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This weekend I went to the Iowa County Fair to take photos and visit with fair goers. As I walked the barns, something I really enjoy doing now at the fair, I remembered going to the fair as a kid.
As someone who wasn't in 4-H, I was all about the rides, the food and my friends. But as I get older, I realize the fair is so much more than that, especially to those who show or exhibit and their families.
I saw families hanging out in the barns together, playing card games and tending to their animals. They've all worked so hard to tend to these animals year round, preparing them for exhibition at the fair.
I saw a father and son team watering their cow and I imagined the father helping his son learn, teaching him how to raise cattle properly.
In another barn, I saw a young man laying in the hay with his cow. When I pointed my camera at him, he smiled and shied away. I smiled back and told him, 'fine' and spared him of the shot.
I also had the priviledge of speaking with someone who has lots of fair history in his family for the front page article. Edwin "Corny" James spoke fondly of the fair, remembering what it was like when he was a kid exhibiting and observing and what it was like watching his children and his grandchildren at the fair.
The fair is so much more than funnel cakes and hot dogs. So much more than riding the Zipper until you feel sick. It's the people and their projects that make it what it is.
I ask our readers to attend the Iowa County Fair next year and observe local kids at their best, learning, working hard and taking pride in everything they do. You all deserve a pat on the back for all your hard work!