Year #2 of going down to Judge at the Juab County Fair. This time I was more intentional and got some pictures. Some of the people down in this county are SO talented! I was able to judge Needlework, and I was so impressed! Blue ribbons all around.
After I finished with that division I walked over and assisted with foods. Cookies, breads, cinnamon rolls, brownies, and more. Yummy, yum! I picked some tasty sugar cookies as the Best of Show for that category. Another judged picked the other Best of Show ribbons. Sadly, I didn't even get a picture of the delicious cookies. I'll be dreaming about them until something else replaces them next year.
My cute Jr Fairboard member - Haley - helped me with Needlework and she picked these two for purple ribbons. It's SO much fun to be a judge. Highly recommend.
I also picked this cross stich to be one of the best of show. It immediately got my attention the second I walked up to it. Super, super impressed. I also would have given a purple ribbon to the ivory flowers above if I could have. They are felted flowers - super amazing! Both of these were created by ladies - what talented ladies they are!!!
Fair week finally arrived! For all the planning and preparation you're never quite prepared for all the things that go wrong.
Monday's goal was getting everything out of the storage pod and setup. Thankfully, Don had his tractor/trailer there before I even arrived. We are lucky to have two storage containers (the pods) on site to store all the things we've got - and we've got a lot. Don shuttles volunteers over to the pod where they load it up and then the volunteers all walk back to unload it. We got lucky this year - a service missionary and his brother saw the service opportunity on JustServe and came to help. I was so grateful for them! I wondered if it was even worth posting about on JustServe, but having them come proved otherwise.
All the Junior Fairboard members showed up shortly after 8am. It was so good to see them all at the fair. For a lot of them, it was the first time seeing what a massive event looks like on the backside. I hope we didn't scare them away with all the work. The Payson FFA group committed to bring 20 kids to assist with setup, but none of them showed up. It's always really sad when that happens. Thankfully, the competitive arts board members showed up, and some of them brought their kids. We were able to finish getting things setup just after 11am. It was a record.
This year Fiesta Days was scheduled for the week before the fair. As a result, we weren't even sure if we would be able to setup any of the 4H tables/risers. It was a massive surprise when we were able to get into their building. The gal in charge of the 4H area was so excited! With all that help, she was able to get most of her things setup on Monday instead of Tuesday. It's always nice to have more time to get setup.
There are a few large things at the fair that we don't have volunteers setup. Craig hires a company to setup the family fun tent/stage, entertainment tent/stage, kid prize tent, and Scales and Tales tent. We literally couldn't have the success we do without this company coming. Craig also rents tables and chairs. We use the tables in the competitive arts/4H areas. The chairs we use in the dining tent/family fun tent/entertainment tent. He also borrows a few tables from his neighbor to finish off the 4H area with a few leftover for the dining tent.
This year his neighbor had round tables for the dining area. We didn't like them as much as the rectangle ones. So, we ended up ordering five 8' rectangle ones on Amazon. Thank goodness for next day delivery. Craig told me he will order a few more 8' rectangle ones during the off season so we have our own tables for the dining area. I love that we have plenty of storage room to have our own.
We decided to use tablecloths in the dining tent this year. It was a massive success. Last year we put tables in there as a last minute change, and the tables got so nasty with food droppings. The tablecloths were cheap plastic ones, but they had elastic so they didn't blow off in the wind. It was perfect because we stacked 6 tablecloths on each table, and then the garbage people just took them off as needed.
Speaking of garbage people.....we typically hire a Scout group to do all the garbage. But, we decided to do something different this year, and it worked out a lot better. We had Sunset Markets (our 3rd party contractor for food/vendors) do the garbage. It worked out a lot better, and they were able to keep up with it all. It was such a blessing! I heard zero complaints about garbage being picked up, which was the opposite of last year. Craig still hired the scout group - they ended up cleaning garbage in the arena on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night. I don't think they came on Saturday night because the parents didn't want their kids working early Sunday morning. Don't blame them at all. Garbage duty started for them around 10:30pm.
While everyone was setting up things, I was in the fair office setting up my things. I brought all the volunteer shirts with me, plus all the other things I had been storing since last year. The Jr Fairboard asked me to buy lip balm this year. This is the kind I ended up getting. I wish I would have bought double this amount. The kids went through it so fast, and we ended up getting this other kind (twice) at Costco on our food runs, which ended up being more expensive. I hate spending money so much!
There were a few other fun things that I did this year.....I decided to try out an information table. I got a "information" banner printed, printed out the fair schedule of events, and then set the table in a visible spot where the most foot traffic was. I think it was beneficial enough that we will do it again next year. The most popular question was "how can I buy tickets for the monster trucks/demo derby". So, we taped a QR code to the table that people could scan it to buy tickets right there. Technology is amazing!
For the fun of it, I bought this little camera Lego set for the Jr Fairboard to put together while some of them were at the information table. They said it was a lot of fun. I think it helped to promote the fair photo contest that we hosted this year.
I also bought purple sunglasses, purple bucket hats, and glow in the dark purple bracelets for the Jr Fairboard. I also bought them purple cooling towels, but none of them wanted to use them. I ended up going 'out and about' to find a few people that looked like they could use a cooling towel - one of which was Great Uncle John Misel, and my current ward RS President and her husband. Such much fun to offer them a little extra help on a hot day.
I also ended up ordering this custom logo rubber stamp that we can use year after year. I bought a purple stamp pad, and the info. table volunteers were stamping little kids hands. I think it ended up a pretty cute thing. I love that I can change ink colors to whatever our theme color is for the year.
