For Release July 30, 2006

Another County Fair

AGRI-VIEWS

     by Chuck Otte, Geary County Extension Agent

            If you go out to the county fairgrounds today, it’ll be pretty much as it is fiftyone weeks out of the year. It’ll be fairly quiet, the wind will blow a little dust or a piece of paper trash around, but there won’t be very much activity.

            But for most of this past week, the fairgrounds have been abustle with activity. Adults and youth alike have been busy coming and going. Livestock were being cared for, exhibited and gazed upon, and sometimes that livestock was noisy!! There was excitement and anticipation as each and every project was evaluated and a ribbon was awarded. 4-Hers either heard the judge comment on what was good and what needed improvement, or they read written comments after the judging.

            When I was a 4-Her, I always hoped that the judge wouldn’t find that flaw, or flaws, that I knew was in the project. But most times they would find the flaw and it never ceased to amaze me that not only could they find it but they also knew exactly what had gone wrong and how to fix it. Now that I’ve been judging county fairs for quite a few years, I’m sure that some of those 4-Hers who’s projects I’ve judged, are wondering the same thing.

            Another Geary County 4-H Fair has gone into the record books. Fairs just don’t happen from the work of a few people. Fairs happen because of a huge team with a common goal. Sure, the Geary County Extension Office staff do a fair amount of work, but there’s also the Geary County Free Fair Board. This group meets monthly throughout the year to help plan and execute the County Fair. There are many other volunteers, 4-Hers, 4-H parents and 4-H leaders that contribute thousands of hours of their time to make sure that the fair is a success every year. The folks at the Geary County Shop spend hours before the fair making sure everything looks right. It really is a team effort.

            There was one thing that was different about this year’s fair, however. I wasn’t there! I was attending the Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. As a national officer of this professional improvement organization, I had a responsibility to be at this year’s meeting. When I considered running for office two years ago, everyone in the office knew that the national meeting may wind up on the same days as the county fair one of the years that I had to attend. They all encouraged me to run for the office anyway.

            The only way that I could be gone from the fair was through the incredible support and team effort of my four co-workers. I got as much done as possible before I left, but it still meant that other people, including many volunteers from around the county, had to do the things I normally do. Hopefully this will be the only fair that I ever have to miss. It really bothered me not being there and yes, I did phone back and check in a couple of times during the week.

            Teamwork is the key behind any large endeavor. And I owe a really big thanks to Ginger, Christina, Sue and Donna for all their support and extra work during the county fair so I could be in beautiful downtown Cincinnati for my meetings. Their support and willingness to take on the extra work means the world to me! Thank you teammates!

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