The return of county fair

A decade ago, it wasn’t uncommon to hear someone lament that the days of county fair were seeming numbered. This summer, nothing could be further from the truth for the kids of Crook County.

In 2012, when Sara Fleenor took over as 4-H Educator for the county, just 13 cattle were entered into the fair; this year, she says, there are 95. Meanwhile, from 30 kids of Crook and Weston Counties at the annual 4-H camp in that first year, the number had risen this summer to over 100.

“I think there are places where fair is really struggling and I’m really proud to say that I don’t believe it is in Crook County anymore,” she says.

“We have done a big turnaround in the last few years and I really do think it’s the cooperation of agencies saying we want to do what’s best for kids, asking how we can do that – and doing it.”

The resurgence is largely due to this teamwork aspect, she says. An overall goal has been set to give as many opportunities to this county’s youth as possible.

“It has been a combined effort between 4-H and FFA, which I think is unique to our county. Most counties do not one hundred percent work together and share kids and resources and ask how to get opportunities for everyone together,” she says. “That’s how it should be.”

New opportunities

The growing popularity of 4-H may also be partly due to the fact that it’s now easier for town-based kids to join in with the fun, even if they have no facilities of their own and may not have thought an animal project was possible for them.

Hulett has its school farm, Moorcroft is working on a barn for animal projects in town and Sundance has the 4-H barn and its equipment. The latter was developed because Fleenor feels it’s important that people are able to try out animal projects before making a sizeable investment in their own gear.

“It’s offering the opportunities and, if you decide to go with it, then that’s up to you,” she says.

The 4-H lady

Meanwhile, Beth Ellsbury, Extension Office, points to Fleenor’s involvement with the local schools.

“Some of the kids tell me they didn’t even know about it, and she’s the ‘4-H lady’ now,” she says.

This involvement includes the greenhouse program that teaches different “farm to table” skill to each age group (and now includes a chicken coop) as well as “4-H Fridays”. During the school year, Fleenor alternates with the library to provide programming on Fridays, when there is no school.

“Our goal was to do under-represented 4-H projects on those Fridays, so we did activities like string art, rock art, cake decorating, planting seeds and barn quilts,” she says.

“They were areas that might have lower enrolment or we felt kids need to have an eye-opening experience that this is what they could do or this is what it means. We had great participation and we had a lot of non-4H kids.”

Kids are getting the chance to put out feelers and see if they enjoy taking part, she says. Combined with after-school and enrichment programming, the goal is to come up with new and innovative ways to reach more kids while providing incentives and creating fun activities the kids can look forward to.

This has also increased local exposure to the 4-H name. The national mandate for 4-H is to reach a target of at least 25 percent of school age kids knowing what 4-H, Fleenor says.

“I have made that my personal mission,” she smiles.

Snowball effect

Of course, the snowball effect can’t be discounted: as more kids get involved and are working on exciting personal projects, more of their friends are curious to try it out for themselves. Not to mention that the projects a kid is able to take on are more wide-ranging than some may have thought.

“A lot of people have been in 4-H for a lot of generations and you have your very traditional 4-H programs such as cake decorating, sewing, cooking, baking, preserves, leather craft, woodworking, showing [animals],” she says.

“A lot of people have really stuck with those traditional things, but then you have the kids who come in and do robotics, electricity, aeronautics or sport fishing – things you wouldn’t necessary think were 4-H projects.”

There are a couple of different avenues now, says Fleenor: traditional or new and innovative. As long as a self-determined project fits into the guidelines – for example, it teaches a skill and fits into safety requirements – then it can be included.

This, of course, also helps with the snowball effect: kids see what their friends are doing and want to have a go too.

“In the past, the perception of 4-H was that you go show your animals at fair. We get them thinking that you can do science projects, posters, cake decorating, photography, art,” Fleenor says.

“It’s all about participation and getting feet in the door.”

Technology support

Though the technological age has been the adversary of traditional activities like fair, it has in some ways supported 4-H. Today, for example, kids don’t need to travel across the state for workshops and camps – instead, they can be offered online.

“The university does a really good job, they have several different webinars and Zoom calls so that kids can call in and listen to experts,” Fleenor says.

“I would say it can’t be hurting. The more opportunities you give kids and their families to learn and engage and get the education they need to make informed decisions, it always helps. It makes you feel you’re not overwhelmed or in over your head, you have a resource to reach out to.”

Even so, there are clinics, camps and workshops all year round for the kids to get involved in, such as the recent 307 Showmanship Clinic and a fitting clinic last week in Hulett.

“You can learn at least one trick every time you go to something. It’s ever-evolving and the trends change,” she says.

Life skills

The ethics taught by 4-H are timeless because the organization’s underlying purpose is to build life skills, Fleenor says. Showing a steer teaches myriad skills from cooperation, leadership and confidence to teamwork, thinking on your feet and presenting yourself in public.

“There are all these little life skills you might not even think about. Even critique is a life skill in that you’re learning how to deal with things, handle criticism and improve for next year,” she says.

Caring for a creature that depends on you for its survival means “livestock kids are very dependable,” she adds. Ellsbury agrees, noting that “They typically have a lot better life ethic” and become excellent employees.

Whatever the reason for an individual kid’s engagement with fair, it does tend to stick. 4-H kids come back year after year, says Fleenor, and say they find it rewarding.

“I’ve read a lot of articles on why [they come back]. It’s a family affair, this is some of the best family time and the best quality family time that you can get,” she says.

“You’re spending time with your kids or grandkids…Can a lot of people say they just spent an eight-hour day with their grandpa, helping them and getting one-on-one attention?”

A lot of parents and grandparents get stuck right in, she says, attending clinics and workshops to learn the basics so they can help their kids pursue projects.

“What’s so great is that these are hands-on programs. They’re not just talking to kids, they are empowering them to do their own work,” she says.

Fleenor is thrilled by the interest kids are once again taking in 4-H and fair; “I think it shows we’re doing something right,” she smiles. Most of all, though, she takes great pride in knowing that the kids of Crook County are setting high standards, are capable and competent and leave the fairgrounds each year with a whole new set of skills.