Until Next Year

This years Henry County Fair was probably the best yet!! It's an event that I always love to go to because it's my hometown fair and brings back so many memories of my childhood, when I would ride the carnival rides or showing my general projects in the 4-H show. The results have been posted in the results tab of the blog.

I really enjoyed the experience of being the fair's first social media intern, creating a Twitter and Instagram page and blogging about some of the events that happened at this years fair and getting people excited for it beforehand. I learned a lot throughout the past week and hope you all have enjoyed keeping updated with the blog, as well as through Instagram and Twitter.


Here are some pictures from fair week

  

The 2015 Henry County Fair will be from June 23-28. Hope to see you all then!!!! 

Sleeping in the Barn

When all of the other fair attendees leave the fairgrounds there are some 4-Her's with livestock who stay to make sure they are properly taken care of and to keep other horses safe. Some stay in trailers, both others will sleep in the livestock barns. Ellie and Sarah Korthals have been showing horses for four years, Ellie has been staying overnight for three years while Sarah has been doing it all four.

"When you spend the night, you get to be with your horse to make sure nothing happens to them at night," says Ellie.
An example of something that could happen to the horses happened last year, a horse hit the gate and almost fell over horses could also get scarred of the halter and get scarred.
"If horses were to act up and no one was here, it would be pretty chaotic," says Ellie "most of the horses behave."
When nighttime comes around and the fairgrounds close for the night, the barn doors are locked and it gets really quite
"The only thing you can hear are the horses and the cars going by," says Ellie.

 It's also more convenient for Sarah and Ellie to stay over night because competitors wake up early to get their horses ready for competition and they would have to wake up even earlier to get to the fairgrounds. Ellie and Sarah's mom also stays at the fairgrounds in a trailer.

Their favorite part about staying at the fairground is it is considered a big sleepover and getting to be with your friends and horse. It's tough for them to decide on a least favorite part, but Sarah said it is getting to go to bed early when everyone is excited about competing the next day.

But staying overnight isn't always a fun experience. Adam Dynes,who shows both cattle and goats, stayed the night in the livestock barns for the first time last week at another fair when a really bad storm hit at four in the morning and the tornado sirens went off. Adam and the other competitors that were staying had to run for cover, but the storm passed and no one was hurt. He will even stay in the barns for three days at this years state fair. He's looking forward to it, but says it will probably get old by the time day three has come around. 

But overall everyone seems to enjoy the experience staying overnight at the fairgrounds.

"I enjoy it because your with your friends," says Ellie "Your already home for the rest of the year."

Be sure to catch the rest of the livestock shows, which will conclude tomorrow. 

Meet BLEND

From Left: Johnathan Estes, Adrian Fox, Aaron Chamness
and Nik Berry consist of BLEND. This is their second time
to the Henry County Fair

Nine years ago at John A Logan Community College in Southern Illinois, a talent competition was being held. The curriculum in the competition was to put together four people and songs from the 1950's in acappella. The band that won really didn't have a name but went by the name "The Do Oppers."  A former member of the group later decided on the name BLEND because all of how the members bring their voices together to create acappella music. The group consists of Aaron Chamness on tenor, Nik Berry on bass, Johnathan Estes on lead and Adrian Fox on baritone. Johnathan has been with BLEND for nine years, and is the only original member while Aaron has been with the group for four years, both Adrian and Nik have been with BLEND for a year.

BLEND sings acappella from original songs from both the 1950's and 1960's this is their second time at the Henry County Fair. Their favorite part of preforming is something all of the members agree on:

"Putting a smile on people's faces and making people happy" says Aaron.

Outside of preforming in multiple cities across Illinois and throughout the Midwest, Johnathan, Aaron, Adrian and Nik are just normal guys. Johnathan is a 4th grade teacher, Aaron works part-time at a local gas station, and Adrian and Nik work at a local restaurant in their hometown. They don't get asked to sing very much, except for Johnathan

"I have sang some spelling words for my 4th grade class" he says. 

You can catch BLEND for their final performances in the MEC tent tonight at 5 pm and 8 pm.        

Pageant Dance

Here are the dances that the Miss, Jr Miss and Little Miss did yesterday

Miss and Jr. Miss dance

Little Miss dance

Meet Gabe

Gabe Wand with his horse Powerful Madison
will compete in today's Harness Racing event 

Gabe Wand of Platteville, WI first got interested in harness racing when he was young.
"My dad has done it for 40+ years, I was born and raised right into it" he says.
He drove in his first race in a matinee at age 13, this week at the Henry County Fair will mark 20 years since that has happened. Like any racer, his favorite part about racing is winning, but he also likes training young horses and teaching them how to be a race horse. Training a horse for harness racing isn't easy, every horse is different and has a different, but intense, training program that could range from sprints to long distance training.
"It's a conditioning program, you train them like athletes" says Gabe.

Besides harness racing, Gabe is also the President of Wisconsin Harness Race Association and on the Board of Directors for the United States Trotting Association. His duties mostly include overseeing the organization but some of his other duties include contracting individual county fairs, provide guidance on how to run an effective race program, and to help create a marketing program to get people excited for and attend the harness racing events.

But today Gabe is just another racer. It is his first time at the Henry County Fair, along with his horse, Powerful Madison, who will race in the 9th of 11 races in her first race since last October. Gabe says she may be feeling a little "short," meaning she is in shape, but not as in shape as the other horses she is competing against, but she is ready for competition.
The harness racing will take place at noon today in the grandstand with Twitter providing live updates throughout the races.

