Two Fairs to Go

This is fair week. Just in case any of you who have seen me want an explanation of why I look and act like I do when you see me. I will probably be wild eyed and may even have a nervous twitch, fair week will do that to you. In the end, it will all be worth the pain, suffering and sleep deprivation but looking at it right now is kind of intimidating.

In any case, we only have two more county fairs left as a 4-H family. You might have heard me say that with a certain amount of glee. Yes, I admit it, at times the thought of being empty nesters and not having to worry about things like fair sound appealing,. Then it hit me, after this year’s fair we start in on what another friend of mine referred to as the first of the lasts or the senior year.

It was a little melancholy with Isaac and sad at times. We watched our last football game as parents but for the most part we knew that many of the activities we would still be attending with Tatum so it did not seem so final. Now, suddenly, we are standing on the edge of the senior year with Tatum and the final lasts.

The last county fair is probably the hardest one for me to wrap my head around. County fairs have been a huge part of my life every year for the past 38 years as a 4-Her, Intern, Extension Agent and the last few years as 4-H Dad. The county fair has been the apex of my summer and the big event on my calendar for much of my life.

The same could be said for our family too. If I am to be perfectly honest the county fair has functioned as our family vacation for most of my kid’s lives. The memories gathered and the lessons learned are too many to recall and too important to forget. The best and most important treasurers gleaned from the fair have nothing to do with champion trophies or ribbons. Honestly, I cannot remember what year we have had our biggest successes in.

Last year I was talking to someone with young kids. They made the statement that they would be involved with the fair forever and it was hard to comprehend just how many years that involvement would entail. I had to laugh because just about fifteen years earlier I was in the same exact position and made the same statement. Then I blinked and all the sudden we are looking at just two more fairs. I guess it is something that must be experienced because there is no way to explain just how fast it will go.

It seems like just last year we were taking care of Jethro, the bucket calf and our first livestock project. The competition for that champion bucket calf was just as fierce as the competition for champion steer but the friends we made and the lessons we learned were even more valuable and longer-lasting. I am not sure but I think the pinnacle of our livestock showing career may have been with bucket calves.

The years in between are blurs. Steers named T-Bone and Chuck, lambs named Toots or Rambo and a heifer we called Vicious. Then there were the rockets, woodworking projects, notebooks, foods, clothes and displays that numbered in the thousands (or at least that is what it seemed like). Each project taught us a different lesson and each animal had a different story. I would not have traded any of the experiences for all the money in the world (which I am quite sure we spent on them).

So, pardon me if I seem a little melancholy this fair week. I am sure the next two fairs will go by in a split second just like the 38 before them. I am equally sure that these last two will have their share of successes and challenges. I admit that it does make me a little sad that this chapter of my life is ending, for the most part I have enjoyed it more than any other. I will try my hardest to savor every moment and enjoy each memory but I am sure it will pass much too quickly.

Tonight, as I sit here writing this column in a quiet house on the eve of the fair week I know it is the calm before the storm. I know I should enjoy this moment of quiet reflection and I know I will miss it when it is gone. 4-H and the fair have been such an important part of my life and the lives of my kids that words do not do it justice. However, melancholy or not it will be crazy and I am up for the wild ride if only two more times.