For the past 4 years Emma has been awarded state fair trips with either a rabbit or a building exhibit and it is something she holds with great honor. So this year as we prepared for the county fair we took the leap of faith that she would once again be rewarded and be in the state fair line up with one of her rabbits and decided to also have her enter rabbits into the Open Class competition, which occurs during the 4H livestock encampment. Well, she had 2 rabbits in the state fair line-up and Minnesota State Fair bound were the Carters!
For livestock encampment, livestock must be checked in and in place by 8 PM on Wednesday night before the fair begins. While trying to hold tight to the few vacation hours I have following maternity leave, I worked that morning before heading out in the afternoon. This left Bob and Emma to get everything in order and lined up, ready to pack the van! Bob did a great job packing and the girls even had wiggle room in the back along with 6 rabbits, a double stroller, a cot, sleeping bag and clothing for 4 days! Amazing! (We had a roof mount luggage bag ready just in case...) Finally at 3:30 we were on the road and headed East on Hwy 212 for the Twin Cities.
Livestock check-in includes verification that you brought the animal you were awarded to bring and receive your cage number. Emma caught up with her fellow club members and co-rabbit project entrants to get cages setup and everything in place for herdsmanship judging! Yep, twice a day during the fair the kids are judged on how well the kids are taking care of their animals and the surrounding area. You never know when they will judge, so you try to check-in frequently.
Thursday was day 1 of the Minnesota State Fair! It was warm but breezy. Joelle was beyond overwhelmed and sought the comfort of her nukie whenever we would give in. Aryn handled it like a trooper and continued to smile at everyone! The rabbit project kids were up early to clean cages while shavings are available from 7-9 AM. We checked in with them at 8 and all was going well! And off they went to find some great deals as a group.
Thursday afternoon the kids filled their commitment to be present in the bunny booth! This is a time where they are available to answer questions people might have about rabbits and have the opportunity to pet them. In general, the rabbits are skittish at first, but calm down after a few minutes. It's a fun opportunity and another way for the club/county to earn points!
Thursday night the kids had their rabbit interviews to quiz their knowledge on rabbits and rabbits as a livestock project. All were happy when this piece was over...
Friday morning the kids ended up oversleeping and Bob and I and the little girls beat them to the barn! But they were on their way, walking from Bailey Hall to the livestock barns (they missed their shuttle bus). They still arrived in time to get fresh shavings and got everyone's cage cleaned up, rabbits fed and water dishes filled. And off to another day of adventure. Friday Katy came and joined us on this incredibly hot day to hang out at the State Fair. Did I mention it was hot??? We made the rounds this day and covered most of the things Katy wanted to take in, making the 4H kids check in with us at designated times.
Thursday and Friday also proved to be great times to catch up with my Aunt Paula Olander and my cousin Amy's children Annika and Dixon! What fun it was to see them 2 days in a row as they came to check on us, meet Aryn and see the rabbits!
Friday was also the Open Class Rabbit judging! It was fun to see our results at the end! This show is a little different where they have helpers assigned to bring rabbits to one of two judges setup in the wide aisle. You as the owner need not be present. Once judging is over we got the great surprise to see Hans, Emma's Senior Buck, take 2nd place in the Sr. Buck Holland Lop division and Whalen, Emma's Senior Doe, take 4th place in the Sr. Doe Holland Lop division! The juniors didn't place, but we did have a few people interested in them and sold one before leaving the fair! The smile on Emma's face when she saw the results was reason enough to continue to do this crazy state fair thing...
Friday night I got to do something new and served as a herdsmanship judge! Jessie Beckler and I completed this as a team and we learned a lot! This made for a later night getting back to the hotel, but everyone remained in good spirits and Joelle quickly fell asleep on her cot on this night.
Saturday morning was an early morning with the Rabbit Show starting at 8 AM. Emma, Steph, Sandy and Danny were at the barn early getting ready. We took our place around the very small sheep arena in the already hot building and waited to watch and listen for results. Here each 4Her enters in with their rabbit as their class is being called. Emma was in the Senior Doe Holland Lop category with Ponder. Ponder came home with a blue ribbon! Upon finishing the breed judging, the kids then compete in the showmanship judging. By 10 AM Emma's portion of the rabbit show was over. In the meantime my parents made it in to watch and listen and support Emma! Once the show is over and Emma has changed, we declare a day with family and we go to see a few more things around the fair! Once out and about the rain began, which sent people into the already hot and jam-packed buildings.
The rain came and went all day and we continued on as much as we could with 2 little girls. Joelle and Daddy made a "jewelry box" at the Home Depot Kids Workshop station. Emma and I debated what fair food sounded good for the day. Following supper the kids reconnected and we headed back to the hotel.
Sunday was the forever day and all you could think about was 3 PM and being able to head for home. In the meantime, we filled the day with great conversation with new found friends, sold a rabbit and talked about how and when we were going to pull off Operation Load and Leave! But we had a great interruption in the day with a visit with the Apple Valley Carters! It was fun to catch up with Bob's brother Ted, sister-in-law Kimber and our three nieces! Lucille, Bella and Elizabeth! I think they loved seeing Emma too!
