Fairly fun

July 08, 2008 12:05 am

— By Melissa Dunson
mdunson@joplinglobe.com
CARTHAGE, Mo. — Chelsey Lee, 17, of Carthage, spent a day of her summer vacation hot, sweaty and covered in paint. And she couldn’t have been happier about it.
Lee was one of dozens of local teenagers who turned out Monday in Municipal Park in Carthage to help prepare for the annual Jasper County Youth Fair that kicks off this week.
“It’s just something my family always likes to do,” Lee said.
Although some of the small animals, like cats and dogs, and some of the craft entries were judged last weekend, Future Farmers of America and 4-H members came Monday with their shovels, rakes and paint brushes to prepare the site for the large-animal competitions scheduled for later this week and the hundreds of area residents who will show up to participate and watch. Large animals will begin to arrive at the fairgrounds tonight for competitions Wednesday.
The site needed some extra work this year because of a new beef barn, but the participants didn’t seem to mind.
“It’s pretty exciting to have a nice new facility,” said Suzanne Russell, leader of the Mount Moriah 4-H club and parent of two fair participants.
The new building replaces a livestock arena built more than 50 years ago. Russell said some of its benefits include combining several older buildings so more competitors can be under the same roof, adding more shade to the fairgrounds and providing more accessibility for the handicapped.
Lexi Babcock, 14, of Jasper, also was on hand Monday for the fair workday. This is her second year participating in the fair and her first year running for a spot in the fair royalty. Babcock looked more like a cowgirl than a princess Monday, after she finished painting fences, putting up stalls and spreading sawdust in the new barn.
Carl Junction fair participant Callie Goodwin, 15, didn’t seem to mind the dirt associated with putting up fence posts Monday if it meant she could have fun showing off her pet goat, Ginger, later in the week.
“It’s interesting and fun,” Goodwin said.
Other teenagers helped clean restrooms, manicure the grounds and hang banners.
“There are a lot of volunteer hours that go into this,” Russell said.
Some of those volunteers are Charles and Debbie Youngblood, of Carthage, and their grandchildren. The family had been working at the fairgrounds for days before the other 4-H and FFA members showed up. Debbie said her grandsons, Tyler Jones, 9, and Cody Jones, 7, are the fifth generation of the family that has participated in the Jasper County Youth Fair. Both of the boys were holding their own with their teen counterparts during the work Monday.
“At the fair, I learn responsibility,” Tyler said. “I gotta take care of my cows, and feed them, and water them, and clip them and wash them.”
Russell said that learning through experience is the reason her family continues to participate in the fair, from the first work day, all the way through the exhibits.
“My kids were up and out of bed this morning,” she said. “They’re not afraid to get dirty. (The fair) is about the friends, and the rewards and the potential for scholarships. They are learning and having fun while they’re doing it.”


Other events Monday
The Jasper County Youth Fair speech contest and horse and mule show also were conducted Monday in Municipal Park.

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