Fair Fun Times

Lots of fun times were had at the county fair.  This is a glimpse into some of those fun times. 

Eden is hanging out on a show box while Ephraim tends to his heifer. 

She is already anxious for her turn to be in 4-H. 

We packed several of our meals throughout the week.  This particular day, we ate in the grass while the bottle calves had some time together. 

There were some free kids' activities on the fairgrounds.  Here are some pumpers for duck races. 

Takin' care of their calves. 

On our way to wash the calves. 

Everyone gets a bath.  Maybe even the kiddos, too. 

The kiddos and their cousins had a fun time with a spider and a fly on some thread.  They would try to scare some of the people passing through the barn.  They had a great time doing this. 

 

Oh, there was this coloring contest.  We weren't going to do it but friends and cousins were also participating.  And then we came away with some prizes. 

 

Eliza brought home 1st place in her age group.  She got a trophy, Frisbee and a shirt. 

Emmet took 3rd place in his age bracket and got a Frisbee. 

And Ephraim got 3rd place as well and got a Frisbee. 

Oh, this was a hard lesson to learn.  God gives all of us different gifts.  And the awards were based on two judges' opinions at that point in time.  Prizes were shared and that helped but she's determined to get a trophy from a contest, any contest. 

 

Working Exhibit

Ephraim and his friend Tyler did a Working Exhibit at the county fair.  A working exhibit is where you help the audience create a make and take craft or snack.  They opted to do a "make and donate" craft and used Sole Hope as their mission organization.  We had the shoe pieces cut out ahead of time and the audience would be doing the decorating.  They had markers and ribbon for decorating options.  The boys would be judged on how well they explained their craft, how well they walked the audience through completing their craft and how well they knew their craft. 

Here they are with their posters and the shoe pieces all ready to go.

Children and adults come up to the table, see what the craft is and then ask to make one.  The boys walked them through the process of decorating two shoe pieces.  Once the shoe pieces were decorated, they went home with a small postcard about Sole Hope and a sticker that said they helped a child in Uganda. 

That's the judge watching them. 

After their time with the working exhibit, they have conference judging with the judge and a pair of peer judges. 

The boys did great and got 2nd place for Junior Working Exhibits.  They did a great job for their first year in this project. 

I think they enjoyed this event and learned a lot in the process.  It was also nice that they were able to spread the word about Sole Hope!

 

Poultry Quiz-Educational Presentation

Ephraim had prepared a "Poultry Quiz" to give during the Education Presentation competition at the county fair.  His quiz consisted of information on 6 breeds of chickens and then there was a brief quiz afterwards with Easter egg prizes. 

 

His set up was simple with a sign, photos of our birds and the stuffed chicken and egg basket were won earlier in the day at the Birdless Bird Show. 

Visiting with the judge afterwards. 

Getting his ribbon and trophy--1st Place Junior Educational Presentation!

And he got selected for State Fair!

Great job on your first Educational Presentation! 

Chore time at the County Fair

With multiple animals at the fair, there are always chores to do.  The children didn't mind the extra work at all and didn't need any reminders to take care of their responsibilities. 

 

Ephraim beside Zippy's bottle calf pen. 

Zippy with clean bedding, water and feed.  Zippy was a little unsure of her surroundings and had to be on the halter.  We think she missed the buddies she was used to having at home.  Zippy even tried to jump out. 

Emmet is scooping manure from Rodeo's pen. 

Taking care of Rodeo. 

Eden and Eliza with Olivia and Delilah's pen.  They shared a pen since there more animals than pens.  Neither the girls nor the calves minded.  We made up simple photo boards of the girls with their calves and had a simple banner overhead with the calves' names. 

Taking the calves for a walk and a little sunshine. 

Brushing them clean. 

Time to go back to the pens. 

Thumbs up from Eden with Olivia. 

The children recently got engraved belts from a leather shop in Ankeny. 

Taking care of Flare in the beef barn.  At the end of the fair, Ephraim would win the Herdsmanship award for taking care of Flare and keeping his area tidy. 

 

Lots of chores but lots of fun.