Meet Darren

Darren with his car that he will compete in the
2014 Henry County Fair

The demolition derby is a family tradition in the Hutchinson household. Darren's father, Darrell, participated in the demo derby for 18 years. This fueled Darren's interest to one day participate in the derby and when his father stopped competing, Darren then took the wheel and has been participating for 19 years in the demo derby. Darren has won a few demo derby's at multiple fair in the year's he has participated.  

"When I was young my dad did it back in the day and I've always enjoyed it" says Darren. 

Safety has changed in the last 25 years of the demolition derby but also the availability of the cars. "The cars aren't as available as they used to be, there hard to find" says Darren.

Another big component of the demo derby that has changed is the number of competitors. Darren mentioned that when Darrell competed there used to be 100+ cars in a class that would come to the  Henry County Fair. Now if the demolition derby gets 20 in a class it's a pretty decent turn out. 

What makes the Henry County Fair special for Darren is that "hometown feeling." 

Darren will compete in the Open Wire Class at this
year's Henry County Fair

"It's a fun time of the year. My parents took me when I was really little and it's always something I look forward too" says Darren, "I always like doing the demo derby to support the hometown fair."

Darren will compete in the Open Wire Class this Saturday, his father will be in the stands cheering him on.

"He enjoys it, every year he comes to watch the derby" says Darren.

Twitter

Follow @henrycofair for live updates of the Open Barrow Show

Meet Ben

Ben Martens with one of his
cars for the Demo Derby

Ben Martens of Orion started helping his neighbor build cars when he was 14, this triggered his interest to take up the Demolition Derby. For the last four years he has been participating in the demo derby at the Henry County Fair, but unfortunately he hasn't won yet.

His favorite part is the adrenaline rush on competition day, "It's a blast going out on the track and hitting people just for fun and not having to worry about what you break."

He also mentioned that it is fun building the cars because it gives him and his friends an opportunity to hang out.
Building the car it takes a lot of time. After obtaining a car, all of the interior must be taken out and the car can be built after that. There are also certain rules and regulations that dictate how strong the car can be.

Ben Martens competes
in the Demo Derby

On competition day Ben is normally seen finishing up his car and in the early afternoon he will try to get it to the fair so it can be inspected. "That way I have a chance to relax and calm my nerves before the derby starts" he says.
His favorite memory is from the 2011 Henry County Demo Derby when him and his friends bought a car the night before and built it in less than 24 hours, his friend ended up winning the derby with that car. He hopes to one day share that same fate of winning the Henry County Fair Demo Derby.

Ben believes that the Henry County Fair is special because it's his "hometown" county and where great memories can be shared with good friends. Be sure to catch Ben competing in the Demo Derby on June 28th at 6:30 at the grandstand!

Friday Night Video Contest

You could win Eric Paslay tickets as well as meet and greet passes and a T-Shirt if you enter in the Henry County Fair's "Friday Night" Video Contest! The rules are simple, upload a 30 second video of how you do your "Friday Night" to the Henry County Fair Facebook page by June 20th (this Friday!). Judging criteria will be on Originality, Content, Use of Eric Paslay's Song "Friday Night,' Length, and Participant Interaction. The winner will be announced on June 21st, more rules are listed on the fair website. Good luck!!!! 

Meet Jill

Jill Darin has been showing her canning at the Henry County Fair
for seven years

Jill Darin of Geneseo enjoys practicing what some people call a lost art. "In some respects canning is a lost art. People are so busy that they find it difficult to find the time. But, I also know that more people having taken up canning or are willing to try it in the last few years." When she first got married, she wanted a garden and after her first year of gardening wanted to save some of her produce, so she gave canning a try. Even though she has won many awards at multiple fairs including sweepstakes and judges choice, her first time canning didn't go so well. "I wasn't too successful back then with making pickles, but canning whole tomatoes was a breeze and gave me confidence to keep trying."

She has been showing at the Henry County Fair for seven years winning in many different classes and divisions such as baking, fresh produce, amateur photography, antiques and collections and crocheted items. "Other than canning I LOVE to enter the pie category" she says. Her least favorite canning item is peaches because it is very time consuming to get all of the skins slipped off of them. The hardest thing to can is any recipe that involves habaneros, "I clean out the house when I do it" says Jill. Her favorite thing to can? Tomato soup. "It makes a cold winter's day enjoyable having a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of homemade tomato soup" she says.
Jill believes there are many benefits to canning because she knows what is and isn't in her food and can tailor to fit her family's tastes and canning is so much healthier as well as economical.

Jill's canning has won multiple awards
 including the Sweepstakes and Judges Choice Award 

Jill also points out that one common myth about canning is that canning is dangerous, adding that they thought of the can "exploding" scares people. But she also mentioned that news pressure canners have safety features on them to help prevent any dangerous situations.

What Jill enjoys most about the Henry County Fair is looking at the 4-H and Art Hall exhibits, saying it is wonderful to see everyone's hard work and when asked about the new classes at the HCF she mentioned that they haven't changed too much but maybe just got "a little more defined."

Be sure to check out Jill's canning and other exhibits over in the Art Hall throughout fairweek!

Guest Post-Katie Miller

Katie Miller of Cambridge has written a guest post about her experience showing cattle:

Katie Miller will show three heifers and a cow/calf pair
at this years Henry County Fair

Cattle have always interested me and have become my 

passion. My grandparents have a herd of commercial cows. They were my inspiration for becoming involved in the beef industry. My grandparents help me with my cattle and teach me many valuable lessons needed in order to raise my cattle. They helped me start my showing career by purchasing me my first bucket calf, Pandi, for 4-H. I had a great experience with Pandi that I decided I would continue showing bucket calves and someday steers and heifers. I have shown steers and heifers for 4 years now and enjoy every minute of it! We go to shows across Illinois. This year I have 3 heifers and a cow/calf pair to show.

