After having spent what seemed like the better part of August at our county fair as well as at the state fair in NH, I made many observations that provoked thoughts. Lots of thoughts actually …
One of these thoughts was triggered by my sadness to see that the old plaques and awards that were adorned with the names of fair characters of the past were not in the fair display case this year at the Hopkinton State Fair in NH. My home fair.
When I cruised by to show my kids over Labor Day weekend, the case was empty and actually void of everything. I must say that it felt a little lonely, like the past was gone, and the heart of the fair was missing. Louis Hodgman, J. Charles Williams, Dr. George Cilley …where did you go? Were you relocated?
Later on, I asked some of my family members about it–they were actually showing at the fair, which was the reason we went. No one knew where the awards had disappeared to.
That question also provoked a conversation about the award that used to be presented in the name of my grandfather, Dr. George Cilley Jr. … where was that, Dad?
My father said they had decided to stop giving the award because no one knew who my grandfather was anymore; the meaning behind the award had been lost.
But was the meaning really lost? You know the old saying, the characters change but the play stays the same? It feels kind of like that to me.
My grandfather was a special person, as were J. Charles Williams and Louis Hodgman and other leaders who walked before them. These people were solid role models for young 4-Hers to look up to, just like the others who emulate their character today. They are found in every generation.
This brings me to the question of what happens when generations grow up and names are not recognized anymore? Should an award be dissolved?
Maybe it’s a case of just changing the name on the award, making the face identifiable to the new generation of youth? Maybe we need to be better at making the spirit of the award live well beyond the years of recognition through the story that we can tell in a fair exhibit booklet, on a plaque, or at an awards ceremony? Hmmm … food for thought.
Now I am brought to Washington County Fair–my kids’ fair.
There is one character award, a new award, that is not very highly publicized at this point. There is no mention of it in our fair booklet; it just happens at ringside during the 4-H type classes. I actually missed the presentation this year … and am not sure that I have ever seen it handed out in the few years since its inception. It’s too bad because I would love to know the faces of those who have received it.
After a conversation with one of the founders of the award during the fair, my thought was that the award deserves a place in the fair book. It deserves to be more heavily publicized to the youth in our county, and, certainly, the recipients deserve to be recognized more … and, yes, have their name on a plaque that sits in a special place on the fairgrounds where those who can see it are reminded of the good character that it represents.
In my eyes, not only is the fair about friendships and early mornings at the wash rack, winning and losing a big Fitting & Showmanship class, and getting fair entries in on time … it’s about more.
It’s about building a foundation of what we call character.
What we are doing as parents, grandparents, friends, and youth leaders is watching the young character grow right before our very eyes.
Qualities such as sportsmanship, integrity, helpfulness … these are what we need to celebrate in the next crop of young kids. These are very important attributes that all are cultivated in the county fair experience.
Those kinds of awards, character awards, are about the true grit of a person, his or her truth and character. Something to be very proud of.
I remember looking forward to the award presentations at the fairgrounds at the end of my fair week, when I was young and showing as a 4-Her. I always wondered who would be the recipient of the coveted character awards in each species of farm animal represented at the fair. Not many awards were given out, but those who were lucky enough to receive them certainly were deserving and were to be looked up to.
To Hopkinton State Fair: Get those old awards back in the showcase. Bring them out, dust them off, honor those past winners, give something for the future generation to strive for–and, maybe, rename them if you have to. But honor their tradition and the values that they represent.
And to Washington County Fair: We have an award that needs to be promoted and touted more, named after two people who gave so much to the 4-H dairy program in our county. Their story should be shared annually, in a big way, and recipients should have their name on a plaque that will be passed down, every year, to commemorate the character of our most deserving youth.
There is more to a county fair than blue, red and white and herdsmanship participation ribbons. It’s about honoring the pillars of character that made the fair what it is today as well as promoting those attributes in the kids who will help shape the fair of the future.
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