A “Fair” Time of Year
I missed out on something growing up. It was called 4-H. Sure, I had lots of great opportunities; track, color guard in the marching band, working after school for that much needed teenage income. But I think there’s something really special about kids who have the opportunity to be a part of the 4-H program. I never even knew what 4-H was until several of my fellow ag classmates in college provided a detailed 
explanation. Then, upon graduation I had the opportunity to volunteer with the Lancaster County 4-H program and get to know a really great person, Chet Hughes. Chet was on the extension staff (still is today), and would always say “I can’t believe you were never in 4-H!” Somehow, I missed the call out, I guess.
As I look back, it amazes me how close I sometimes came to a program I was never a part of as a youngster. My dad traveled a lot, but when he was home he often managed to find time for us to do fun things together – just me and dad. One day, he saw an ad for the Elizabethtown Fair in the paper and decided we should go check it out. As we headed up Route 283 towards Hershey, I excitedly noticed the tops of tents from the highway. We parked in a grassy field and took in all the fair had to offer – which in those days was not too much. There were other community fairs we visited such as Lampeter and New Holland. Many of these fairs had one thing in common: there were no rides, carnival games or admission fees. It was about good food, great people and…4-H. Sound familiar? It’s very much like the Whitley County 4-H Fair is today.
Back then, I was one of those wide-eyed “city kids” who didn’t know where to walk or stand. I vividly remember watching in awe as kids of all ages led their livestock to the show arena, wishing I could be in their shoes. I was clueless as to the work involved, the time commitment and the sacrifices made. One year I even had the opportunity to attend our state fair, The Pennsylvania Farm Show, with some neighbors. My parents never desired to go because (a) it was in January (b) the weather was usually very cold and snowy and (c) the crowds were unbelievable. Arriving at the Farm Show complex, I felt like I had entered a dream. For some reason, I was captivated by the sheep (good thing that didn’t last!) and I recall the wonderful taste of deep fried mushrooms with ranch dressing. My first job out of college involved working at the Farm Show the entire week. There were people who dreaded the crowds and tenure of the event, but I soaked up every minute of it.
Not much has changed for me. I absolutely love the Whitley County and Indiana State Fair. Several years ago, I was given the wonderful chance to assist with the Sale of Champions at the State Fair. Part of my duties required me to spend several nights down in Indy, but there were few overnight accommodations available. So, I used a cattle blower to inflate an air mattress and bedded down in the sheep barn (I keep coming back to this sheep thing, don’t I?). Although it was not the most desirable arrangements, I loved just being a part of it all. Dillon stayed with me one night, and we stayed up late playing games on the midway and woke up early to enjoy the quiet solitude of the fairgrounds before a busy day. That year, there were three kids from Whitley County in the Sale of Champions. That says so much about the quality of kids and livestock we have right here in our own backyard. It also demonstrates the hard work and talents of those kids and their families. And it’s not all about the livestock. Take a walk through the fairgrounds and you’ll see. There’s cake decorating, sewing, models, mini 4-H, adult show entries and much more. I recently heard Fair Board President Bill Leeuw say the Whitley County 4-H Fair is one of the few volunteer-only fairs in the state. From up on the hill out to the horse barns, volunteers are everywhere. There’s delicious homemade meals being served by various local organizations each night, pork chops by local pork producers on Sunday, and ice cream each day courtesy of dedicated concession stand workers. If there is one thing that makes our fair great, it is the people. I have noticed throughout the years of attending the fair that it’s a great networking opportunity, too. Where else in Whitley County can you see so many people in one place?!? It is a tribute to the fabric of our community. Dillon will start his 4-H career in two short years. He can’t wait. I, on the other hand, am a combination of scared, excited and clueless. My taste for competition combined with my slight ignorance of preparing livestock for show could be a lethal combination for the poor kid. I am going to try and leave most of the details up to Dillon and his dad (who was a very successful 10 year 4-H member) and just do what I am told. We have tested the waters this year with seven mini 4-H projects and a few open shows with pigs. It all seemed so easy back in February. Now the hard part is getting the work done without requiring a conflict management facilitator!
As I thought about this column, I asked for some input from others on what they thought about our 4-H fair. Because the responses were so great, I’m taking the liberty to extend my column this time to include them all:
Shawn Ellis, Director of Beds and Britches, Etc.:
4-H is an event that my kids have looked forward to EVERY year. Even as preschoolers, they always knew it came in July. 4-H is a safe, family function for our family. We live over on Chauncey Street, and it’s always great to hear the familiar sounds of the derby’s each night & the announcers. Whitley County’s 4-H is by far the greatest function in our county and surrounding counties at that.