Being involved in the beef industry has given me many opportunities. I served as a Henry County Beef Ambassador and worked to promote our county association and the industry. I also will be attending the IBA EDGE conference which will teach me how to advocate for the industry and ways to be more involved.

I have been busy preparing for the fair for months! I have walked and washed my calves many times to prepare them for the shows. It is a lot of work, but I truly enjoy every minute of it!

Harness Racing

If you like seeing horses run in circles really fast, the harness racing takes place on Wednesday June 25th at 1 p.m. in the grandstand. The classes that will race will be Trot- 2 yr, Trot- 3 yr, Pace- 2 yr and Pace- 3 yr. There will not be a rain date. Harness racing has a big history at the fair. When looking at Frances Johnston's scrapbooks there were numerous articles about harness racing and it was the main form of entertainment before World War II and also the earliest. During the first fair local farmers brought their horses and would race them. I always catch a glimpse of the practice runs and if I'm lucky sometimes the races. Of course we've all seen horse racing on TV, but I am amazed at the speed of the horses and it is more thrilling in person. This is a great event for the family.
If you are interested in entering, the entry fee is $100 and the maintenance fee is $20. Wood shavings are only to be used instead of straw and entries will be accepted between 7:30 and 10:00 a.m. 72 hours before the race. The stalls will be available on a first come first serve basis and have to be cleaned before leaving the fairgrounds.

Transportation to the Fair

If you need a ride to the Henry County Fair,  Henry County Public Transportation can get you there. HCPT is operated in Kewanee, IL and serves Henry, Stark, and western Bureau Counties. They operate seven 14 passenger vans, one 10 passenger van and three 5 passenger minivans that all have wheelchair lifts and are handicapped accessible.

According to their brochure, they provide rides by appointment only and must schedule at least 24 hours in advance. The rates that are: $1 per trip traveling within the same city limits in Henry, Stark, or western Bureau Counties, $2 per trip traveling outside of city limits beginning and ending within Henry, Stark, or western Bureau Counties and $5 per trip traveling outside of Henry, Stark, or western Bureau Counties, this one also includes $1 per transfer after the first trip within city limits.

You must also pay prior to service and provide the exact dollar amount. Hours of operation are 7 a.m.- 5 p.m. on Monday - Friday with nights and weekends available based on driver availability. The phone number is 309-854-RIDE (7433) rides can not be scheduling through the answering machine.

HCF Carnival Information

New this year new at the Henry County Fair a Mega Pass can be bought for $45 per person for unlimited rides all week long. The prices of armbands per person changes on certain dates throughout the week the prices are listed as following:

Tuesday 6-10 p.m. $15

Wednesday 6-10 p.m. $15

Thursday 1-5 and 6-10 p.m. $15

Friday 6-11 p.m. $20

Saturday 1-5 and 6-11 p.m. $20

Sunday 1-5 p.m. $15 

Individual tickets can also be bought, this year the rides and attractions will be provided by by Wilson Family Shows. Some of my favorite memories from the fair come from riding as many carnival rides as I could handle so let me ask to whoever is reading this how many can you handle? 

Meet Chelsea

Chelsea Vyncke competes in the ridden trail pattern
during the 2013 Equestrian Ambassador Contest

Chelsea Vyncke of Orion was crowned runner-up in 2012 for the Henry County Equestrian Ambassador contest, she ran again in 2013 and received the title of Henry County Equestrian Ambassador. "I have had a wonderful year of visiting with many people, attending equestrian-related functions, meeting new friends, and educating people about horses, as well as my title" she says of her experience. She first started showing horses in fun shows but in 2009 started showing horses for 4-H and has loved it ever since.

The preparation begins with practices scheduled in April with contestants riding their horses for an hour and then work on the halter. The preparation continues up until fair week, "the week before the show, I clean up my tack and get everything ready I will need for my horse and myself, the day before the show is spent tying up loose ends to prepare for the show, such as packing the trailer and bathing my horse." Her favorite part about showing horses is the friendships she has gained. "I have gained many life-long friends through 4-H and horse showing. I enjoy going to shows and competing against people I know, it makes the shows more fun" she says.

A typical day for Chelsea last year as an ambassador would start about mid-morning, with the exception of the horse show. She spent fair week preparing for and competing in the Equestrian Ambassador contest, attending the harness races, talent show and other grandstand events. Her 4-H club also worked the food stand and helping other 4-H competitors get their horse settled in the horse barn, and helping with the speed horse show and handing out awards during the 4-H fun show.

Chelsea Vyncke (left) with Miss Rodeo 2013 Cassandra Spivey,
at her send off party for Miss Rodeo America

One of her favorite memories is when she helped Miss Rodeo Illinois, Cassandra Spivey, with her coronation and send-off party for Miss Rodeo America. She has had the opportunity to meet famous horsemen such as Sharon Camarillo and Al Dunning and also meet famous trainers such as Chris Cox.
To Chelsea the Henry County Fair is special because of that "home town" feeling. "I've met many of my friends through the fair, and I know I have gained many life-long friends. It's a great fair with something for everyone."

Motors

There will be tons of "motor" events at the Henry County Fair to enjoy. Featured again this year is a tractor pull, truck pull, demo derby and flat track motorcycle racing, all of these events taking place in the grandstand.

As stated in my previous posts if a canned good item is brought on June 29th it is free admission in the grandstand for that day for the Flat Motorcycle Races. Practice starts at 9 a.m. with race time starting at 1:30 p.m.

