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A Fair tradition

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Contributed by: Kathryn Richert/YourHub.com on 7/18/2008

For the roughly 68,000 people who attend The Adams County Fair each year, it's a time to kick back, watch the tractor pull and eat a hot dog, for the Stonehocker kids its real work.

As fair organizers gear up for the 104th annual fair July 30 to Aug. 3 at the Adams County Regional Park and Fairgrounds, the Stonehocker kids gear up too, actually they've been preparing since last year's county fair ended.

Amy Stonehocker, 16, and Scott Stonehocker, 14, will compete, like they have for years, in several of the fair's 4-H events, one of the many festivities at the five-day fair that also features a parade, rodeo, demolition derby, truck and tractor pull, carnival and new this year, a monster truck show and Dock Dogs, in which the dog with the biggest air wins.

The 4-H competitions are for kids in the 4-H club, an organization with roots in teaching young people to farm and raise animals, but also teaches them survival skills, life skills and leadership skills relevant in today's world.

This year, Scott will compete in the dog, poultry, model rocket and remote control car shows. Amy will compete in the horse, sheep, sewing and poultry shows.

With all those farm animals to tend to, it's daily work for the Stonehocker kids to get them ready for the county and state fairs.

They care for two horses, two sheep and 20 chickens in a barn in front of their house in unincorporated Adams County. Every morning, and then at least once more that day, all animals need to be fed.

Just to care for Silk and Chenille, Amy's two sheep, is a full time job. Amy wakes up every morning and walks to the sheep pen outside the barn. The sheep get cranky if they aren't fed by 8 a.m.

She cleans their pin and inspects their wool. Since her sheep are raised to sell their wool, Silk and Chenille are covered in heavy-duty cotton blankets to keep their fleece free of dirt and hay.

While the blankets keep the sheep's wool its natural color ready to show off come judgment day at the county fair, the sheep aren't fond of the extra layer.

"(Amy) spends her life trying to keep the blankets on. (The sheep) spend their lives trying to take them off," said Terri Stonehocker, Amy and Scott's mom.

It's a continual chore for Amy to re-sew patches of frayed blankets her sheep have managed to pry off.

When the sheep's wool is sheered in the spring, she makes new blankets that fit over her now smaller framed-sheep. She usually sews eight blankets a year between her two sheep.

Come fair time, Amy's sheep will be judged on their size, fiber consistency and the look of their wool. Amy also will be scored on her records books. She keeps a log of how much she spends on food and care for her sheep.

Aside from her sheep, she will demonstrate her horsemanship, including riding and jumping, and will show off her chicken's fine feathers. She'll also model a wool dress she sewed at the county fair, which Amy refers to simply as "fair."

"Fair is kind of a marathon," she said.

But definitely worth it.

"I think it's fun to be able to work hard all year and have something to show for it," she said.

Changing times, changing fair

One tradition that's been kept alive at the fair that's more than 100 years old is the Open Class competitions, where adults vie fo,r among others, best goat, cat, pie or jam in the region.

The fair began in 1904 as a way for small-town farmers to gather and sell produce and a way for towns people to take their frustrations out on city leaders by chucking tomatoes at their clean, white clothes, a light-hearted tradition fair organizers tried to revitalize a few years ago, with no luck from city leaders, said Melanie Snodell, co-fair manager.

As the fair has evolved into introducing roaring trucks and fast rides to fit with changing times, cattle and baked goods from the old days still stay firmly planted.

"That has remained true to the roots of the traditional small town county fair," Snodell said.

Up next:

What: 104th Adams County Fair
When: All day from July 30 to Aug. 3
Where: Adams County Regional Park and Fairgrounds, 9755 Henderson Road, Brighton
Tickets: Grounds admission is free. Parking is $5. Admission to the monster truck show, rodeo, demolition derby and truck and tractor pull is $13 for adults and $8 for kids 4 to 12.
Info: For a full line up and registration information, go to www.adamscountyfair.com, or call 303-637-8000.

-Kathryn Richert, YourHub.com

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