The annual event that allows 4-Her’s to showcase their hard work is the county fair.
The Bourbon County Fair is July 12-20 at the fairgrounds located across from Fort Scott Community College on South Horton.
The week includes animal shows, a fashion revue, a livestock sale, open class and 4-H exhibits along with grandstand events.
New this year, the Bourbon County Fair is hosting a professional rodeo at 8 p.m. on July 12-13 at the fairgrounds, by the Hampton Rodeo Company, a consistent top-rated International Pro Rodeo Association (IPRA) contractor.
“The big thing is the professional rodeo we are having Friday and Saturday starting the fair,” Diane Brillhart, treasurer for the fair board, said.
Tickets are $10 adults, $5 youth and five and under, free is purchased before the rodeos, $12 and $7 at the gate.
Presale tickets are available at Landmark Bank, Chamber of Commerce and Southwind Extension District Office.
There will be a calf scramble, bull poker, beer garden and a live band, in addition.
Contact Steward Gulager, 620-215-5302 for more information.
Brillhart also encourages the public to notice the newly painted sheep and dairy barns.
“Thanks to a Fort Scott Area Community Foundation Grant and the Bourbon County Jail Inmates, we were able to paint the Sheep and Dairy Barn,” Brillhart said.
See information on both the fair and rodeo below.
Pam Korinek enters her plants in the horticulture department in open class at the Bourbon County Fair in 2018.Northwest Scott 4-H members and family put together their entry into the hay bale decorating contest in the 2018 Bourbon County Fair. From left: Amanda, Abigail, John and Timothy Collins and Kaitlyn Hanks with her mom, Darla Hanks (not pictured).
Wilma Graham enters art and craft entries from Medicalodge residents Monday at the 2018 Bourbon County Fair.
The 2019 Bourbon County Fair will be July 13 through July 20 at the Bourbon County Fair Grounds. It is time to start thinking of what you are going to enter in the Open Class exhibits. King Arthur Flour continues to sponsor a baking contest for both adult and youth and will donate nice prizes. Recipes and King Arthur Flour will be available to the contestants. A registration form will be in the fair paper or contact Jackie Warren for more information.
There will also be a Table Runner Contest. Please contact Jackie Warren for the instructions for this year’s contest. Don’t forget the new categories that were introduced in the Quilts Division last year: Mug Rug, Hexagons (any size), Holiday Item, Wool Applique and a Quilt on a Stick.
A new category of “Lego’s” will be added to the Arts and Crafts Division. This should be a fun category as different types of creations can be exhibited. Make any kind of Christmas ornament and you can enter it in the new category “Christmas Ornament”, also in Arts and Crafts.
Don’t forget the Small Hay Bale Contest and the Scarecrow Contest. Please contact Terri Williams to register for these so we can have a hay bale ready for you, or a bucket of sand for your scarecrow.
If you haven’t purchased a copy of the Posters of the Bourbon County Fair dated 1886, you may do so during the fair. All remaining posters are now priced at $5.00.
There are so many exhibits to visit during the Bourbon County Fair, both Open Class and 4-H. In addition to exhibits there will be programs in the Myers Building on Wednesday, July 17. These are presented by members of FCE (Family and Community Education).
More information will be in the Fair Book which will be printed by the Fort Scott Tribune in early May.
We are grateful for the sponsors and supporters of the Bourbon County Fair. All the prize monies for the special contests and awards are donated by sponsors. We appreciate these sponsors and volunteers. There would not be a Bourbon County Fair without these wonderful people.
Please contact Jackie Warren, 620-224-8161, [email protected] or Terri Williams, 620-215-3202 for more information or questions.
Carla Nemecek is Southwind District Director and agent.
With county fair season upon us, youth livestock exhibitors in the Southwind District are busy working with their animals in preparation to show them at their very best. Not only are they practicing to drive their hogs, brace their sheep and goats and set up their cattle, they are working hard to keep them cool and on feed during the hot month of July.
Animals that will be, or have been exhibited (the Woodson & Bourbon County Fairs are already complete!) at the fair did not just appear overnight. Southwind District 4-H members with cattle care for and own their animals for about 280 days, and youth with sheep, meat goats and hogs care for and own their livestock for about 100 days. The time spent with animals teaches basic life skills and eventually help them develop into better citizens.