Jacie Worrick, J & J Insurance:
I think some of my fondest memories are of state fair when I was in 4-H. My parents used to take us to the fair, deposit us at the dormitory on the fair grounds, give us $5 and say they would see us on show day. We would get up early, go around the track to the barns, feed – and they hoof it back to the dorm for breakfast. After breakfast it would then be back to the barns to take care of livestock, back to the dorm for lunch, and the same would be repeated for dinner.
The dorm doors were locked at 11:00 and you had better be back or someone would be out looking for you. Wow – has time changed things. My great uncle was a State Policeman and they were always privy to entertainment tickets. We would always get great seats for Ricky Nelson, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and lots of other “big names” that I can’t even remember. My brother and I showed steers at the state fair and I don’t ever remember standing above the middle of the class – but that wasn’t important. We kept going back just for the FUN of it.
When my girls started in 4-H, they showed sheep and I can remember many nights at mom and dad’s walking the lambs. It was a great time to just reflect on life in general. Regina showed horses and I remember many HOT shows. She always did all the work, so we just got to sit and watch. That experience launched her horse judging days which eventually paid her entire college tuitions. My girls will tell you they also have a few bad memories of 4-H projects. They remember how we would LOCK ourselves in the house the week before fair so we could get all the “hill” projects done. That last week was always a killer. Over the years our family has invested a lot of time and money in the 4-H program and I do not regret one minute or one dollar.
Janet Hindbaugh, Purdue Extension Office:
Having three kids who were 10-year 4-H members was challenging at times, but it created good family times together. There were a lot of memories created in 14 years of 4-H involvement. Ron and I still serve as chairs of the Sunday evening shift in the concession stands. Most of the 4-H families are the best people to have lifelong friendships with and it is fun to reminisce each year. Our granddaughter will start 4-H in a couple of years and then the rest of the grandchildren will follow – so we will be off and running again to complete another generation of 4-H. I feel that 4-H impacts kids lives so much and enables them to become more well rounded citizens of the future!!
Sonya Rubrake, Passages:
I didn't have animals when I was in 4-H...we were never farmers! However, I always enjoyed that aspect of the fair. My friends, who were dairy farmers, would "let" me walk their calves/cows to get water and clean up their stalls. That was how I got my "farmer" fix!
Janelle Burnworth, Dairy Steer Leader:
One year the day the cattle were to go in, the kids dairy heifers got out and one jumped in the pool, leaving several holes in the solar blanket and cow pies in the pool. Needless to say she didn't have to have a bath before going to the fair. We were very glad their Dad was at work that day.
The year Chad (my son) had his learner's permit, we had a dually 4 door pickup, it had rained and was very muddy at the fairgrounds, he pulled off the drive by the sheep barn to go around trucks and trailers and got stuck in the mud. We had to unload all the cattle on the trailer to get out.
When I was in 4-H we were very careful to make sure none of our animals had any spots on manure on them when my Dad showed up after chores or we were in big trouble. So we were very careful to watch for all the piles and clean them up quickly. I always tried to get lost at chore time, so I didn't have to go home and do chores and could stay at the fair. One great memories was the 1st of 2 years I got Grand Champion Holstein. I also got Reserve Junior Champion that year at the State Fair.
In 1994 Michelle (my daughter) won Grand Champion Feeder Calf and Dairy Steer in the same year. I think that was the only time the same person won both in the same year. This is my last year on an advisory board or leader, after 25 years of being either Dairy Leader, Dairy Steer Feeder Calf Leader I was both for 2 year or on the advisory board. I started the 2nd year Chad was in 4-H.
This year I have 2 grandkids in. Many, many great memories.
Deanna Kissinger, Northeastern REMC and current 4-H Mom of two:
The 4-H Fair is Fun….it is Friendships….but most of all….it is Family.
Thank you, Deanna, for summing it up so well. And thanks to everyone who provided such great memories. Pre-fair events have already started, and the Whitley County 4-H Fair starts this Friday. Take a moment to visit the fair, watch a 4-H’er show, enjoy some great food and thank a volunteer.
Kelley Sheiss and her husband, Donnie, are the proud parents of a son, Dillon, and operate a family farm in Etna Troy Township. She is the executive director of Leadership Whitley County, enjoys volunteering for many local organizations and cooks a mean pot of chili.