The Herald Bulletin - 4-H Fair: Competitors prepare for 4-H Fair

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Pendleton Livestock 4-H Club member Mason Smith, 11, washes his Holstein Dairy Steer. 4-Hers began bringing their animals to the Madison Co. 4-H Fair Saturday.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

First year 4-H member Terra Weber, 9, holds her mixed Lionhead Rex Rabbit she will be showing at the fair as Ashton Gipson, 21, looks on. Weber is a member of the Markleville All-stars 4-H club, of which Gipson was a member for 10 years. 4-Hers began bringing their animals to the Madison Co. 4-H Fair Saturday.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Happy Helpers 4-H Club member Carley Davis, 10, brushes a calf she is showing at the fair. She shairs a stall with Dustin Parker,10, who has the brown calf. He is also a member of the Happy Helpers. 4-Hers began bringing their animals to the Madison Co. 4-H Fair Saturday.
Richard Sitler / The Herald Bulletin

Published July 19, 2008 10:26 pm -

4-H Fair: Competitors prepare for 4-H Fair

By Jessica Kerman

ALEXANDRIA—The Madison County fairgrounds was quiet aside from the squeals and ews of animals being weighed in on Saturday afternoon.

Participants in the 4-H Fair worked diligently to prepare stalls, groom animals and get everything ready for the opening of the fair today July 20.

Vaughn Bracken, 58, of Lapel, and his three grandchildren were working in the cattle barn on Saturday. Bracken finished installing large fans hooked to the stall frame as he talked about how the family prepares for the big week.

“We want to keep (the cattle) as comfortable as possible,” he said.

While the work seems like a lot, Bracken said he spends about two hours getting the stalls ready for the calves.

Two of Bracken’s grandchildren, Gabby McClintick, 7, and Brock Bracken, 8, will be participating in the mini 4-H contests today July 20. However, both said they were most excited for the rides.

The third, Madison McClintick, 9, will go on Tuesday as part of the regular 4-H competition.

“I’ve only missed one fair in 40 years,” Vaughn Bracken said, referring to a year he was in the U.S. Army.

The family will be some of the 1100 competitors in the 66th annual Madison County 4-H fair, said Beth Leonhard, one of the extension educators for 4-H.

For more than a week, staff members and more than 200 volunteers have been preparing the fairgrounds for the county fair. Between the 4-H staff and the Kiwanis, Leonhard said she expected everything to be ready this afternoon, when events start.