Letters to the editor

Area youth display values at the fair

Dear editor:

I had a great time at the Vernon County Youth Fair, despite being slow-roasted during the judging and auction. While my take on the Fair may sound both obvious to those who have carried on the tradition for generations and fairly sappy, I found the entire event incredibly heartening. Young people, justifiably proud of their own accomplishments, were surrounded by an entire community, gathered to celebrate, support and guide them.

It was not until late Saturday, when several of us took a break from cooking and cleaning, that the full impact of that level of community involvement hit me. We watched as a crowd of young folks worked together to clean out stalls. There were adults around, but the youth needed no real supervision. On their own, they took responsibility for their duties, all the while laughing and cooperating with each other. I realized that I was witness to the most positive values and goals of our society being passed on to the next generation.

As an attorney, I've seen and represented too many children in terrible situations, and I'm not so na*ve as to believe that some of those youth at the fair won't stumble or have problems. But, their odds for successful and productive lives seem far above average, and we can expect many of them to carry on the tradition of mentoring the next generation. I drove home smiling at the promising future I was allowed to witness and be part of.

-- Jeff Feuquay

Nevada