The demolition derby will take place on Saturday June 28th at 6:30 p.m. and will feature classes such as 80 and Newer Wire, Open Wire and Weld Class. Pit passes are $20.00 per person. There will also be a bus demolition, which is always my favorite part of the whole derby. The car entry fee is $40.00 per car

The truck pull will be Wednesday, June 25th at 7 p.m. with 6500 Alt 4x4, Open Stock Pickup, 6800 Gas and 8000 Diesel. The tractor pull will be the next day also at 6:30 p.m. with pit passes also at $10.00 per person. The entry fee for the  truck pull is $20.00 per hook and the tractor pull is $20.00 which also includes one pit pass per tractor.

The excitement of the crowd combined with the roar of the motors makes for a great time of cars crashing into each other, tractors and truck pulling heavy weights for distance and motorcycles racing around in circles going as fast as they can. These are MUST SEE events.

Deadlines

Deadlines for the Henry County Fair for June 9th at 5 p.m. include the Pit Master Cook-Off, Cutest Baby Contest, Talent Show, and all Art and Livestock Departments. Entry forms are available online or in hard copy in the fairbook, be sure to mail or drop them off to the fair office 311 East North ST, Cambridge, IL PO Box 105 61238. The gate fun pass will increase to $25 after June 9th so get them soon! 315

Cutest Baby Contest

If you believe your newborn to 24 month old baby son/daughter, niece, nephew, cousin (the list goes on) is the cutest baby in Henry County you should enter them in the 2014 Cutest Baby Contest. To enter send a recent "8x10" photos with the appropriate forms to P.O. Box 105 Cambridge, IL 61238. Entries are due by June 9th or after the first 20 submit their photos.
The photos will be on display in the Merchants Building in the "Cutest Baby Contest" booth.
The contest will be held throughout fair week and the winners will be announced on that Sunday. Winners will receive a cash prize of $35 for 1st, $25 for 2nd and $15 for 3rd. Photos can be picked up on Monday June 30th at the fair office until 4 p.m. more rules are listed in the fair book.

Henry County Fair on Instagram

The Henry County Fair is now on Instagram! Follow henrycountyilfair

Guest Post - Olivia Goodley

 Olivia Goodley shares her experience as the 2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair Queen:

Olivia Goodley 2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair Queen

This past year as the 2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair has been very interesting and so much fun! It started with an exciting fair week and I got to pass out trophies and ribbons. We got to ride fun rides like the ROCK-O-PLANE and eat lots of yummy fair food.

I spent a lot of the summer going to other pageants and getting to be in parades. I took lots of pictures and made many memories with Lauren VanDeVelde, Lauren Matson and Kelli.  I also got to do some things with the runners up too. I loved spending time with Brooke and Caroline, Kiersten and Jolee, and Jordan and Molly.  They were awesome and made me laugh a lot!

In parades we got to throw out candy or just wave. There are all kinds of parades, and some are cold, some can be very hot or they can be perfect. Some are during the day and some at night when you can light up your cars.  

Other fair pageants are hot or cold, and even in gyms; the pageants that are in gyms are hot, hot, hot!!!

We went to state pageant, Queen Lauren did AWESOME. Me and Jr. Lauren got to share a room it was a blast. We even went to the pool.

We helped collect and deliver toys for the Toys for Tots program. I donated the bike I won at the pageant.  I hope some little girls is loving that now that it is warm out.  I also was lucky to get many new dresses from the mall and online.  Trivia night was tricky, tricky, tricky and very fun.

Throughout the whole year, my pageant director, Kelli took me, Lauren and Lauren to fun places together. It has been amazing!  I am looking forward to a few more parades and also crowning the new Little Miss Henry County Fair in June.  

Olivia Goodley

2013 Little Miss Henry County Fair

Family Fun on a Budget

It's not expensive to attend the Henry County Fair. There are plenty of budget friendly activities to do at this years Henry County Fair, most are free or low cost. Of course all the livestock shows and art hall exhibits are also free and Granpa Cratchet will perform teaching "Safety First" several times every day on the midway.

On Tuesday at 6 p.m. watch the Equestrian Ambassadors Contest held in the Horse arena and then catch the BLEND at 5 p.m. in the MEC Tent.
Wednesday has MIJA Hunter/Jumper Show at 8:30 a.m., Harness Racing at 1 p.m., the Talent Show at 5 p.m. and the BLEND at 8 p.m.
Thursday at 4 p.m. for a 25 cent entry fee you can enter the sunflower seed spitting contest then see the BLEND perform at 8 p.m.
Friday the 4-H Horse show will be at 9 a.m. in the Horse Arena.
Saturday is $1 entry fee for the bags tournament at 11 a.m. and also for the same entry fee is the kids and adult tractor pull at 1 p.m.
Sunday see the motorcycle race, the only entry fee to get into the grandstand that day is a canned good.

All this for a gate admission of $5.00 per person each day. Children ages 8 and under are always free. The thriftiest way to enjoy the fair is by purchasing a week's gate admissions fun pass for $22.00 if purchased before June 9th. Seniors 65 and older can purchase a fun pass for $15.00. These can all be purchased at the fair office by calling 309-937-3391 and at all Bank Orion locations.

Social Media/Blogging Assistant

With all of the events happening at the Henry County Fair I can't be in several places at once to report all of the exciting action! I am looking for at least one assistant to help report the activities for the Henry County Fair on June 24-29th.

 

Requirements are that they be able to commute to the fair grounds, be available during fair week, be at least in high school or college and know about Twitter, blogging and be "tech savvy." Owning a smart phone is not required, but helpful. Unfortunately,this will not be a paid position, however, it is a tremendous opportunity. If you are interested in this position email fairblogger1859@gmail.com

What it Takes to Show Cattle

Elissa with her Herford heifer, Velvet

Elissa Dynes, a seventh gradeer at Annawan Jr. High, is excited to show her Hereford Heifer, Velvet, at this years Henry County Fair. Elissa  showed cattle for the first time in 2012 and then took a year off from showing cattle last year. She originally purchased two exotic breed heifers from an online auction, for this years Henry County Fair, but neither of them worked out.

