By Brigid Ehrmantraut
Tuesday saw the setting up of the San Juan County Fair.
With the exception of the horse 4-Hers, who went over on Saturday and Sunday, everyone from Shaw, Lopez, and Orcas (as well as a few from other islands who are part of these clubs) crowded onto the 10:00 ferry this morning. When you take into account that catching chickens, corralling steers, and loading up campers and trailers can be extremely time consuming, some people were starting at six or seven this morning and staying to decorate barns until ten in the evening! And the fair hasn’t even started yet!
Among the entries heading over were: Emily Reid’s ginormous cabbage (entered in the horticulture tent under oversized; yes in places it’s over three and a half feet across), numerous chickens, rabbits, and cavies (better known as guinea pigs), pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and any variants thereof I haven’t mentioned, still life ranging from jams and jellies to photographs to table settings, and almost anything else that you can imagine being judgeable.
4-H entries will be displayed in the main 4-H office (across from the food court) and in the animal projects’ respective barns/tents through out the fair. Open class still life work, horticulture entries (including that cabbage) and many informational booths will be in the main still life building directly ahead of you when you enter the fair grounds.
And of course rides and carnival games are on your right as you walk in (and hard to miss!). Open animals are on display in their respective barns along side the 4-H exhibits.
Wednesday morning at 9:00 am starts 4-H beef and swine showmanship. 10:00 am is 4-H rabbit and cavy showing. 4-H cat is at 2:00pm (and will be your only chance to see the cats as they will be going home that night). Horse showmanship will occur throughout the day. Horse gaming should start at 5:00 pm, and you won’t want to miss chicken/rabbit races throughout the day.
Don’t forget Saturday is the 4-H livestock auction! There will be eggs, trios of pullets, swine, steers, lambs, and maybe even some rabbits. Come support 4-H kids and animals! Come see the fair!
The San Juan County Fair opens tomorrow, Wednesday, Aug. 18 and runs through Saturday, Aug. 21.
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Excellent reasons to come to the county fair are cited in this article; others might be the fabric arts displays, sheep to shawl exhibit, the main exhibit building filled with the best efforts of county residents, vendors selling everything from hats to shoes, the ever popular fair food, and the opportunity to see the young people of the county at their very best with shining faces as they exhibit their animals and gather their ribbons.
I have been associated with 4-H for years as a volunteer. To me, the most important fruit is that there are no losers.. every participant is a winner.