Creating more than Memories at the County Fair

This last weekend was a big one.  Four days of the Pierce County Fair, and showing chickens through 4-H.  Yes, showing chickens. The children had fun, but as they complete projects such as this, the hope is that they also learn a lot in the process.  

By raising livestock of any sort throughout a year children can learn many things.  They can learn how to care for a living animal, and in many cases, how to let them go.  Even with poultry that is raised for the purpose of providing eggs, the cycle of life teaches its many lessons.  As children raise their animals, there also may be opportunities to join 4-H or FFA in order to come alongside other youth in learning about the project that they are interested in.  This does not only include livestock, it includes food and nutrition, sewing, photography, gardening, environmental stewardship, performing arts, robotics, and more offered at least by the 4-H clubs throughout America.  The county fair in this case serves as a way to demonstrate and show what it is that the young people have been learning about, and working on throughout the year.

The Pierce County fair not only happens to be our local county fair, but the one that I grew up showing rabbits in myself.  Through showing at the fair, I learned responsibility, determination, self-confidence, friendship, and most of all how to learn from my mistakes.  Through helpful judges, and leaders, the 4-H and FFA members can learn what it is that they could do differently the next time. Using this information in order to become better was an important life skill for me to acquire.  The 4-H motto after all is to “Make the Best Better.”

As my own children return to the county fair, there are many life lessons that I hope that they learn as well.  Above all, I hope that they learn how to set goals for themselves, and learn how to achieve them. Right now my children show backyard chickens that were bought at feed stores.  One day, if they want to continue to do better, they may learn how to choose a good quality show bird, or breed them (which has a whole set of other skills that they could gain). Right now my children are just having fun, but even then through this last county fair, they have learned to work as a team, make friends, and to put themselves out there when it may be difficult to do so.  Just getting an animal or project ready is hard work, but then putting that project or themselves on display is brave in itself. Here is to all of the 4-H, FFA, and fair leaders that continue to encourage youth to put themselves out there, and then come back for more!