So in December, she purchased a Hereford heifer from a local breeder Matt Johnson. Elissa named her Velvet because reminded her of Red Velvet Cake. Velvet is a registered Herford, which means she is a purebred and has papers, similar to what a purebred dog may have.

Velvet is very well cared for, everyday she gets:  led, a balanced diet, brushed and hand watered. When it gets a little warmer, Velvet will also start to be washed. She will also have her hooves trimmed and be clipped for the fair, a kind of bovine pedicure.

Elissa brushes Velvet to prepare her for show 

In March, Elissa arranged Velvet to have her hair clipped. Hereford hair is EXTREMELY difficult to work with because it collects a lot of oil. So the winter hair is shaved to allow the new hair to grow in. Velvet is brushed about 30 minutes a day, every day.

Elissa hopes that Velvet will get a blue ribbon and after the fair Velvet will return home to be artificially inseminated by a purebred Hereford bull that Elissa picked out herself.
Next year Velvet will give birth to a calf and is to have Elissa hopes will show that calf in the 2016 Henry County Fair.

The Junior Beef Show is June 27th with the Open Beef Show the next day.

Volley for Alpha 1

If you and your friends like to play volleyball for a good cause, form a team and sign up for the Henry County Fair's 4th Annual Volley for Alpha-1 on Saturday June 28th at 1 p.m. in the infield. A team can consist of six people and it is optional to bring two substitutes. The entry fee is $120 per team, which also includes the cost of shirts for all of the team members and the winning team will win trophies for each member.

Mail all entries to 408 N. Main St. Cambridge, IL 61238. Entry deadlines are Sunday, June 1st.

All of the proceeds will be donated to the Alpha-1 Association, which provides awareness and education of Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, which is a genetic condition that can cause liver disease in children and lung and/or liver disease in adults. More information on Alpha -1 can be found at https://www.alpha1.org/  

Guest Post - Lauren Matson

Lauren Matson, has written a guest post on her experience as 2013 Jr Miss Henry County fair queen.

Lauren Matson
 Jr. Miss Henry County Fair 2013

Representing Henry County as the 2013 Jr. Miss this past year has truly been an amazing experience.  Although it has been packed with events, parades and pageants, I can hardly believe that my year is almost over. I will forever cherish the wonderful people I have met and the relationships I’ve made. If I had to pick, fair week would be my favorite. From sharing fun moments with my court to eating loads of fair food, it was a week I wish I could relive every day. Throughout the summer I attended many other pageants and parades with my Miss Lauren, Little Miss Olivia and pageant director Kelli. I was able to participate in the Younkers Community Days event to raise money for the pageant and Princess Academy, where I had the opportunity to meet young girls and teach them important life skills. At the end of the summer, Lauren and I attended the Illinois State Fair. This was a fun-filled day of meeting other county queens and again, we ate tons of fair food!  A highlight of my year was going to cheer on Queen Lauren with Olivia and many family and friends at the state pageant in January. It was quite an experience to watch as Lauren and 71 other fair queens competed in this amazing event. We could not be more proud of Lauren!  My last few months will include more parades, community service events and fundraisers, and our county pageant in June that is inching its way towards us. It will be a great night to watch all the young girls and ladies compete and crown the 2014 queens. Though my year is coming to a close, the memories will last forever as well as the friendships I’ve made with my queen sisters. I’ve been blessed to be able to enjoy such an experience! 

Pit-Masters Cook Off

If you have a great cook out recipe, you should enter in the Henry County Fair Pit Master's Cook-Off that will be held on Saturday June 28th. There are four classes, Poultry, Ribs, Pork Shoulder, and Chef's Choice and will be judged on three categories: Taste, Tenderness and Presentation.

The entry fee is $40 per class or $150 for all four classes. The rules in the fairbook state the following: The meat will be furnished except for the Chef's Choice Class but you must bring your own cooker, utensils and other equipment that you may need. After expenses, all money will be returned to the Chefs in the form of prize money for each division and the overall winner will receive a $500 bonus. Entries and fees are due by June 9th and other entries will be accepted the day of the show until the Fair Official deems them "closed." 

Meet Jaidyn

Jaidyn Miller is accomplished when it comes to showing hogs. She was the youngest person to win King Hog at the age of four. Now the thirteen year old seventh grader at Annawan Jr. High School, prefers showing crossbreads. But even after showing for nine years, she is undecided about what the best part of showing hogs is, "It's really hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to it would be when I first walk into the ring with my pig. The rush of the first impression feels amazing!"

Jaidyn Miller has won numerous awards from
showing hogs at the Henry County Fair

Once the weather turns nice, Jaidyn will walk her pigs about 2-3 laps each day and washes her pigs using a special livestock soap and soft brush. After a couple of washes, prolate is applied. She also makes sure she give them the nutrients they need, feeding her pigs a mix of steamed rolled oats with 18% Sunglo/Showmaster grower, mixed with
steamed rolled oats and any other supplements that are needed and makes sure they get proper shots.

When fair time arrives, Jaidyn gears up for a full day of work making sure her pigs are properly taken care of. A typical day will be for Jaidyn to wake up at 6 a.m. to go to arrive at the fairgrounds at 6:30 to feed and water the pigs and clean out the pens. After that, she heads to the mini doughnut stand for a quick bite to eat. In the afternoon, she checks the pigs' water and washes them and then takes some time off to hangout and enjoy the fairgrounds with her friends. At night, is the last time she feeds and waters her pigs and cleans out the pens. After checking to make sure the fans are working properly so pigs don't overheat, she heads home for the night around 9 and 10 p.m., but Jaidyn mentions when she isn't competing, her schedule is a bit different. 

