I decide to start sharing my thoughts on our Ohio county
fairs (
read why here) and I think I should start with what is normally my first
fair to go to each year. The first Saturday after the fourth of July, when it
is normally hot and rainy lots of 4-Hers and FFA members are in London, Ohio
moving into the
Madison County fair to start a week of fair shows and judging.
I am normally there on that Saturday evening helping taking livestock photos
during check-ins. I don’t live in Madison county any more, but it still fills
like home to me and I still like helping out when I can, taking part in open
class sometimes and even if I can’t help out I still have to be there at some
point in time each year.
Not very many people would describe the Madison County Fair
as great and overall it isn't. I am sad to say that, but if it wasn't my “home”
fair I wouldn't pay $7 to get in, because there is not much there aside from
the Jr. Fair (I will talk more on my thoughts of fair prices at another time). No
we don’t have the largest amount of livestock in the state, but I think we have
a good amount and the fact that all of what is there is Jr. Fair projects makes
it even better. What do I mean by that… they don’t “Fill” their barns with open
class animals staying all week to make it look like the fair has lots of animal
projects. A co-worker this year went to
the Madison County fair for the first time and said to me “There are very few
animals there, disappointed.” I thought really, wow I thought the animal
numbers looked up this year and way more than when I was in 4-H, I mean we have
a chick barn now, but then I thought you wouldn't know that if you hadn't been
there before and keep in mind it is just Jr. Fair livestock, not open class
too. Yes, they have open classes, but those animals don’t stay in the barn all
week unless they are Jr. Fair too (something that frustrates me about my now
home fair, but will talk more on that when I write about that fair).
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| Showman of Showman banners - picture from fair facebook |
Now you know it cost too much to get in, there isn’t much there,
but they have a good Jr. Fair program and Jr. Fair livestock participation… so
why is it great? Because they don’t have Grand Champion Animals for the Jr.
Fair market shows! Yep, lots of livestock friends just read that and gasped in
disbelief and others thought “good for them”.
Instead they have “Showman of Showman” awards for the top showman in
each livestock group and then an overall Grand Showman of Showman. To me this
is how it should be, yes the animal still has to meet certain criteria and
still has to be a good show animal, but what is more important in a Jr. Fair
show is how the youth did and what they
know! Not if they can afford to buy the top breading stock of animals! Now
for all of you that are shaking your heads in disbelief they do have some awards
for the animals, the beef have a “steer of the day” and the open class lamb and
hog show have champion jr. exhibitor and the breeding classes have champions.
But if you go to the Madison county fair that isn’t what is most talked about
or praised, the top Showman is the big award and deal. Growing up around this I
hadn’t given it much thought, until I moved out of the county and had some
people not from Madison county tell me they thought it was great that they
don’t have Grand Champion animals, then I thought you are right it is great.
Now that I go to many different fairs I see it for myself and hear the talk
about the grand champion winners, I am proud of Madison County!
What else is good about the Madison county fair, they are
trying to make it better.
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| My mom in 4-H in front of the old Quonset barn |
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| New show arena |
A long time staple at the Madison county fair were
the Quonset barns for the larger livestock and arena… being in those tin cans
in July heat with all the animals was horrible. A few years ago they took down
one section of the Quonset barns and put up a new cattle barn, very nice, but I
do miss having all the 4-H special interest projects on display together (not
the club booths). Than this year they took down the Quonset arena and other end
of that building and built a new one. They also announced they are going to
finally build a new hog barn, much more open and airy then the Quonset barn,
they are currently raising funds to do this and I can’t wait to see it happen. Also if you like to watch a truck or tractor
pull they put on some good ones at the fair (but you do have to pay extra for
them). For course there is fair food too, some of my favorites are Cappy’s
pizza, I think just because I ate so much of it at fair as a 4-Her, now days I
like to get a hamburger from Sheila’s stand and I am sure others have their
favorite foods they could tell about.
I have a family history at the Madison County fair, so it
will always be important and special to me and a part of my life, even if I
don’t live there anymore.
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My grandpa Dorn in 4-H in front of the grandstands
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| My grandparents at the Madison Co Fair, one of my fav. photos |
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