Jessie’s Blog: Busy Days at the Fair

In September, we had the busiest weekend of the year for my family. I only now got settled enough to write about it. It was the annual county fair. Some people think that a fair is a place to ride rides, but it is much more than that. You can show animals, such as rabbits, pigs, and horses, or enter photography, artwork, woodwork, robotics, and other fun stuff that you did that year. Around here, a lot of the schools close for the fair because lots of the kids show animals and/or are members of 4-H, with means they have to do a demonstration at the fair. As homeschoolers, my family doesn’t even start school before the fair, because there is way too much to do to get ready.

 

Showing my rabbit, Ellie

The fair goes for four days, Thursday through Sunday. The preparations, however, start way before that. For a week or two before fair, my family are filling out entry forms and getting our exhibits ready. The Monday before the fair, the 4-H clubs go out to the fair grounds to set up any exhibits that need to be put a certain way. Each type of animal has its own “barn,” where it stays for the fair. Each club decorates their part of the barn, the part their animals are staying in.

 


This year was my brother Isaac’s last year as a 4-H member. He decided to show everything he could: rabbits, chickens, sheep, and cavies. A cavy is another word for guinea pig. He won first place out of all the sheep showmen, and there are a lot of sheep showmen. (Here he is with his show lamb, Beth.)

Isaac got into both the small and big animal Round Robins, contests to see who showed best out of all the big or small animals. For large animals he had to show cows, sheep, pigs, and goats. For small animals he had to show chickens, rabbits, and cavies. Cats and dogs are not included in the Round Robin because they only stay for one day. My sister Emily participated in rabbits. She won second place in rabbit showmanship and first place in the small animal Round Robin.

 

Getting ready to go into the show ring with my sheep, Fawn


I showed rabbits, chickens, sheep, and cats. This year I got second in my class for rabbits, and first for cat showmanship. I won blue ribbons for my showmanship for both sheep and chickens, too. 

The fair is exciting, busy, and a lot of fun. On Saturday night my friends and I ride carnival rides. This year there were the tilt-a-whirl, super slide, merry-go-round, mean machine, ferris wheel, zipper, and the kamikaze. Some of the rides turn you upside down! I like rides.

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