By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The county fair has been the highlight of 78-year-old Edna Hansen's summer since she was a little girl.
When she was 9, she baked the best muffins at the Trego County Fair, but she was too young to take them to the Kansas State Fair.
"I still don't understand if I could bake the best muffins at 9, why I couldn't go to the county fair," she said with a sharp rap of her fist on the table and a coy smile, "and I still don't understand."
Hansen is a member of the Ellis County Fair Board. She served two stints on the board since 2002 when she and her husband moved back to the area and settled in Ellis. She said she can't remember how many years in total she served, but it's been at least 10 years.
This year will be Hansen's last Ellis County Fair as a board member. She will be moving to Texas soon to be closer to her son.
Hansen participated in 4-H in Trego County when she was a girl. Her family lived a few miles inside the Trego County line. As a child, she brought baking and sewing projects to the fair.
She said her experiences as a child have kept her coming back as a volunteer despite the long hours and little sleep she gets during fair week.
"As a kid, the fair was an extremely important part of my summer," she said. "If as an adult we won't do the work, then the kids lose out on that opportunity because then there is no 4-H fair. There is no open fair if people don't step up.
"I think it is just as important to me as it was when I was young."
For youth 70-years-ago and today, the county fair is something 4-H'ers work for the entire year, Hansen said.
"It was the highlight of the summer," Hansen said, "going to the fair and displaying our projects."
Hansen became a registered nurse and later earned her master's degree in social work. She handled child abuse cases for social services. She also served for a time as director of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of the High Plains, which covers Ellis County.
She said she continued to use her 4-H skill as an adult.
4-H teaches youth how to be part of a group, Roberts Rules of Order, how to work together and how to be independent and work on a project on your own, she said.
"[You learn] sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose and you do both graciously," she said.
Hansen was never a 4-H leader, but her son was involved in 4-H when their family lived in California. He showed rabbits and cooked.
Hansen, a master gardener, is a trained judge and still helps judge horticulture and floriculture. She also won a reserve champion ribbon this year in arts and crafts for a piece of ceramic artwork.
As she's aged, her fair focus has changed.
"As a kid, I can remember thinking, 'When I grow up, I am going to go to the fair every day and I'm staying all day long," she said. "Watch out what you wish for, you might get it."
She said she still loves watching the children as they check their projects for ribbons.
"Seeing how excited they are is still one of my favorite parts," she said.
In 70 years, 4-H has modernized. Kids and adults alike use a computer to submit their entries for the fair — something Hansen still struggles with.
However, she said the same core values embodied in the 4-H pledge are still important today.
My Head to clearing thinking,
My Heart to greater loyalty,
My Hands to larger service,
My Health to better living,
For my club, my community, my country and my world.
Her focus as a fair participant has changed since she was a child.
Hansen's focus as a fair board member is the indoor 4-H and open exhibits, some of which include photography, foods, horticulture, arts and crafts, and fine arts.
2020 was very challenging, but the fair went forward with COVID-19 precautions. Several indoor events were canceled. Social distancing and mask-wearing were encouraged.
"We held our breath and prayed a lot that we would not have an outbreak," she said.
Her prayers were answered. No COVID outbreaks were associated with the 2020 fair.
She said it is wonderful to see the community able to come back out and enjoy the fair.
"It is nice to see people out here," she said, "seeing their neighbors, seeing the kids play, seeing them comparing their notes."
Our society is more mobile and children have more opportunities for activities than when Hansen was a child, but she said she believes county fairs are still important aspects of the local communities.
Even for those children who are not 4-H'ers, the fair can provide learning opportunities.
"Even some kids in Hays don't understand where your meat really comes from," she said. "'Well, just go to the store.' Where do you think the store got it from?
"Some of them in Hays had still not seen a live pig or a sheep."
Hansen has had a difficult year personally, her husband died of cancer and her sister died of COVID-19.
Although Hansen is moving out of state, her fellow fair volunteers are already offering to put her up if she'll come back for a visit next summer for the fair.
She said she likely won't stay away from 4-H. She said she'll probably try to find a fair near her new home east of Dallas.
Hansen encouraged more adults to become involved in 4-H and the fair. Many of the fair judges are aging and retiring. New volunteers are needed to take their places, she said.
You can learn more about being a 4-H leader or volunteer by visiting the Cottonwood Extension District webpage. 4-H offers training for new volunteers.