The sights and sounds of a county fair make childhood memories surface. The aroma from the concessions are enticing. The midway sounds are a mixture of laughs and screams. But, for most of us in the agriculture community, it is the quieter area of the fairgrounds that we love the most.
The early mornings of washing cattle ahead of the show. The 4-H’ers are excited to put on their show whites and debut their spring calf into the ring. You can hear the sideline chats from the fair moms, reminding their children to keep their eye on the judge and that regardless of how they place, come out with a smile.
Those kodak pictures don’t truly tell the real story. I often wonder what filter did they use? The jeans are still white. Kids are flashing big smiles. The real kodak moments begin weeks leading up to the fair where at least one kid has shouted they are not going to show at the fair, after having their toes stepped on by one of their cows. The real moments come when loading a livestock trailer at the last minute and no one can seem to locate any Clear Magic. The Facebook-worthy photo doesn’t show a teenage daughter trying to break a three-year-old cow ten days before the fair. Her hands are still blistered from the playing tug-a-war with a stubborn Jersey cow.
It’s truly hard to find a picture that shows the deep passion of the exhibitors, whether they are eight or 88. They are passionate, but I’d also say they must be a tad crazy. Especially considering many dairy farmers spend their only free time during the summer, showing cows on generally the hottest day when they could be sipping a refreshing drink by a pool. There is no denying that dairy farmers are passionate and dairy exhibitors love to showcase a glimpse of their life at the county fair. Walk through the county fair dairy barns and it’s easy to see the endless sacrifices, the deep level of commitment and all that hard work that goes into caring for that string of cattle.
The experience of a county fair differs from those that exhibit livestock and those that don’t. While fairgoers experience all the color, excitement, sights and sounds of the midway, rides and animals, the exhibitors tuck away some valuable life lessons.
Wisconsin dairy producer, Carrie Mess, better known as Dairy Carrie, wrote a blog, “Dear Fair Exhibitors.”
She shares in part that thousands of exhibitors will enter the ring across the country, but only a handful will walk out with the top spot.
“Some of you will have walked into the ring with an animal that was purchased so you could show. Some of you will walk into the ring with an animal that your family has worked to breed for generations. Some of you will walk into the ring showing the animal you were loaned to show. Some of you will walk into the ring showing the animal you picked out solely on its cute factor. Each of these situations is perfectly OK because each exhibitor has their own goals and reasons for showing at the fair,” Mess says.
The big takeaway from Dairy Carrie’s blog is that the fair is so much more than ribbons and placings.
“It’s about stretching and growing. It’s about learning humility and recognizing that each person walking into the ring with you is your peer and is deserving of respect and kindness,” she says.
Mess signs the blog post, “From the dorky girl who showed a miniature donkey at the county fair.”
The life lessons that fairgoers learn stick with us for a lifetime. When you look back at that perfect kodak photo, remember some of the not-so-perfect moments that led you to the fair. Those struggles often lead us further than any blue ribbon can and those struggles also make us appreciate our placing, regardless of what color of ribbon it is.
