Ahhhh......fair is over.....

We had no idea what we were doing. We joined 4-H. We got some goats. We got some chickens. We went to fair. The preparations were the kind that make no sense at all until you actually go through it once. Record books, posters, market, breed, fitting and showing, showmanship, herdsmanship.... we learned a whole new language.

 
It was an amazing experience. We camped at the fairgrounds. The kids were at the barn every morning at 7 AM, except for the last day when they let the kids sleep in an hour. They cleaned the stalls, cleaned the barn, and basically made everything presentable for the public. As soon as that was done, it was show time. Country Boy showed two chickens and a market pen of 3 chickens. Country Girl showed one of her goats. Country Diva showed a market pen of 3 chickens and one of the goats.

We got to know more families in our 4-H group. The kids made friends with more kids from the group. We learned more about what it means to go to fair. I never before realized how much work the kids put into the barns and project animals they bring to fair.

The next time you walk through the animal barns at the county fair, do so with the understanding these kids have been there all week- morning, noon, and night. They get up at the crack of dawn to care for their animals and get the barn ready for visitors. Then they have the nervousness of showing their animals and trying their hardest to be the best. There are some kids who have worked all year to raise a market animal that they, more than likely, have become very attached to. They know on the last day of fair they will be saying goodbye to that animal. This is a lot for kids to deal with, but they all do it with grace and maturity. I was so impressed with every kid in all of our barns and how much they worked and how respectfully they treated all of the animals.

As for the new things we have learned... Fitting and showing is the same as showmanship. Record books are best worked on all year, not the week before fair. Posters need to be created to hang horizontally, not vertically. Herdsmanship is the time the kids volunteer to sweep the aisles of the barns durning the hours the fair is open. They get ribbons based on how well the barn is cleaned.  The kids get ribbons for everything. Ribbons are awarded differently than I had thought. There can be multiple blue, red, or white ribbons awarded in a group. Then there are the top two exhibitors in the group who get champion and reserve champion ribbons. Pigs fight when in the show ring. Goats can pick locks. Cows tear paper off of bulletin boards. Chickens used to free range don't like sitting in cages all week at fair. Cranky chickens bite. Animals used to well water will not drink city water. River water is a good stand by. If that wont work, try Gatorade. Our goats like Gatorade....

The exhibit hall was fun...Country Diva got to find the school projects her teacher had submitted for the class. Country Diva also submitted two photographs for 4-H. Country Boy submitted 12 photographs for 4-H. I submitted 3 photos for open class and a jar of mango jam.

The ribbon count for the family goes like this- Country Boy got 2 reserve champion ribbons, 14 blue ribbons, 2 red ribbons, and 3 white ribbons. Country Girl got 1 reserve champion ribbon, 4 blue ribbons, and 1 red ribbon. Country Diva got 7 blue ribbons and 6 red ribbons. I ended up with a blue ribbon for my mango jam and 3 red ribbons for my photos. The kids earned 5 blue ribbons each for herdsmanship, but they don't award the ribbons, they just pay the premium money.

Premium Money!! As far as we understand, blue ribbons are worth $3 each, red ribbons are worth $2 each, and white ribbons are worth $1 each. Then on top of that, Country Boy and Country Diva sold their 2 market pens of 3 chickens for $200 each pen at the livestock auction. Country Girl has plans to sell a pig next year and make $1000. My kids have found their money making opportunities.

We are already thinking about next year's fair....