The absolute best thing that I bought for the fair this year was a collapsible bucket. It came in handy so many times! I used it to wipe down surfaces in the fair office. I also used it to wipe off tables in the dining tent before we put on the tablecloths. It was also used when we had a throw up situation by the information table. I bought the bucket on Temu, so it was extremely cheap ($5). Hopefully it will last at least two years.
Tuesday was the day all the entries were delivered to the fair grounds. We had an morning option, and an evening option. So, the Jr Fairboard kids were required to come twice in one day. They were good sports about it. It's a fun day because of all the diverse entries. I entered 10 items (the max you can submit), and Craig submitted 2. It was super fun to participate this year, and from here on out I plan to always do it. I'm currently pondering projects I could make that would win me a "Best in Show".
I am kicking myself that I didn't take more pictures at the fair. I had high hopes that I would have enough time during an early morning to wander around taking pictures. Sadly, it never happened.
My mornings always started early. The one morning I planned to come later Craig needed me and I had to go in earlier than I wanted. These were the hours I put in during fair week: Monday (6), Tuesday (14.5), Wednesday (14.5), Thursday (14), Friday (13.5) Saturday (17), Monday the 3rd (4.75), Wednesday the 6th (5). Whew, a lot of hours. I was super tired, but adrenaline kept me constantly going.
Speaking of pictures - here are the contest photo winners. It was enjoyable to reach out to each one of them on the phone. They were all very excited. Next year I'm making sure we have prizes that we can mail - and I'll put it in the rules too. It was an extra burden to drive out and about to hand deliver a few prizes.
Next year I am also eliminating the "Youth" category. We only had two photos that qualified in that category. Thankfully, the judges I asked all thought it was enjoyable enough to do again next year. I love that the winners are picked by judges that aren't affiliated with the fair.
Food is the common denominator in happiness for our Fairboard, Jr Fairboard, and volunteers. This year we went overboard by making four separate trips to Costco. It was a bit much, and we had a lot of food left over. Next year, I'll be more organized with the things the kids actually eat vs. whatever looked good to the person making a food/water run.
The one thing that we never skimp on is water. We went through 22 cases of water. That's what happens when you have multiple days in the 100's. If the public came searching for water we also freely shared The last thing we wanted was someone getting heat exhaustion. This year worked better than most because I used a third fridge in a different building to always keep at least two cases of water cold. The fridges in the fair office get opened up so often that the water doesn't have a chance to chill.
One thing different we need to do next year is get more ear plugs. We ran out on Saturday night, and so many people were sad about it. One of the Jr Fairboard gals made these signs for us to put on each of the four boxes. I think they helped quite a bit. I'm thankful for the big rolling tech boxes we have to set these on at each ticket taking gate. Speaking of ticket taking - next year I'm going to have volunteers sign up for a specific portal gate. I think the more organized I can get it, the smoother things will go. One night we didn't have enough ticket scanners and an amazing sheriff deputy stepped right in, downloaded the app on his phone, and started scanning away. I was so grateful.
On Saturday night everyone came to pick up their entries. I got a text first thing in the morning saying that two of the Jr Fairboard kids would be willing to do parking, but they would only do it if they could have a golf cart. I was more than a little annoyed. We rent golf carts for the week, but there are used by 'important' people and I can never guarantee one will be available. Fun fact, I've never driven one. I much prefer walking - even if it's to the other side of the arena. To try and remedy the situation I asked/called/begged a few people to bring me down a pop up canopy. None of them were able/willing. As a last ditch effort I called one of my ministering brothers. He was more then willing to step in and buy me one. He even drove it down. Thank goodness for so many kind people. The Jr Fairboard kids were grateful they didn't have to sit in the hot sun.
Speaking of kind people, a few of my good friends braved the heat to come volunteer. I'm so thankful for them! They said there was no way they would do it again, so I didn't do a very good job preparing them. Hahaha, actually I think it was just too hot for them. Maybe next year it will be unseasonably cold.
I have a very long list of things that we/I want to improve for next year. But, overall this year was a massive success. The county commissioners were very pleased, so that's what matters. Here are a few random pictures and videos for your enjoyment. I'm already looking forward to (and planning) next year. Pink fair shirts anyone? JK, it's a running joke to have pink fair shirts. I don't think it will ever happen.
Craig - aka boss man.
The most important people at the fair get their own cushy chair. I am constantly kicking people out of these chairs if Craig/Don are in the fair office. It's a running joke. Also, a running joke - if someone leaves an unfinished drink/food for less than 5 minutes Laurie Ann will throw it away. It's true. In order to keep the office clean/tidy I throw away a lot of unfinished stuff.
Cute Jr Fairboard kids......professional photos taken by Devin Pierce. He is on the competitive arts board.
I had six Jr Fairboard receive their scholarships this year. It's so sad, but also happy that they put in three years of fair work. I need to find other amazing kids to replace them. Fingers crossed. The kids hate being presented in front of so many people, but it's good for them. Hehehehe.
Lastly, here are all my ribbons. Not too bad for my first year submitting things.
Actually one more picture - this lost and found bottle might come home with me next year if no one claims it. It's a huge misting bottle. It would be amazing for Rex. We had a record number of eleven water bottles collected as lost and found. I guess water wasn't as important as I thought.
I lied - here is the last one - 10 miles with jeans/boots/socks was not a good thing for my poor legs. They got this weird rash and were swollen for a day or two after the fair was over. It was painful. I'm hoping next year I can brave wearing shorts. So far I haven't mastered that skill.
