cake auction, they are all winners. Every business in town is serving cake on Tuesday morning after the auction. Nobody wants to be left out of this show of support for our youngsters. Some fairs have big pig shows and at some fairs sheep are more popular but here in central Nebraska, steers are still the king. People might not know who is going to the state fair for style revue but there won't be many folks in town that haven't heard who won the steer show by the morning after. Even though urban residents on the east end of the state have taken it off of our license plates, I guess we are still the Beef State. Regardless of who takes home the most gold medals, trophies or ribbons, what is truly amazing about the fair is the spirit. We don't get disappointed when our kid doesn't take first. People are lined up around the show ring and when someone gets the championship nod, the crowd always shares a huge round of enthusiastic applause. Moms are hugging each other. Dads are slapping each other on the back and shaking hands with a death grip. Kids are congratulating each other, and most of all, always working to help each other. They share scotch combs. They push or pull each others' animals. They take turns in the wash rack. They water each others' critters when they can see that they need a drink. Only because of the youth involved would people sit on the bleachers for a senior beef showmanship class that takes over an hour and 40 minutes. Why? Because we, as adults, do recognize that these kids have worked all year to get these projects ready and we need to give them all the time they deserve. This is their fair and their one shot at doing their best. Can you really think of any other time in your community when the spirit of competition takes a back seat to teamwork and the good of all? A time when we really focus 100 percent of our attention on the future of our world? Not only is the fair a good time to work together, to show our support for our youth and to honor them with recognition for their achievements, it is also a good time to encourage them to consider a future in our industry. What better kids are there than those that wind up in the show ring to take over feeding the people? These are kids that have proven they can be responsible enough to feed every day, to pamper a sick animal back to health, to wash and clip and go the extra mile to make sure that they and their project are the best they can be. So get out and enjoy a fair--your own, your grandkids', one down the road or one across the state. And while you are there admiring the projects, keep in mind that the most important thing being groomed at these fairs is not a critter but hopefully a future agriculturalist. Editor's note: Trent Loos is a sixth generation United States farmer, host of the daily radio show, Loos Tales, and founder of Faces of Agriculture, a non-profit organization putting the human element back into the production of food. Get more information at www.FacesOfAg.com, or e-mail Trent at trent@loostales.com. 7/30/07
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