"If it's the day of the show, I spend most of the day showing."

Jaidyn Miller shows one of her pigs at the Henry County Fair

She says the special part about the Henry County Fair is the family atmosphere. "

I feel like I have two families, my actual family and my fair-family. All the fair board members and volunteers do everything they can to make the fair 'family friendly,' and I think they do a great job of it!"

Be sure to take time to stop by the hog barn and check out Jaidyn's hogs!

The Quilt Challenge

One of the designated fat quarters that can be purchased
at the listed locations

This year will be the first annual Quilt Challenge to raise money for the Textile Department at the Henry County Fair. The rules are simple: Everyone has to use one of the 55 "fat quarters" cut from a selected bolt of fabric. This can be used to create a quilted or non-quilted item using any fabric of your choice that compliments the "fat quarter." But make sure a portion of designated fat quarter is embedded in the project.

Fat quarters can be purchased for $5 and can be found at the Quilt Box in Kewanee, The Village Smithy in Bishop Hill, Quilts in Bloom in Geneseo or by contacting Eva Dynes at 309-853-1321. The fat quarters will be available while they last. If item made is entered at the Henry County Fair all entry fees will apply. The project can be entered in the Department M1 (Textiles) in Class 1620 (Quilt Challenge Class). Premiums awarded for this class will be 1st $35.00, 2nd $15.00, 3rd $5.00.

Free Midway Entertainment

There is great free entertainment on the midway! Both kids and the young at heart will adore the fast paced, slapstick comedy show of Granpa Cratchet. There is tons of audience participation and lots of hugs for the kids after the show in Granpa Cratchet's "puppetmobile."

Granpa Cratchet has toured all over North America and has appeared on CBS, NBC, FOX and numerous radio shows. He will appear all week and the exact performance times will be available shortly. Check out this video below of Granpa Cratchet interacting with an audience member!  

Another must see show is Southern Illinois Premiere Acappella group BLEND. It is back by popular demand June 24th, 25th and 26th at 8 p.m. in the MEC Tent singing music from the 50's and 60's with "a twist of fun." These guys are unbelievable. Be sure not to miss this show!

Henry County Fair on Twitter

The Henry County Fair is now on Twitter! Follow @henrycofair

Fairbook Now Online

The Art Hall section of the 2014 fairbook can be found on this blog by clicking the fairbook top tab.

The Art Hall allows local artists an opportunity to showcase their work to the general public. The departments are:

Agriculture Products (which also includes vegetables)
Floriculture (plants)
Textiles (sewing and all types of needle work)
Fine Arts (art as well as photography)
Antiques and Collections
Culinary Baking (baking and canning)
Junior Show I (ages 8-12)
Junior Show II (ages 13-19)

Anyone can enter! The classes have been modernized by the new art hall superintendents Tamra Dynes and Eva Dynes, which just happens to be both my mother and sister respectively.

One of the cool new classes is found in the fine arts department under photography is "selfie." So if you or someone you know takes great selfies be sure to enter it in this years fair!

The complete fairbook should be in hard copy soon at local banks and businesses.

Eric Paslay

Rising country singer Eric Paslay will be coming to the Henry County Fair on June 27^th. Even though I’m not a country fan, my taste leans more towards Halestorm, I still am VERY excited for such a big performer coming to the Henry County Fair.

Paslay has performed on Good Morning America and Fox and Friends. He has opened for bands such as the Eli Young Band, Jake Owen and Little Big Town. He has co-written for other artists such as Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts. Below is one of his music videos for his hit song "Friday Night."

Tickets are on sale now, click here to go to the Henry County Fair website for more ticket information. Just think Woodhull native Missy Vail (who I will talk about in another post) and the rising star Eric Paslay! This is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of the country music’s greatest musicians at a local event so be there Friday Night (for real) Henry County because it’s going to be awesome!! 

Queen History

 1977 Miss Henry County Fair Queen
 (picture provided by Cambridge Public Library)

Believe it or not, the Henry County Queen Pageant has not been going on for 155 years. The first Miss Henry County Fair Pageant was held in 1960. Isn’t it ironic that the event most associated with a fair is one of the later events to be added to the fair program? Twenty-seven girls entered in the pageant and the winner received $200 cash, a trophy, three dozen roses and a diamond ring. The pageant was a success because it drew the largest fair crowd in many years.

 In the newspapers clipping found in Frances Johnston’s scrapbook it was noted that contestants should wear “closed toed” opera pump shoes, with no ankle straps. But it was not necessary that they be new. The preliminaries were held at the Cambridge Community Center with the four finalists selected would appear in front of the grandstand where the winner would be chosen. The article noted that each of the finalists would receive a pair of hose and a flower to hold at the crowning ceremony.  

The very first Henry County Fair Queen was Glenna Lee Moore, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gleen Moore, and was crowned by Governor William Statton. Ms. Moore went on to place 9^th at the Miss Illinois State Queen Contest. If anyone knows about Glenna’s whereabouts, have photos from that event, or memories they would like to share, please post it in the comments section.

Exhibitors

It is a common MYTH that only 4-H’ers can exhibit at the Henry County Fair. NOT TRUE! In reality there are three divisions at the fair: the 4-H fair, which I will discuss at greater length in another post, is just one.

 The other two divisions are called Open and Junior Open. The Open is for people of the world ages eight and up! The Junior Open is for people of the world who are less than 19 but older than eight as of September 1, 2013.

 The only difference is that 4-H’er has the opportunity to participate in all three divisions. People under 19 years of age may participate in only two divisions and us old folks over 19 in only one. All the information you need to know about the fair is in the fair book.

