Crawford County Fair

You can see my dad in the back with the green cap on which if your eyes are really good you can see it has a 4H clover on there. This stands for 4-H clubs. Each year my dad goes back to our hometown area to attend the Crawford County Fair and present the Ralph DeVillars award to the best 1st year girl and best 1st year boy in the 4-H clubs. They enter and show a cow into the fair but have to take care of that cow all year long. The girl and boy who won this year are in the front row. The others are also winners in dad's book. You see, he encourages previous winners to not give up being in the 4-H club so for those who continue each year he recognizes them also with a monetary award. This means a lot to my dad since he was in the 1st 4H club back 60 years ago to show a cow and there were only 3 boys back then. He informed my sisters and I that when he is gone, it is our job to continue this award and presentation. The fair was a highlight of our growing up on the farm each year. Ironically, none of us ever entered anything in the fair (cow, any animal, fruits, vegs, homemade clothes, quilts, etc.). My grandmother usually entered her garden produce, including flowers and won many a blue, red, or white ribbon.

My sister and I travelled back with dad this year (we don't always go, been 5 years since we had been there). We visited many relatives including an aunt who will be 99 this month. We always drive by the old farms (ours, grandparents, and great grandparents). We also visited with our youngest sister who lives in our old home town. She is the one in the light blue top.

It is fun to touch base with your roots, but I have definitely become a city girl (or rather suburbanite). My sister in the middle (who lives down here) and I were tip-toeing around the dairy barns at the fair, not only because it had rained and was muddy but for other reasons not so pleasant if you step in it and we had flip flops on! YIKES!!! We had a hard time with the smells also.

It was really fun though to spend this time with dad and see how much he enjoys it and what a huge impact he has on these young folks. He has been doing this for over 10 years and it seems everyone knows him. The parents expressed how much they are thankful for our dad and how he encourages and recognizes the kids. It made us proud!