Following are some life skills that youth livestock project members can gain:
How to get along with people. A large number of people in society quit or lose their jobs because
they cannot get along with others. 4-H members who show livestock are around people they
have never met but have similar interests. They learn to communicate with these people.
Sportsmanship. At a livestock show, there is only one Grand Champion. However, there are many
winners. Most 4-H members who show livestock for any period of time usually experience the
extreme high feeling of an exceptional effort and the extreme disappointment of a project that didn’t turn out as well as was expected. Normally, win or lose, the competitors in the show can be seen after the show talking and enjoying life together.
Responsibility. Feeding and daily chores in a 4-H livestock project teach responsibility. Top
feeders follow the time clock in their daily efforts. This is a good habit to start at a young age and may
reap youngster’s substantial benefits in a career later in their lives.
Attend to details. Most young people take care of major items in a 4-H livestock project
like fencing, feeding, etc. However many times it’s the little things that make a different: keeping water
tanks and feed troughs clean, working on grooming and showmanship several months before the show,
keeping pens clean and close observation for sickness and disease. Paying attention to details is
beneficial in almost everything we do in life.
Decision making. Decision making is never easy at any point in our lives. 4-H livestock
projects require several key decisions be made: selection of project animals, selection of feeding
method, care and management decisions, fitting and grooming techniques, etc.
Goal setting. For every successful 4-H livestock project, there is usually a good plan. Most
details and plans for the project on selection, feeding and management of the project have been planned well in advance. Goal setting is important for everyone regardless of future endeavors.
Next time you are at a livestock show, study the kids instead of the animals. You will notice that most
classes have several winners, not just the one standing in first place.
The Bourbon County Fair continues until Saturday, July 21.
Here are some highlights from a stroll through the 4-H Buildings on Wednesday, featuring some of the grand champion winners work.
Tomorrow is the swine judging, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee in the Myer’s Building and the 4-H Fashion Revue at Fort Scott Community College’s Bailey Academic Building.
Fried chicken brought a crowd into the Chuck Wagon at noon Wednesday.Barnstormers 4-H Club families and Landmark Bank employees work in the kitchen of the Chuck Wagon Wednesday.
A sign on the entrance of the poultry and rabbit building reminds people to wash hands following petting the animals.
John and Irene Doll and their grandchildren cool off in the Merchant’s Building Wednesday. Temps were in the 90s with high humidity.
Herschel George, K-State Watershed Specialist for Southeast Kansas, finds some shade to check in on a cell phone Monday at the Bourbon County Fair. Pictured is the solar-powered watering system he is demonstrating.
In past generations, farmers used windmills to bring water to their livestock, using one of Kansas’ resources-wind. There are still a few relics around today.
Now, farmers are being encouraged to water their animals with water pumped by a solar panel, which uses another resource Kansas has much of- solar energy.
The purpose of this watering system is to keep surface water from being contaminated by animal feces, which naturally happens when animals are allowed into streams, ponds, and rivers to drink.
A sign near the solar water system tells of the possible cost share to reduce potential water contamination.
“The solar pump helps producers move livestock away from streams and ponds as their only water source,” Herschel George, Southeast Kansas Watershed Specialist for Kansas State University, said.
This week George is at the Bourbon County Fair to demonstrate the solar-powered water delivery system and visit with interested cattlemen and others about it.
“We pump out of a well or a pond into a tank,” George said Monday afternoon at the fair. “This helps keep manure out of the Marmaton River.”
A K-State sign near the solar water system tells the results of adding an alternate water source.
The Marmaton River traverses from west to east through Bourbon County towards Missouri and is the recipient of water from streams in the county.
These streams are on private property and some have animals that get their needed water from those streams.
While at the water source, animals defecate and urinate into the streams and ponds and rivers.
This system is to rectify that problem of water quality.
Herschel George checks out the solar-powered watering system, in this case with a tire tank made out of old tires from equipment on a farm.
He installs concrete and tire tank livestock water supply lines to ponds full of water and solar water pumping systems. He also assists farmers in finding cost-share solutions to improving water quality, according to the website. Additionally, he assists to bring them into compliance with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
George can be reached on his cell phone at 913-294-6021 or via email at [email protected].
George will be demonstrating at the Bourbon County Fair Wednesday through Thursday, July 18-19, located near the Merchant’s Building and also Friday through Sunday at the Four State Farm Show, south of Pittsburg in booth 280.
