Supporting 4H at the County Fair

We are just 3 weeks away from our annual county fair! Most people love to visit for the food, nightly entertainment like tractor pulls, rodeos, school bus demo derby, and maybe even the rides! But if your local fair is like ours in Washington County, PA, it has a heavy agricultural setting as well.

History

Washington County Agricultural Fair is THE oldest fair in Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest fairs in the United States dating back to 1798! Washington County recently celebrated 225 years at the fair.

Joel grew up showing sheep and hogs for 4H and later FFA (Future Farmers of America) in high school, and now it is our children’s turn. We often get asked the purpose of having animals at the fair and why do the extra work, but most of all we get asked about the sale.

The Project Decision

As a young 4H member, they need to select a project, and the culmination of that project is presented at the county fair. They can choose from a wide variety of things such as sewing, robotics, gardening, or even a live animal of their choice.

We don’t require them to raise an animal for the fair, yet our oldest two children have decided this year to raise sheep as their 4H project. In choosing an animal to raise, they are solely responsible for the animals’ feeding and care, the children need to keep a record book of expenses, and ultimately they handle and work with their animal to be able to come before the expert judge in the show ring. They will work to earn Grand Champion in their class division, but the finale of their project isn’t until the sale on the last day of the week. After this (usually) emotional day, they are able to see if they have earned money, or lost money, Accounting 101.

The Sale

The sale of hundreds of animals would not be possible without the local community and local businesses. This year, on Saturday, August 22, the auctioneers will start the bidding on pigs, beef, and lamb. This is a tremendous opportunity to not only support the children and their efforts, but to be able to fill your family’s freezer for the coming months.

You can purchase an animal entirely for yourself, or you can coordinate with a friend or family member to split the animal (half a pig, half a beef, etc).

Register to Bid

If you are local and interested in purchasing an animal at the Washington County Fair, arrive before the start of the sale for the specific animal you are looking for and register at the Buyers Table, located in the corner of the arena. You will receive a buyers number and you can start bidding! The auctioneer and the ring men will take your bids, the cost will depend on the weight of the animal.

Did you know this way of purchasing an animal was possible? What questions do you have?