The Yamhill County Fair is just around the corner. Next week in fact!

According to the experts, our county fairgrounds are the oldest in the state!

https://yamhillcountyfairs.com/

While there are many activities to look forward to, the 4-H fair is my favorite. My personal bias does come into play. I joined 4-H when I was 9 years old. At the time I lived in the San Diego area of Southern California. The Del Mar Fairgrounds was our summer destination to show the results of our efforts for the year. What a crazy experience in 1967!

4-H has six million members in the United States. I’m sure this group serves thousands of young people in Oregon. From Wednesday, August 2 to Saturday, August 5, hundreds of young people who have spent a year pouring their lives into either an animal to show at the fair or creating art, food, and fashion for the show, will display their hard work at the Yamhill County Fair. These young people are our country’s future. For those 4-H kids raising, sheep, cattle, and pigs, there is a livestock auction on Saturday, August 5th at around 12:30 pm.

During my first year as a 4-Her, I sold a lamb at the auction at the Del Mar County Fair. From the memories I have and those shared with me by my parents, I sobbed into the back of my wooly lamb while presenting her to the buyers as the auctioneer chanted to sell my lamb, Puffy. While I don’t remember the exact amount that I raised, I was told that I raised more money than anyone else that day. 4-H provides many opportunities for our young people today. Through 4‑H, over 6 million kids take on critical issues like community health inequities, engaging in civil discourse and advocating for inclusion. They have leadership programs as well. I’d encourage anyone with children to look for opportunities for growth through 4-H.

Lonestar has a catchy tune about county fairs, just to get us in the mood.

Judging pigs and judging pies
Fighting for the first-place prize
And have you seen this year’s queen?
4-H Club and F-F-A working toward a better day
And a petting zoo, yeah, they got that too
And eight o’clock rolls around, everybody knows
The grandstands open up and it’s time for the big showDown at the county fair
Big time, big top, big crowds, big hair
There’s nothing bigger
In small towns everywhere
Than the county fair
County fair
Yeah, county fair

Let’s all show up to support the young people of our county!