The youth fair always impresses me.

For several years now I have been covering the youth fair and the great kids of Vernon County never fail to surprise me. It is hard to believe, for someone that never did such things, how much work and preparation the children of the county put into the fair every year. I cuss it while it is going on because of the heat, but I am always impressed with the way the fair comes off. It has to be a logistical nightmare keeping all of the kids and animals and events and stuff straight and then there is the support that must be coordinated.

The number of animals moved in and out in a week's time, the bedding, the feed, and the penning for all of them is a lot of work and it is always hot. There are ribbons to order, judges to line up and food to purchase, there is trash to get rid of and many many other things that have to be done before the first ribbon is awarded. The Vernon County Youth Fair is one of the biggest happenings of the year and it is a great thing to see families sometimes three or four generations deep participating in or just being at the fair to watch kids or grandkids show their stock or project. The kids do a lot of the work prior to the fair, but the fair board and many other community members work behind the scenes to make our fair one of the best in the state. It is truly a community effort and it makes me glad to be a part of that community.