Over time, we have created an abundance of wonderful festivals, chautauquas and holiday celebrations here on Whidbey.
Each highlight some aspect of our island life, and all offer our community the chance to come together for a moment and remember why we choose to live here. All require massive quantities of time and energy to plan, implement and clean up after, occasionally utilizing paid staff, but relying heavily on the bodies and souls of volunteers. And all add to the backdrop of culture and entertainment that draws visitors to our towns.
In the midst of all these events, the Island County Fair stands out. Not because of the midway — yes, it’s fun, but other festivals offer similar kinds of food and amusement. Not really because of the duration of the event — at four days, it may technically be the longest, but others are getting closer and closer to such length.
What makes the Island County Fair different is that it prominently features the efforts of our youths.
No other festival or celebration relies on the extended volunteer efforts of kids (ages 5 to 19) and their families. These kids work from October to August to prepare their various projects, but they also clean, repair and decorate the barns in which they will show off those projects.
They begin setting up the Tuesday before the fair, and most of them will not leave the fairgrounds until Sunday evening. And once everything is set up, they take turns standing “barn duty” to greet the public, maintain the safety and well-being of their project animals, answer questions and describe upcoming events.
It’s great fun — for most the fair will create wonderful memories they will never forget.
But it is more than fun. It is meaningful. In bringing their art, photography, cooking, needlework and animal projects to the event, they make our community stronger. They effectively challenge us to recognize the abilities and talents of the next generation,
Coming from an unbelievably varied set of family circumstances, value systems and socio-economic backgrounds, these kids find ways to work together as a team. Sleep-deprived and working on a mostly sugar-based diet, they remain positive and friendly (for the most part) when engaging the public that has come to watch their events. Hoping to hear that they have succeeded with their projects, they listen intently to judges who will evaluate all aspects of their performance, making sure to smile and thank those judges for whatever feedback they receive.
Each day of the fair, they will wake up excited to do all of this, and go to sleep in the campgrounds each night dreaming of how they’re going to do it better the next day. What a great example for us, the so-called adults of Whidbey Island!
Yes, the Island County Fair is special. We hope to see you there; talking with our 4-H’ers, acknowledging their efforts, making connections with them that will extend the experience of fair in our community throughout the year. We hope you’ll take part in the livestock auction on Saturday, to fill your freezer with locally, naturally grown meats provided by the 4-H’ers in the market animal project. We hope you’ll visit not only the barns, but the show arenas where judges and participants interact to “make the best better.” And we hope you leave the fairgrounds with a new respect for our youths and all they offer.
Judy Feldman is the program coordinator for WSU/Island County 4-H.
