By BEN SIMS
Cottonwood Extension District
Well, we’ve done it! We made it through another wonderful county fair season in the Cottonwood Extension District. The Barton County Fair wrapped up on June 28, and the Ellis County Fair on July 17.
I am so proud of all the hard work our 4-H members put into their projects, and really showed off some high-quality exhibits. I encourage all of our youth to take this time to reflect on your experiences, and make some goals for how you can Make the Best Better next year!
When we reflect on county fair season, and what it takes to create the best experience possible for our 4-H members and our communities, we recognize that it can’t be done without the combined efforts of the Extension staff and local county fair association boards.
Hosting a county fair is a collaboration and partnership between these two groups. It takes open communication, and a willingness to help each other throughout the entire process of planning and implementing the county fair.
Without this partnership, and an immense amount of time and effort from these local volunteers, we wouldn’t have the top-notch fair experiences that are available to Barton and Ellis counties. These are long established relationships that have taken no small amount of time and commitment to build.
Having had the opportunity to attend and help with both county fairs this year, I can’t say enough about how impressed I was with the hard work of both our Barton and Ellis County Fair Association Boards.
The individuals that serve on these boards have a strong sense of community engagement and understand the importance of giving back to their community. There really aren’t enough words to describe the hours that go in behind the scenes to host the county fair.
So, if you haven’t done so yet, I encourage you to take the time to say thank you to your local fair board. I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to work with everyone and am already looking forward to the 2027 county fair season!
For more information on 4-H & Youth Development or K-State Extension, call one of our offices at 620-793-1910 (Barton) or 785-628-9430 (Ellis), email 4-H Agent Ben Sims at benjam63@ksu.edu, or simply stop by the Great Bend or Hays office.
Be sure to follow the Cottonwood Extension District Facebook page and check our website cottonwood.k-state.edu for the most up-to-date information about Extension programming.
Ben Sims is the 4-H & Youth Development Agent for K-State Extension Cottonwood District.