It's Fair Time!

Yep...just in time for the Knox County Fair....an extreme heat wave and the hottest temperatures we have seen in 5 years.

But...beating the heat is just part of the fun of fair.  

Saturday was move-in day.  

With heat indexes of over 110 degrees (it feels like we are back in Oklahoma), Daniel and the boys were in line when the gates opened at 6:00 a.m..  They wanted to get the cattle in place and under the fans before the temperatures started to rise.  

I am so glad Isaac can drive now.  The boys were participating in a national trap shoot, so they had to hurry and get the cows settled so they could make it to the shoot on time, and then hurry back to the fair for the barn meeting.  

It was definitely a day of divide and conquer.

Last week Walker was at camp, so Isaac was home alone to wash 7 cows a day.

He is tired.

Only 4 of the cows are for the county fair, but he was also washing 3 for others for the state fair next week.  

Besides...what better way to keep a cow cool than with water?

This is the feeder calf that Walker is taking to the fair.  She has really blossomed and we are excited to see how she does in the ring...and I love her color.

She is going to go through the sale on Thursday, so Walker is working really hard to find a buyer for her that wants to add a good show cow to their program.  

Isaac's feeder calf is a lot like the one Walker had last year...but black.  He is showing her as a market heifer, but she will make a better cow than a market heifer.  He picked her by design and is hoping to find a buyer who is looking to add a good, solid cow to their herd.  

​Isaac had to change directions with his breeding heifer, so he isn't showing a Miniature Hereford. 

This little girl looks just like a Miniature Hereford...but she's not.  Her mom is a crossbred first-time heifer that was on the smaller side at breeding time, so she was bred to our Miniature Hereford bull, Mitchell.  She is a little lighter in color, but otherwise looks just like the rest of our cows.  We are planning to bring her home and use her as a recip. cow.  

And of course, Walker is taking Romance as his breeding heifer.  

She's a trooper that doesn't let anything phase her.  

First order of business was getting the misting fans hung and the cows cooled off.  They may not be pretty, but they get the job done.  This week is all about survival.  

Isaac is also showing a goat again this year.  

At least he isn't as clueless as he was last year...

A part of me really dreads this week...the heat, the exhaustion, juggling work and keeping kids in line by phone, stomach aches from all the fried food...but fair holds so many memories for my kids.

I never had this experience growing up.  As a city kid, I thought fair was just about the once a year food, rides, games and people watching.  Little did I know how much more there is to the fair...and it all happens in a barn.  

---

You might also like...

Packing List for the 4-H County Fair Beef Project

The Unsung Hero

Proud and Proud of It