In just under 2 weeks, Recreation Park in Tomah will be filled with the sounds of farm life as the Monroe County Fair comes to town. The fair will be held July 22-26 and will mark the culmination of months of work, planning, and preparation for the members of the La Grange Tunnel Lites 4H Club.
Whether they are showing animals or have entries in one of the other categories, the club members have been spending weeks researching, testing, and refining their entries to make them as perfect as possible in the search for the ultimate goal – the Blue Ribbon.
Tunnel Lites 4H Club members Kylie and Rhiann Moake will be taking their goats, sheep, chickens, and pigs to this year's fair. Kylie has been a Tunnel Lite member for over 10 years and Rhiann over 5 years. They start in March working with the animals they will be taking to the fair to get them accustomed to being led around the ring and posing for the judges. It is not only the animal getting judged, but also the human. They want to show the judge that they can control their animal and that they can work together as a team to earn the highest honors: the Grand Champion and Showmanship awards. Once all judging is complete, approximately 80 animals, divided across all species, are selected for the fair auction. This auction is open to the public, and the proceeds help offset the costs that members incur in raising the animals.
There are some stressful moments in the week leading up to the fair: last-minute preparations, transporting the animals to the fairgrounds, and setting up the pens, but once that is done, both girls said they really enjoy fair week. Rhiann likes to see the smiles on the young kids as they walk through the barns and see all the animals up close. Kylie likes interacting with the public, answering their questions and educating them on what it takes to raise animals and bring them to the fair. But it isn't all work during the week. The girls do have some downtime between showings to enjoy other aspects of the fair, such as the carnival and hanging out with friends.
As you walk through the animal barns this year, see if you can spot the Golden Broom being displayed in any of the pens. This award is given to the club that keeps its area, pens, and enclosures the cleanest. A badge of honor and bragging rights between the clubs.
Prepping for the fair isn't the only part of being a 4H member. The Tunnel Lites Club members also participate in community service projects in the area, visit local senior centers to help residents, and, along with other county clubs, collect pop tabs to donate to the Ronald McDonald House in Madison. The Tunnel Lites won this year's friendly challenge by collecting 85 pounds of tabs. As a whole, the clubs collected 277 pounds of tabs, resulting in over $150 in donations.
La Grange Tunnel Lites is one of eleven 4H clubs in Monroe County. They have 50+ members from first grade through 1-year post-high school. They meet the second Sunday of the month at the Tomah American Legion. For more information, you can visit the Monroe County Extension office at – monroe.extension.wisc.edu – to learn how to become a member or volunteer with club activities.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here