Evergreen State Fair

August 25th the last day in Snohomish we went to the Evergreen State Fair. I love going to the fair and showed my beef cattle for many years there along with competing in many other contests as well. This day we had just gone as spectators, which is weird for me, it seems that when I do go to the fair now a days I want to just hang out in the beef barn where I put in many hours of getting up at 5 am to go wash cows and staying in the barn until 10 o'clock at night. Today we had gone to the fair to help with the 4-H livestock judging contests. I had done many of these contests as a 4-Her and FFA member, now I go as a group leader making sure the kids don't talk, marking their cards, and moving them to the next class of livestock. I also judged oral reasons where kids tell me why they placed the class the way they did.

Once livestock judging was completed Chris and I walked around the fair and seen the many different animals and I also got my required food list fulfilled as well, with a purple cow, scone, carmel apple, and corn on the cob. However we just kept going back to the beef barn to hang out, that is just where I belong. I could really care less about all the other stuff at the fair besides the animals.

While hanging out in the beef barn I was asked if I wanted to do the Over the Hill Contest. My first thought was "do I look over the hill?! I mean yeah I just had my birthday but I am only 24 for crying out loud!" I was thinking that the kids thought I was old now because I am not in 4-H anymore. The Over the Hill Contest when I showed was an obstacle course that the kids put on for the parents to run the cows through the course. Now they have added some new contest and changed the names. The Over the Hill contest is when the parents show the cows in showmanship (judging how well the showman presents the cattle and their knowledge), and the kids judge the parents. So much of the time the parents are telling the kids what to do different in the show ring, now it was time to put the parents to the test and see how well they actually are. I was asked to compete, but I knew that I would smoke the parents in showmanship since that is what I used to do all the time. The contest was open for anyone who was too old to show, and well I am, but I knew they wouldn't have a chance. ;). Chris however had never shown before and wanted to have a go with it. He had seen me show before and he knew some of the basics of showing. He met his heifer Rosa, that he would be showing a minute before going into the ring and I gave him as much of a low down of showing that I could in such a short time. I would have to say that Chris did pretty good for never showing before and also with answering questions that the judges asked. He made me pretty proud, I was just bummed that I left my camera in my car so all I had to take pictures with was my phone. I would have to say that it did pretty good at taking pictures for just being a phone.

Chris is in the red shirt with the Lowline Albino Angus to his right (aka cardboard cow)

He is doing so good!
Won his first blue ribbon! Good job Chris!

So proud of his blue ribbon!
We had a very enjoyable day at the fair and last day in Snohomish. It was so much fun to see everyone and hang out in the beef barn, and most of all watch Chris show Rosa the shorthorn heifer!