Get Your Kids Involved in the Local Fair
By Shana Rosenbaum
Their boots are dusty, hands are dirty. They are sore from lugging buckets of water. Perhaps they’re still humming with the excitement of winning a blue ribbon. This child is excited to display their mastery of often overlooked practical skills. Parents have the critical role of teaching their children the value of hard work, responsibility, and independence, but real-world opportunities to apply them are dwindling. One of the few remaining places where children can engage in traditional activities such as preserving food and raising animals alongside a community of peers is the local fair.
Recently, there has been negative media focus on the youngest generation. These so-called “iPad kids,” primarily raised by Millennials, are often criticized for being over-stimulated, under-disciplined, and poorly behaved. Whether these annoying youngsters compose the majority is up for debate, but, regardless, their behavior can be tied to their tech-centric upbringing. As Gen Z starts to have children, they have the opportunity to flip the script and impart principles of self-sufficiency and respect on their kids. Rather than place them in front of screens and toxic digital realms, these parents should take their children to the local fair.
My passion on the matter stems from personal experience. During my fair days, I entered “still” (non-living: think of a sewing project) exhibits in elementary school, and a horse throughout middle and high school. Many of my friends entered chickens, sheep, goats and cows – there was even a category for llamas! For us, the fair was the culmination of months of effort and planning. It was a time to prove that you could be trusted to initiate and nurture a special project. It was a defining point of my childhood. I am grateful to my parents for giving me the freedom to develop goals, prepare entries, and exhibit on my own terms.
Although many hear the word “fair” and picture massive productions such as the Texas or Minnesota state fairs, which draw millions of visitors, you probably have a smaller scale local fair near you. They come with different names and slightly different compositions, but a few you may run into are “county,” “youth,” and “4-H” fairs, all of which typically allow children to enter animals and home economics projects. In a culture that often dismisses household and agricultural skills, the local fair remains a massive proponent. Although many of the youth exhibitors are members of clubs such as 4-H or FFA (Future Farmers of America), fairs often allow independent, nonaffiliated exhibitors as well.
The responsibility of taking an animal to a fair begins far before the week of showing — reaching the ring requires months or even years of hard work. Children first have to plan what animals they want to exhibit well in advance, then care for and train them.
All people benefit from having a purpose in life. Being responsible for an animal’s wellbeing and preparing them to be judged can give kids a purpose, generating healthy confidence and pride. Becoming the primary caregiver of a living creature is incredibly beneficial for a child's emotional development.
Taking an animal to a fair also brings many other advantages. For example, maintaining composure when the animal a child has worked with all summer inevitably acts up in front of judges helps to teach emotional regulation when reality deviates from a plan. When selling a market animal, children receive a sizable sum of money that can be used to teach financial responsibility if they save or invest it. After the livestock is sold, the “sellers” typically write thank-you letters to the “buyers,” expressing their gratitude and explaining what they will do with the money. This helps children learn how to form business relationships, develop professional connections, and manage money.
While the biggest and most labor intensive fair projects live and breathe, there are still opportunities for children who are not in the position to raise an animal. There are often categories for things produced within the home and garden, and for other special skills that require hand crafting. If you live in an urban area and lack the space for pigs and chickens, you can still connect with your child by teaching them to sew a dress, or perfect an apple pie. Working on a valuable, lifelong skill together is made all the more exciting by the prospect of showing off the fruits of their labor. I still have and use the apron I sewed and entered in my local fair – under my mother’s guidance – at age eight!
The vast majority of things that may be entered at a fair require important skills with industrial value. Even as many schools no longer offer home economics courses, fairs continue to have categories for preserved food, baked goods, garden produce, and sewing projects. Preparing these products to be judged offers a priceless opportunity to develop knowledge and confidence that many children lack. A recent college graduate, I cannot overstate how many of my peers were surprised at my ability to bake a pie and mend clothing – things that I was taught by my mother, and motivated to perfect by the idea of winning a prize.
A recurring theme in many articles on parenting is the importance of creating an environment where children can try, fail, and make decisions for themselves. While this can be achieved to some extent in the home or through extracurricular activities, preparing for the local fair can be a family project in which the child truly takes the lead. Decisions must be made, deadlines met, and judgements accepted. As exhibitors often participate many years in a row, the mistakes made at fairs teach valuable lessons for the next ones.
While not yet a parent myself, I am glad local fairs exist as a space where my future children will be able to put in hard work and see the results. In 2024, few environments remain that enthusiastically promote traditional skills such as cooking, sewing, and animal husbandry. We should promote and ensure the survival of organizations that promote these essential skills in our children. As a former fair kid, I assure you that the confidence, knowledge, and work ethic that I gained from the experience continues to pay dividends today.
Shana Rosenbaum is a recent graduate of Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame and works as a financial analyst. When not crunching numbers, she enjoys cooking and spending time outdoors.
