It was good to see more school kids and people out at this year’s Pottawatomie County Free Fair which wound up Saturday evening at the Heart of Oklahoma Exposition Center in Shawnee.
Late August and early September each year are the months county fairs are held throughout Oklahoma. The Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City begins its run today at the State Fairgrounds.
One of the events that drew so many kids to the fair last week was the AG Day held on Friday. Third graders from throughout the county were brought by school buses so they could attend the Ag Day which, for them ran from about 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Hats off to Charity Hobbs, a math teacher at North Rock Creek School and Kacie Jasper, the Pottawatomie County 4-H educator, who coordinated the event.
The word I got is about 300 third graders attended the AG Day.
A 4-H member and two FFAmembers were to man each booth. Hobbs had pointed out prior to the fair that third graders were invited so they could tie it to academic standards and third graders can join 4-H.
The booths manned by the 4-H and FFA students were specific to agricultural production.
As I walked around the fair late Friday morning into the afternoon, it seemed the kids were enjoying themselves. I thought it was good, too, that quite a few adults were accompanying the students and their teachers.
This may be by necessity for the most part, but still I found it encouraging.
In walking around, I visited with Rex Anderson, a newly elected County Fair Board member who seemed to be enjoying himself.
State Game Warden Mike France was part of the AG Day offerings that students were attending. He was giving a program as was another individual talking about ATV Safety which I thought was excellent.
It’s unfortunate how many wrecks and collisions occur anymore on these types of vehicles causing serious injuries and deaths.
The Pottawatomie County Cattlemen’s Association had a booth in the Expo’s Conference Center. When I and Gary Barnett, who is also a County Fair Board member, went by it we visited briefly with Bob Freeman, David Turner, Whitney Ford and Jeff Streller who were manning that booth.
I noticed later a Deputy Sheriff showing some kids how his patrol unit operated.
This was the 85th year for the County’s Free Fair. It would have been the 86th, but in 2020 the fair was canceled due to COVID-19 which impacted so many local, state and national events that year.
It was nice to see so many folks out at the fair this year.