Tuesday at the Bourbon County Fair was a day of judging animals, foods, plants, the annual bake sale for student scholarships and the draft horse pull contest.
Wednesday’s highlights are more judging of animals and plants, presentations of public interest by local Family and Consumer Education clubs, followed by the Eastern Kansas Timed Event Circuit at the grandstand at 6:30 p.m.
The following are highlights of Tuesday evening at the fair.
Clay Brillhart with his reserve grand champion meat goat Tuesday evening.Calvin Walker shows off his Lego creation that won reserve grand champion in the miscellaneous self-determined department of the 4-H Contests.
The 4-H Chuck Wagon offers up good food, at affordable prices as a fundraiser each year for 4-H.
Uniontown 4-H Club had their turn in running the Chuck Wagon eatery Tuesday evening. From left Angela Nading, Chris Maycumber, Deidre Maycumber and Charity Walker work the kitchen.Uniontown 4-H Club family members run the cash register. From left Tim Endicott and Dale Griffith.
A line of customers waits to order their supper Tuesday evening.Brooklyn Pruitt washes her cow, Penny, in preparation for the market calf show Wednesday.Family and friends visit the animal stalls at the fair Tuesday evening.Families enjoy looking at the swine on Tuesday evening at the fair.Brooklyn Pruitt washes her calf, Penny, in preparation for the market calf show Wednesday.Genesis Walker pets goats as she makes her way through the Joe Chambers Building Tuesday evening.
The Draft Horse Pull contest has several rounds with the first being the one where the team of two horses pulls the total pounds of their weight in a sled of concrete bricks. Each successive round adds 1000 pounds of weight to the sled, eliminating pull teams until a winner is declared.
The contest had the following results:
First place: Jason Ellis team from Iola; second place: Fred Robinson team from Galesburg, third place: Steve Williams team from Redfield; fourth place: Cody Zook team from Columbus; fifth place: Justin Woolery team from Thayer; sixth place: Lloyd Wiley from Fort Scott; seventh place: Rusty Moore team from Columbus.
A crowd watches as horses pull heavy loads in the draft horse contest at the grandstand Tuesday evening at the Bourbon County Fair.Lloyd Wiley pulls his team of horses.Cody Zook gets ready to have his horses pull the sled of bricks.Steve Williams team pulls the sled away from the starting point.
Families play ball in the campground of the Bourbon County Fairgrounds at sunset Tuesday.
Monday afternoon activity at the Bourbon County Fair included checking in entries in the open class division, entering 4-H Exhibits, conference judging of 4-H photography, weigh-in of animals, in addition to setting up the Chuck Wagon Restaurant. Entering into open class exhibits continues this evening, Monday, July 16, until 8 p.m.
Tomorrow, July 17, judging begins with rabbits, foods, fiber and visual arts, plant science, poultry, sheep and meat goats. The bake sale for Open Class foods will be at noon with proceeds going to scholarships for Bourbon County students. There will be a draft horse pull in the evening.
Below are some highlights of Monday afternoon.
Northwest Scott 4-H members and family put together their entry into the hay bale decorating contest Monday afternoon at the Bourbon County Fair. From left: Amanda, Abigail Collins, Kaitlyn Hanks, John and Timothy Collins and Kaitlyn Hanks, mom, Darla Hanks (not pictured).Ann Ludlum and Linda Walker check-in art and photography entries in open class Monday afternoon in the Myer’s Building.Pam Korinek enters her plants in the horticulture department in the open class at the Bourbon County Fair.Jackie Warren helps to check in quilts Monday afternoon.Wilma Graham enters art and craft entries from Medicalodge residents Monday at the Bourbon County Fair.Jackie Warren checks in her cinnamon bread entry into the King Arthur Flour Check-In area, with Joyce Gobl taking the information.
Karen Peery enters antiques in the Bourbon County Fair Monday afternoon.An entry into the preserved food department.Antiques entered in the Bourbon County Fair.-Audree Hick’s entry into the arts and crafts department at the fair. Hicks is 5 years-old.
Joyce Gobl shows the giveaway item for this year’s King Arthur Baking Contest: chocolate cookie mix to the first 300 people who request it.
Starlite FCE’s entry into the scarecrow contest at the fair.