 There are many different departments (areas) in which to exhibit. Livestock is the most well-known. Cattle, hogs, horses, and sheep are shown throughout the week at the fair. But there are other lesser known departments also, such as Baking, Textiles, Floriculture, Hobbies, Antiques, and Fine Arts.

 To exhibit at the fair you must fill out an entry form found in the fair book and will be online at http://www.henrycountyfairil.com/. There will be an entry fee for each item exhibited. In addition, you will also be required to purchase an exhibitor’s pass, which will allow unlimited gate entry for the entire week.

The Art Hall

Most people come to the fair and sadly never take time to come the Art Exhibitor’s Hall. It’s too bad because you’ll find everything there: from pencil drawings to canned soup, quilts to radishes, dried flower arrangements to muffins. Best of all, everyone over 8 years old, is welcomed and in fact encouraged to compete. There is a chance you can get a ribbon and a premium!

The Art Hall allows exhibitors to release their inner “Martha.” In all seriousness, the Art Hall has several departments: Agricultural Products, Floriculture, Textiles, Fine Arts, Art and Photography, Antique Collections and Vintage Articles, Culinary, Baking, and two Junior Shows just for ages 8-13 and 13-19.

Then there are classes in each of the departments. Let me clarify.  For example, in 2012 I entered a two crusted Sweet Potato Pie that was exhibited in the Culinary Baking department, in the Two Crusted Pie class. To figure out the department and classes you will want to compete in, I will post each department and class in separate posts at a later time.

The recently appointed Exhibition Hall Superintendents Tamra and Eva Dynes, are trying to update some of the Art Hall portion of the fair. Some of the new classes will be a selfie, potted plants, and the oldest and/or most interesting item before 1930. To figure out the department and classes you will want to compete in, I will post each department and class in separate posts at a later date. The entire fair book should be online at http://www.henrycountyfairil.com/ around April 1st. If you desire a hard copy, the fair book will be available at local banks around Henry County about the same time.

Guest Post-Lauren VanDeVelde

Lauren VanDeVelde, has written a guest post about her experience as Miss Henry County 2013:

Lauren VanDeVelde-2013 Miss Henry County Fair

This past year as the 2013 Henry County Fair Queen has been an experience of a lifetime!  From meeting many great people to spending an entire week at the Henry County Fair, every moment has been amazing.  I grew up attending the fair every year but experiencing it as the queen has made me appreciate it so much more.  I spent fair week watching the livestock shows, handing out ribbons and trophies, riding rides, helping with grandstand events, and of course eating every type of fair food I could get my hands on!  After fair week, I spent the summer with my Jr Miss Lauren, Little Miss Olivia, and pageant director Kelli traveling to parades and other area pageants. We had a lot of fun continuing to eat fair food and watching local county queens be crowned.  At the end of summer we enjoyed County Fair Day at the State Fair. This was a fun day full of meeting other queens and exploring the state fair grounds and all it has to offer.  In the fall I was thrilled to help at various events in the county such as the Demo Derby Fundraiser for Jackie English, a trivia night to raise funds for the Braveheart Children’s Advocacy Center and collecting toys and then helping to distribute them for our area Toys for Needy Children Campaign.  Volunteering and helping people in need is always a great feeling!  I also spent a lot of time preparing to represent my county at the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen Pageant in January.  It was a weekend full of excitement and making many new friends. The support I felt from residents of Henry County and all of my family and friends was something I will never forget! The rest of my year will be filled with more community service, parades, and of course the pageant on the opening day of the Henry County Fair. I cannot wait to meet all of the beautiful girls competing for the title.  I’m sure the new queen will love every minute of it just as I did!  I would encourage any young woman to do this pageant.  It is really an awesome experience that will give you skills for your future such as interview and public speaking.  It also gives you the chance to make new friends, get more involved in your county and not to mention another chance to wear that pretty prom dress!

~Lauren VanDeVelde

2013 Miss Henry County Fair

Talent Contest

Do you have a talent? Singing, dancing, some type instrument, or part of dance troop perhaps? Then you will want to enter the Henry County Fair Talent Contest. Click here to go to the fair website and it will have the form available along with all the rules. Entries for the Jr. Division must be age 6, and have not reached past their 14th birthday as of the date of competition. Senior Division entries must be 15 years of age and not over 22 years of age as of the date of contest. Must sign a waiver (which is also included in the link above). No entry fee is required for participation, only the front gate entrance fee.

Everyone who enters will receive a participation ribbon. Entries that win first place in each division will win a cash prize of $50, a trophy and the opportunity to compete at the Illinois State Talent Contest in January. Second and third place will receive both a trophy and $30 and $20, respectively. A trophy will also be awarded for best costume.

. With all of the great talent we have here in Henry County I can’t wait to go this year. See you there!

More Henry County Fair History

This year the Henry County Fair is celebrating its 155th anniversary, but more information found about the fair dates back to 1853. If my math is correct the dates just don't compute.  I discovered it takes A LOT to cancel the Henry County Fair. Since the first fair in 1853 it has only been cancelled less than a hand full of times. It took a war, Civil War that is, a Great Depression and a cyclone. Just think the Olympics were cancelled because of both WW I and WW II, but not the Henry County Fair. It's the energizer bunny of fairs!

On July 6th, 1942 a gale force wind destroyed much of the fairground buildings, the damage wasn't able to be fixed in time and only the 4-H fair was held later that year.

In 1945 World War II came very close to cancelling the Henry County Fair. In that year, a permit needed to be obtained from the Office of Defense Transportation. Henry County applied for the permit but was turned down. The fair board proved it was a local event because eighty percent of the exhibitors were Henry County residents; the permit was then wired just days before the fair began.

