Hunterdon 4-H and AgriculturalmFair August 20-24, 2008
I attended the opening night of the Hunterdon County 4-H and Agricultural Fair and had a lot of fun.
There were more than 1,000 animals including pigs, dairy and beef cattle, rabbits, chickens, ducks, pigeons, sheep, goats, llamas, dogs, and others. Children were the caretakers of most of the animals and they were fearless. They kept the pens spotless, too. It was a treat to see how attentive the boys and girls were of their entries in the animal competitions on display at the fair.
There were many shows through the day. I saw a dog competition, an informational goat show where the owners of various breeds discussed the attributes of the breed of their pet, and others.
Most of the animals were naked or in their natural state, but most of the sheep were covered in a Cotton pillow case type of garmet I guess to help keep their wool from picking up pieces of straw.
The llamas were very friendly. Some people may trade in their guard dogs for guard llamas.
There were several high school young lady contest winners wearing their banners and discussing how they won their awards.
While I was impressed with everything, the pig races were the most memorable. If you never saw a pig race you should. They are so fast and funny. The host brought several children into the show and he had a very funny dialogue including wild and crazy names for each pig.
They displayed heavy equipment including modern and antique tractors. The displayers were so friendly they would ask each person to ask them questions about the equipment. There was equipment that I had no idea was available such as a tree planter truck that could not only hoist a several ton tree but dig the hole for it to be placed in.
There was a huge tent with hundreds of small displays of fruits and vegetables. At first thought I thought they were all artificial but at closer examination they were all fresh. In competition there were usually several displays of the same variety and first place, second place, and third place ribbons were applied appropriately. There were many varieties of honey with ribbons also.
There are many food vendors where everyone can find something to munch on or drink. The amusement rides are relatively inexpensive because they bundled them by selling wristbands for several hours worth of rides.
The fair was spread out all within easy walking distance, permanent buildings like the display barns, and the tents and trailers of the vendors. There are many adequate places to sit and rest. I was impressed by the number of sinks to wash hands especially after petting some of the animals.
We spent more than 6 hours at the fair and did not even ride the amusements. We had a big lunch and drove down route 22 to route 202 south and we arrived at the fair in less than an hour. We brought soda to drink in the car and water to carry as well as oranges and apples to snack on. All it cost us was $10 parking fee and we splurged on small soft serve ice cream cones at $3.00 each. We stopped for small coffees and bathroom breaks halfway home in Flemington. We had a small late dinner when we got home.
All in all it was a wonderful fun experience. I recommend attending the fair or another similar fair in your area this year. The children and their parents all deserve applause for all of their efforts. I had no idea that 4-H and agriculture were so alive and well in New Jersey.
There were more than 1,000 animals including pigs, dairy and beef cattle, rabbits, chickens, ducks, pigeons, sheep, goats, llamas, dogs, and others. Children were the caretakers of most of the animals and they were fearless. They kept the pens spotless, too. It was a treat to see how attentive the boys and girls were of their entries in the animal competitions on display at the fair.
There were many shows through the day. I saw a dog competition, an informational goat show where the owners of various breeds discussed the attributes of the breed of their pet, and others.
Most of the animals were naked or in their natural state, but most of the sheep were covered in a Cotton pillow case type of garmet I guess to help keep their wool from picking up pieces of straw.
The llamas were very friendly. Some people may trade in their guard dogs for guard llamas.
There were several high school young lady contest winners wearing their banners and discussing how they won their awards.
While I was impressed with everything, the pig races were the most memorable. If you never saw a pig race you should. They are so fast and funny. The host brought several children into the show and he had a very funny dialogue including wild and crazy names for each pig.
They displayed heavy equipment including modern and antique tractors. The displayers were so friendly they would ask each person to ask them questions about the equipment. There was equipment that I had no idea was available such as a tree planter truck that could not only hoist a several ton tree but dig the hole for it to be placed in.
There was a huge tent with hundreds of small displays of fruits and vegetables. At first thought I thought they were all artificial but at closer examination they were all fresh. In competition there were usually several displays of the same variety and first place, second place, and third place ribbons were applied appropriately. There were many varieties of honey with ribbons also.
There are many food vendors where everyone can find something to munch on or drink. The amusement rides are relatively inexpensive because they bundled them by selling wristbands for several hours worth of rides.
The fair was spread out all within easy walking distance, permanent buildings like the display barns, and the tents and trailers of the vendors. There are many adequate places to sit and rest. I was impressed by the number of sinks to wash hands especially after petting some of the animals.
We spent more than 6 hours at the fair and did not even ride the amusements. We had a big lunch and drove down route 22 to route 202 south and we arrived at the fair in less than an hour. We brought soda to drink in the car and water to carry as well as oranges and apples to snack on. All it cost us was $10 parking fee and we splurged on small soft serve ice cream cones at $3.00 each. We stopped for small coffees and bathroom breaks halfway home in Flemington. We had a small late dinner when we got home.
All in all it was a wonderful fun experience. I recommend attending the fair or another similar fair in your area this year. The children and their parents all deserve applause for all of their efforts. I had no idea that 4-H and agriculture were so alive and well in New Jersey.
posted by God Bless America - Bob at 11:54 AM
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