At the County Fair: The Barn Area: Building Character and Nurturing Youth
By Hope Cather
While you’re at the Clarke County Fair, be sure to visit The Barn Area. Good things abound there: Good times for the over 150 exhibitors; good vibes for exhibitors, volunteers, and families; and —very important to us all — good news for the future of our community youth can be seen there. The Ruritan Fairgrounds’ barn area is home to the largest interactive educational program in
our county.
People unfamiliar with how the barn area is set up to work think it’s only a place where farm children show their farm animals. In Clarke County, the barn area is so much more than that. Community children between the ages of 4 and 19 are welcomed by Ruritan, 4-H, and Future Farmers of America volunteers to learn about responsibility, integrity, and the rewards that come from hard work. They are encouraged to find out for themselves what 4-H or FFA projects interest them, and then supported in their efforts to excel in them. Winning is only a byproduct of their efforts; strength of character is the Ruritan Club’s goal for them.
Their efforts do not start on the first day of the fair. Many months before the fair, our local 4-H/FFA advisors and volunteers guide their members on how they should start their project and work through it. The Ruritans support all of the exhibitors and volunteers by offering our fairgrounds as a supportive area for meetings, fundraisers, and educational programs. All of the events are geared towards including our community in their journey. Once their months of preparation are completed, the main event starts happening.
By June of each year, all project animals and exhibitors have been registered for the fair. Emails are sent explaining guidelines and requirements. These include: the project must be under the constant care of the exhibitor; marketing of their projects must take place in a timely manner; and volunteer hours must be worked before showing their animals. If participating in one of the non-market animal ownership programs, regular visits to Harvue Dairy, special attention to the particulars of being a good equestrian, or practices with their Dairy Goat mentor must be implemented. Their months of work are then rewarded with a week at
the fair!
Their first day of at fair is full of cleaning, setting up, meetings to plan the week’s schedule, and meeting up with all of their friends to spend a week together in the barn area. Many volunteers are right there with the exhibitors offering guidance and support. The week is full of bringing their animals into the ring to showcase both their exhibitor skills and their
projects’ excellence.
Of special importance are the many fun and educational events throughout the week. All of this culminates in the large auction on Friday night. Here the market animals are auctioned off with the proceeds going directly back to the exhibitor. These funds are often used to finance their future projects, much like a small farm business. At the end of the exhibitors’ show years, their accumulated “wealth” can be used for college, starting their own business, or giving them a leg up to start their adult life.
There you have it! That barn area that has been the center of the Ruritan Fair for years is not just where you can go see the animals. It’s also about a community agricultural education program that builds character in our future citizens, encouraging them to value hard work and to volunteer in their community as adults.
Come visit The Barn Area!
For more details and information about how you can support this wonderful program or to meet us for a tour any time of the year; feel free to email us at president@ccruritanclub.org.