So with this type of history, we can be confident that the Henry County Fair will be held for many years to come!

The History of the VERY first Henry County Fair

I went to the Cambridge Public Library to research the history of the Henry County Fair. The fair board has said that the fair scrapbooks complied by Frances Johnston were kept there. I walked in to the library, along with my mom who likes to just tag along, and asked the librarians for the fair archives for my blog. They looked puzzled, but they politely went upstairs and retrieved the large tubs, all ten of them, full of pamphlets, brochures, scrapbooks, memorabilia, newspaper articles and pictures. I was stunned by all the information that there was, so I got to work right away. The next three hours were a joy looking through the pictures, newspaper articles and other archives that described what the Henry County Fair was like. The oldest archives I found were dated 1915, but there was a lot of information that was on the first fair in later articles.

The Henry County Fair was first held on October 5th and 6th, 1853 on the courthouse lawns .The idea of the fair was to "stimulate commercial agricultural practices". The first premiums awarded were: 1st prize-$5, 2nd- $3, and 3rd place was worth the volume of a "Prairie Farmer” (Kazlowski, 1975). An article dated December 13th 1951 from the Cambridge Chronicle explains what the first county fair was like:

“The number of entries made was much greater than was expected, and nearly all of our prominent farmers and horticulturists were represented. The fair grounds and rooms were crowded with visitors both days, and we were pleased to see many strangers attracted by the exhibition. Among them were some of your Moline Manufactures”  (The Cambridge Chronicle, 1951).

I don’t know what was meant by the terms, “Prairie Farmer” for a third place finish or “Moline Manufactures”. If anybody knows, feel free to post it in the comments section.

The very first fair board included:

Frederick P. Brown-President

Sylvester Blish and Henry G. Griffin- Vice President

Thos. F. Davenport- Recording Secretary

Benj. Graham- Corresponding Secretary

Alfred W. Perry- Treasurer (The Cambridge Chronicle, 1951).

A special thank you to the Cambridge Public Library for providing the archives and information and an even more big thank you to the late Frances Johnston for keeping track of a piece of Henry County History.

Queen Contest

The entry form is now online for the Queen Contests. There are three categories: Little Miss for ages 5-7, Jr. Miss for those ages 12-14, and Miss Henry County Fair Queen for those ages 16-21 and cannot have reached their 22nd birthday before January 1st, 2015. We are fortunate to have a wonderful director such as Kelli Patton. Year after year she does a terrific job. I would encourage any interested girls to sign up for the pageant. Little Miss is full and both entries close on May 5^th. Jr. Miss may close earlier if 25 entries are received before the deadline. Click here for the link to the fair website it has both of the forms available.

I have always enjoyed the Queen Pageants, I participated in several when I was younger and was in the Henry County Little Miss Pageant (at least my mom says I did it I don't remember). Many people believe pageants these days have a negative stereotype, especially because reality shows portray pageant girls going to extremes to do anything for the crown. I find this stereotype to be totally untrue.

 I have participated in eight pageants in my life and never won once (the closest I got was first and second runner-up at local pageants). But even though I didn't win, the skills that I learned at an early age have lasted me a lifetime such as how to be confident, interview skills and how to lose gracefully. Unfortunately, I never learned how to master the walk-which is probably why I never won. I practiced for hours when I was younger and even to this day my mom says I still stomp like a Clydesdale, like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.

If you have a past fair queen, experience feel free to post in the comments section.

The History of County Fairs

This year The Henry County Fair runs from June 24-29th and will celebrate it's 155th anniversary, making it one of the oldest fairs in Illinois. Think about it 1859...before the automobile, the Civil War and even blogs!  Every county fair has its history, but I will to talk about the history of county fairs in general. My source comes from the Encyclopedia of Chicago.

In the United States, county fairs first started out in the early 1800's as a way to promote modern farming to the local people (County Fairs, 2005). So the original county fair resembled a modern day trade show. The first fairs in the United States started out in bigger cities and eventually moved to smaller towns, events at these fairs included plowing contests, livestock judging and exhibits on how to use new farming techniques and equipment. In the 1900's 4-H was organized to encourage younger children to get involved in county fairs. As time went on, other events of entertainment such as horse racing, bicycle races  and other forms of entertainment were added to the program. Firework displays soon replace evening lectures and other forms of agriculture education. While some fairs are still around, other have had to discontinue because financial difficulties of maintaining the land and the expense of obtaining world-class entertainment (County Fairs, 2005).

Fortunately the Henry County Fair has a dedicated group of individuals who volunteer and work hard to preserve the meaning of the fair and keep it running smoothly for everyone to enjoy.

 Sources

County Fairs. The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Copyright 2005. Date Retrieved 9 Mar 2014. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/345.html         

Beyond The Midway

The winter midway at the Henry County Fair along
 with the grandstand (right) and art hall (left)

What comes to mind you think about a county fair? Corn dogs, queen pageants and carnival rides perhaps? But a county fair is more than just that, it's about the meaning of agriculture and its importance. The purpose of this blog is to reveal the "hidden treasures" that make up the fair, beyond the mid-way. This blog will cover topics such as the people, the exhibits, the art hall, the livestock barns and events that define a county fair.

As for myself, I have many fond memories of the Henry County Fair. When I was little I would ride as many carnival rides as I could handle. When I was older and in 4-H I showed art projects and worked the 4-H food stand.  I was also a Henry County Beef Ambassador and handed out ribbons to the many award winning cattle. I hope to communicate the importance of the county fair to friends I have from the city who seem very puzzled by this whole phenomenon. My goal of this blog is to attract people who normally don't attend the fair and to get people aware and excited for it. Another thing I hope this blog accomplishes is to get more people to exhibit and inspire others to actively participate and attend county fairs.