There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes activity that takes place to pull off a county fair. While midway rides and food vendors are always high on many people’s list of things to do, the fair takes place largely because of Johnson County 4-H.
From the livestock barns to the pavilion barns, the hard work of county youth comes to fruition during fair week. Johnson County’s 4-H Fair takes place this year from July 13 to 19 at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin.
4-H offers more than 60 project areas for youth in grades 3 through 12, along with a Mini 4-H program for kindergarten through second grade. Johnson County has 887 youth enrolled in regular 4-H this year and 265 enrolled in Mini 4-H.
As you walk the aisles of the livestock barns or browse exhibits in the various pole buildings, you’ll see a wide variety of projects on display. Ribbons adorn the displays after judging the week prior to the fair. Often, we don’t consider the time and hard work behind the projects. Here’s a look at just a few kids who spend hours — and sometimes sweat and a few tears — getting their projects fair-ready.
Three sisters who live within Franklin city limits are fortunate to have a grandmother in rural Union Township. Olive (12), Violet (11) and Nora (10) Davidson make twice-daily trips to care for their goats. Daughters of Luke and Amy Davidson, they approach the fair with enthusiasm. Olive said 4-H teaches her responsibility, creativity and to think outside the box. Along with their goats, the girls also enter baking, horticulture and arts and crafts. Asked about their favorite parts of the fair, they responded without hesitation: Olive enjoys showing her goat in the arena and the snow cones, Violet loves the barn water fights and snow cones, and Nora enjoys running around with friends inside what mom calls “4-H alley.” They are members of the Johnson County Goat Club.
Another trio of siblings preparing for fair week includes the children of Seth and Jessica Brown of Needham Township. Tinley (13) and Tripp (9) are members of the Show Stock Society Club, and their younger sister, Tana (6), is in Mini 4-H. Tinley and Tripp have seven pigs to show in the Swine Show this year. They raise several breeds, which will keep them busy on show days. Tinley also participates in Cake Decorating, now in her fifth year. Her technique improves each year — it takes a day just to assemble the Styrofoam cake form, and this year she must create a two-tier cake. She has earned blue ribbons and honor ribbons in the past and hopes to make it to the state fair. She’s also entering a school art project using 3D paint. Tripp’s favorite project is his Lego creation — a Minecraft-themed entry featuring a turtle beach house and baby turtles. He’s also entering cupcake decorating.
Tana, in her first year of Mini 4-H, will decorate cookies and show pigs in the Mini 4-H competition. Cheeseburgers and milkshakes top the list of fair food favorites for the Brown children.
Stella Simpson, daughter of Scott and Jamie Simpson, is a member of the Junior Leaders 4-H Club. She credits her grandmother, Susan Lantz, as her mentor for the Sewing Construction project. “4-H helps me build skills. The big one for me is patience. Once you get into a project, patience is the biggest thing to have. Things will go wrong, but you must remember why you started,” Stella said. She credits both her mom and grandmother for helping her learn to sew and says it’s rewarding to finish a project. Grand and Reserve Champion and State Fair awards have been highlights of her 4-H experience.
At the horse and pony arena, you’ll find four-year 4-H member Hazel Culbertson, daughter of Michael and Rachel Culbertson of Needham Township. She’s in two 4-H clubs: Horse and Pony, and Paw Pounders, a dog club. Hazel also takes part in Horse and Pony Veterinary Science. Feeding, grooming and training her horses requires many hours.
Hazel said the best part of fair week is the people — “especially the 4-H leaders that make everything possible. Also, the fair food is amazing.” She enjoys visiting the other barns and watching their livestock shows because they feel different from the horse barn experience.
Interestingly, all the members interviewed for this story represent third- and fourth-generation 4-H families.
