The North Central Missouri Fair is in full swing in my normally quiet little town. We have a few other festivals throughout the year, but fair time, in my opinion, is always the highlight of the year. (Of course there is the fact that they sell cotton candy, which is perhaps my favorite food in the world.)
Anyway... There is a lot that goes into putting the fair together. Showing is a way of life for some families, and they work with their animals long before the regular fair-goer starts thinking about any carnival ride or corn dog. Miss Haley Kidd (pictured above and below with her Hampshire hog) is just one of the many kids who show livestock. As you can see below, showing develops a bond between the animal and its show-er, but it can also develop relationships among the kids. For Haley, her time and dedication paid off as she won the Showmanship Award for ages 8-11.
We all love to eat at the fair, but putting the FFA Cookshack, our fair's main food service and local FFA's major fundraiser of the year, together takes a lot of time and work too! It's been just a year since I spent nearly my whole fair week in the cookshack, and I must admit that while I didn't miss the stress of getting ready for it I have missed the busy atmosphere inside during a busy night.
There's nothing better than working together to accomplish a goal, in this case to provide quality and inexpensive food to fellow fair-goers and to earn enough money to help support the doings of the chapter. The lessons I've learned in the cookshack in previous years are numerous, but even though it was a learning experience many of my fondest memories come from inside those walls.
This year the fair has brought back some great memories and has given me some new ones. Everywhere I look this week I see the evidence of some great people who work hard doing what they love. This is the week for them to shine. This is the week that is the epitome of the life I love- hard work paid off and just enjoying life with friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment