20 Things to Take to the County Fair

1. Fair gate pass or tickets
2. Folding chairs
3. Cash
4. Sunscreen
5. Camera
6. Cooler
7. Snacks - fair food can get really expensive really fast.  We try to always take something quick and easy for breakfast like zucchini bread.  For lunch, I either prepare some sort of salad or something easy to eat with limited utensils.  We bring as much fruit and snacks as we can (be sure that all the chocolate stays in the cooler).  Packing for the daytime meals allows us to splurge on the really good fair food for dinner without braking the bank.
8. Drinks - water, water and more water
9. Ice
10. Jackets - you never know what fair week weather is going to throw at you
11. Mud boots - for washing the animals and mucking the stalls
12. Show jeans
13. Show shirt
14. Show belt
15. Show boots
16. Comb/hair spray - make sure that you are always presentable for the show ring
17. Buyer letter - we always mail the buyer letters out a couple of weeks before the fair, but it is always nice to have a few extra with you in case you run into someone that you forgot to send a letter to or if you meet someone new.
18. Buyer thank you sign - At our fair, the kids always hang a sign thanking the person that bought their market project from last year.  This is a great way to thank the buyer and also give them a little publicity.  We usually buy a groupon for Vistaprint.com and have a nice yard sign printed that we can hang in the barn.  These buyers take the time to come support our 4-H youth and spend a lot of money each year.  We feel that the least we can do is to give them a very nice thank you.  After the sale, we always make our kids find last year's buyer and give them the thank you sign to take home.  Many of the businesses will hang the sign up, but it also gives our kids the opportunity to personally thank the buyer again and to continue a relationship with them. 
19. Buyer Gift - this isn't essential, but nice.  Many of the kids will take a small gift to give to their buyer at the sale and personally thank them for buying their market project.  These gifts can include home baked cookies, a gift basket with bath items or even items produced right on your farm.  Get creative.  
20. Patience - Fair week is always long, hot and exhausting.  Be prepared for kids to get squirrelly, parents to yell, kids not to water the animals and someone to make you mad.  A good dose of patience will go a long way in making the week more enjoyable for all.

Summer is officially here and county fairs are in full swing.  We have about a month before the Knox County Fair, but the wheels are already turning about all the things that we need to take.  

Move in day can always be a little overwhelming.

What do we need to take?

Am I taking too much stuff?  Yes...but you will probably need it all.

I know I am forgetting something....

I have assembled a list to help you remember everything you need.  I don't want to overwhelm you, so this is just the list to make the people happy and comfortable.  

Each fair is a little different, but hopefully this list helps to get you on the right track to a successful and comfortable fair week.  

Click for a printable version of this list.

Next week I will include the list of everything to make the animals happy.