As the 126th annual Big Fresno Fair opens on Oct. 7, many people view it as a chance to eat cotton candy, ride ferris wheels and attend concerts. However, other fair attractions and events often go unnoticed. The fair, the fifth-largest in California, offers a variety of competitions and events that students can participate in.
Art teacher Sharon Scharf takes a group of students to the fair each year for a chalk drawing competition. In addition, many students have entered art pieces in the Junior Art Exhibit Building, including watercolors by Katie Barisic, ’13 and Mary Sargent, ’09, scratchboards by Zed Fries, ’12 and charcoal drawings by sophomore Lizzie Williams, among other projects.
Scott Jennings, ’12, says he looks forward to entering the chalk-drawing contest.
“I’m doing the chalk drawings because I really like to draw and I thought I’d enjoy doing it with friends,” Jennings said. “I expect to have a lot of fun doing it.”
Besides art competitions, students also have the chance to showcase animals for prizes and awards. Alexandra Frea, ’13, has shown heifers — female cows — for three years. Since her father owns a dairy farm, Frea took advantage of her familiarity with cows by beginning to show them during her 6th grade year.
“I’ve always been around cows,” Frea said. “My dad even got me one for my birthday once. The opportunity [to show] was there, so I took it.”
When the fair is in town, Frea usually takes a week off from school in order to show the heifers. This week consists of grooming the animals, supplying them with new hay each morning and washing the pen whenever needed. She usually wakes up at five in the morning to prepare for the competition in hopes of winning awards or prize money.
After the lengthy preparations beforehand, Frea views the actually showing as the easiest part of the competition.
“If you have a cow you’ve practiced with, then it’s pretty easy because all you have to do is pull a rope and walk the cow around,” Frea said. “But if you’re not prepared it’s going to be apparent. Sometimes you’ll see a cow run off or fall asleep while being judged.”
Frea shows her heifers independently, which means she is not involved in organizations like 4-H. Frea appreciates the flexibility of independent showing because it allows her to play sports and have other extra-curricular activities and refrain from weekly 4-H meetings.
“Since I have sports, I have to show independently, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to,” Frea said. “And because it’s independent, I get to do everything on my own time. It’s also a lot easier to place because their are less people in your division.”
Freshman Tanner Bos also shows cows at the fair. However, he participates in the 4-H club in hopes of benefitting from the training.
“I’m in 4-H because it’s better to be in a group,” Bos said. “When you’re in a group, you learn more and become more experienced with your animal.”
Living on a dairy farm, Bos has grown accustomed to the lifestyle of a dairy farmer and livestock shows after presenting cows for five years.
“My sister Nichole got me into showing,” Bos said. “It has taught me reponsibility and gives me a good work ethic that can apply to other things.”
With the fair approaching, both Frea and Bos say they have a significant amount of confidence in their heifers after working with them for the past few weeks. Bos aspires to once again finish as a top champion in the competition.
“I think I’m going to do really good this year,” Bos said. “My goal is to win supreme grand champion [first place], which I’ve done before.”
Bos will miss school to show for the duration of a week, while Frea will only show on Oct. 11.
“Missing school is the best part of showing,” Bos said. “I always look forward to it.”
Despite her inability to remain showing her heifer for the entire week, Frea recognizes the enjoyable experience she often looks forward to.
“It’s a fun experience and you meet tons of new people when you show,” Frea said. “Plus, I love animals and showing.”
Other events held at the fair include the Jr. Dairy Goat Showmanship, held on Oct 7, as well as a Michael W. Smith concert on Oct. 13 and a Beach Boys concert, Oct. 8.
For more information on livestock shows, visit the Sept. 27, 2007 article, Cheerleader shows heifer at Fresno Fair. For more information about the Fresno Fair, check out their Web site.