Agriculture and Kids Is What It’s All About

Some of the highlights from last weekend's Windsor County Agricultural Fair.
http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/agriculture-and-kids-what-it%E2%80%99s-all-about

Agriculture and Kids Is What It’s All About Submitted by VT Journal on Wed, 07/11/2012 - 4:56pm By Cindy Johnson SPRINGFIELD, VT -Jaynie Smith was just laying down Friday night for a much-deserved rest after the 1000-plus-hours she had put in as the vendor coordinator for the Windsor County Agricultural Fair. It was 10:30 p.m. on the eve of the big weekend and she was tired, then there came a faint knock upon her bedroom door. It was her ten-year-old daughter Megan asking it they could still make the cookies Megan hoped to enter into the King Arthur Baking contest the following day. So Jaynie hauled herself up to supervise the cookie baking. She was not to make it to bed again till 11:30, yet she was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by late Saturday afternoon. Oh, and Megan won third place with a ribbon and a King Arthur Cookie Baking book as a prize. “If I’m gonna do something, I’m gonna do it 100%,” said Jaynie and apparently she’s inspired Megan to do the same. Right now Jaynie Smith is launching her own business, JES Consulting, geared toward organizing events such as the Fair. The Fair this year is “all about the kids” said Jaynie. And Smith worked hard to make it so that cash strapped families could come and spend a cost-effective day at the fair. For the three dollars admission kids could leave with five dollars worth of free toys—toys that John Claflin of Jackson Dream helped get a good price on. Who doesn’t have a sweet childhood memory of leaving a fair with some treasured prize? Springfield Food Co-op had a booth selling wholesome, yummy treats as well as tea and potted herbs and other goods at the entrance to the kid’s tent where there were games and booths. “We’re seeing a lot of Charlestown and Claremont people who don’t know there is a co-op in Springfield,” said Neomi Lauritsen, Co-op manager. Some of the highlights of the Fair were free milk and chocolate milk from McNamara Dairy of Plainfield, NH and lemonade and currants from Cherry Hill Farm of Springfield. HB Plumbing of Springfield, a major sponsor of this year’s fair, had its enormous solar panel display capturing plenty of free power from the sun (on Sunday at least). The 40th Army Band played Saturday followed by the Illusions playing fun classic rock like 867-5309/Jenny and Louie Louie, in two sets Saturday and two more on Sunday. Heidi and Mike Dolloff with their kids Harrah and Matthew were showing off the mechanical milk-producing cow from the Dairy Farmers of America. Emil Wilder of Bellows Falls had a mouthwatering, fried dough booth. Rural Vermont had its answer wheel that fairgoers could spin for answers to agricultural questions on topics such as GMOs, hemp, meat, and milk. Habitat For Humanity sold home-related crafts for their Springfield projects. Raptor Encounter with the VT Institute of Natural Science showed off live birds like a big black turkey vulture for the kids. Buddy the Clown performed 4 shows over both days too. King Arthur Flour held two baking contests for the kids on Saturday and two for adults on Sunday. There were cows and horses with a 4-H Dairy Cattle Show and a Draft Horse competition. There was a horse show, pony pulling, and sheep shearing, as well. James Thomas of Claremont brought his two children to the Fair. They spent some time learning to build wooden boats with Stuart Stocker. The kids sanded their wooden boat pieces, hammered a hole for the metal loop to attach the string, and hooked up the rubber band that powered the paddle wheel, then launched them into a kiddie pool near the workshop tent. “There was more stuff for the kids this year,” said James about the Fair. A horseshoe-throwing contest, open to everyone, was held near the entrance to the Fair. As the Fair was winding down on Sunday the contest was down to three “big kids”--Chester Rowe, David Snide, and Tyler Waters. If you know any of these “kids” call em and find out who won. This year the fair upped its recycling efforts and next year they hope to solve the meat disposal issue that keeps them from composting the waste.