Once loaded, Emma, the little girls, the rabbits and I waited for Bob to drive up to a drop-off area off of Como Ave. It worked pretty slick! By 4 PM we were on the road headed West. A stop at Baker's Square got us supper, Aryn fed, diapers changed and pie to go as we continued on our trip home. After being such a trooper for 4 days, Aryn had had enough of this sitting and being strapped in to something. We ended up taking another stop at Dairy Queen in Olivia for another diaper change, a stretch and beverages and then hit the final 30 miles to home. I don't know who was more excited to be home, the humans, the rabbits or the dogs to have their people home. The cats didn't really seem to care either way... typical cats.
But we survived and realized how nice it was to be in a quiet environment once again, in comfortable chairs and comfortable beds and air conditioning... That said, we already are looking at how to tackle the Minnesota State Fair in 2013... And maybe next year I'll take the time to complete my original plan and blog about each day as it happens and send out our recommendations to fair-goers!
For livestock encampment, livestock must be checked in and in place by 8 PM on Wednesday night before the fair begins. While trying to hold tight to the few vacation hours I have following maternity leave, I worked that morning before heading out in the afternoon. This left Bob and Emma to get everything in order and lined up, ready to pack the van! Bob did a great job packing and the girls even had wiggle room in the back along with 6 rabbits, a double stroller, a cot, sleeping bag and clothing for 4 days! Amazing! (We had a roof mount luggage bag ready just in case...) Finally at 3:30 we were on the road and headed East on Hwy 212 for the Twin Cities.
Livestock check-in includes verification that you brought the animal you were awarded to bring and receive your cage number. Emma caught up with her fellow club members and co-rabbit project entrants to get cages setup and everything in place for herdsmanship judging! Yep, twice a day during the fair the kids are judged on how well the kids are taking care of their animals and the surrounding area. You never know when they will judge, so you try to check-in frequently.
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| Chippewa County at the Bunny Booth! |
Thursday afternoon the kids filled their commitment to be present in the bunny booth! This is a time where they are available to answer questions people might have about rabbits and have the opportunity to pet them. In general, the rabbits are skittish at first, but calm down after a few minutes. It's a fun opportunity and another way for the club/county to earn points!
Thursday night the kids had their rabbit interviews to quiz their knowledge on rabbits and rabbits as a livestock project. All were happy when this piece was over...
 |
| Ponder |
Friday morning the kids ended up oversleeping and Bob and I and the little girls beat them to the barn! But they were on their way, walking from Bailey Hall to the livestock barns (they missed their shuttle bus). They still arrived in time to get fresh shavings and got everyone's cage cleaned up, rabbits fed and water dishes filled. And off to another day of adventure. Friday Katy came and joined us on this incredibly hot day to hang out at the State Fair. Did I mention it was hot??? We made the rounds this day and covered most of the things Katy wanted to take in, making the 4H kids check in with us at designated times.
Thursday and Friday also proved to be great times to catch up with my Aunt Paula Olander and my cousin Amy's children Annika and Dixon! What fun it was to see them 2 days in a row as they came to check on us, meet Aryn and see the rabbits!
 |
| Annika, Dixon, Emma, Joelle, Katy and Aryn |
Friday was also the Open Class Rabbit judging! It was fun to see our results at the end! This show is a little different where they have helpers assigned to bring rabbits to one of two judges setup in the wide aisle. You as the owner need not be present. Once judging is over we got the great surprise to see Hans, Emma's Senior Buck, take 2nd place in the Sr. Buck Holland Lop division and Whalen, Emma's Senior Doe, take 4th place in the Sr. Doe Holland Lop division! The juniors didn't place, but we did have a few people interested in them and sold one before leaving the fair! The smile on Emma's face when she saw the results was reason enough to continue to do this crazy state fair thing...
Friday night I got to do something new and served as a herdsmanship judge! Jessie Beckler and I completed this as a team and we learned a lot! This made for a later night getting back to the hotel, but everyone remained in good spirits and Joelle quickly fell asleep on her cot on this night.
 |
| Blue Ribbon! |
The rain came and went all day and we continued on as much as we could with 2 little girls. Joelle and Daddy made a "jewelry box" at the Home Depot Kids Workshop station. Emma and I debated what fair food sounded good for the day. Following supper the kids reconnected and we headed back to the hotel.
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| Carter Cousins! |
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| Happy Baby! |
Once loaded, Emma, the little girls, the rabbits and I waited for Bob to drive up to a drop-off area off of Como Ave. It worked pretty slick! By 4 PM we were on the road headed West. A stop at Baker's Square got us supper, Aryn fed, diapers changed and pie to go as we continued on our trip home. After being such a trooper for 4 days, Aryn had had enough of this sitting and being strapped in to something. We ended up taking another stop at Dairy Queen in Olivia for another diaper change, a stretch and beverages and then hit the final 30 miles to home. I don't know who was more excited to be home, the humans, the rabbits or the dogs to have their people home. The cats didn't really seem to care either way... typical cats.
But we survived and realized how nice it was to be in a quiet environment once again, in comfortable chairs and comfortable beds and air conditioning... That said, we already are looking at how to tackle the Minnesota State Fair in 2013... And maybe next year I'll take the time to complete my original plan and blog about each day as it happens and send out our recommendations to fair-goers!
What amazing memories! I am so proud of Emma and her rabbits- yes I am a sap and got teary eyed about how well she did!! I am hoping we can stop by and see you at the fair next year. :)
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