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"There have been several fairs in the state that were denied funding this year and were forced to cancel their festivities,"4-H president Dee Miller stated. "We were told back in March that our funding had been cut as well, but it was later reinstated. Since the fair is free to the public, a funding cut would have really impacted 4-H and the Fair Board hard." Although the direct funding to the fair was reinstated in early spring, the state fair budget cuts still had an impact on the Fair Board.

"Some of our funding was lacking just due to money being channeled away from state fairs,"Fair Board president Theresa Cole explained. "Budget cuts trickle down on us even if we are receiving continued funding; we just had to work with what we had."

With less funding came less community attendance as the fair saw some of its lowest head counts in years.

"Anyone who was there had a really great time,"Cole said. "With a lack of funding came a lack of advertising and I think that caused a big problem with public outreach. There were so many activities lined up for families to enjoy; the problem was getting the families there to enjoy them."

The 4-H still put on its annual market livestock auction on Friday night, but the numbers dwindled there as well.

"We had 28 animal projects that were sold, which is down from previous years,"Miller said. "The kids involved with 4-H raise their animal from birth and are required to keep a record book of the animal's feeding care costs as well as a record of the animals weight over the years. Once the animal sells, the student can see how they profited from raising and selling the animal."

Miller emphasized that 4-H is a rounded organization and people involved learn about more than just animals.

"People are under the impression that 4-H is only involved in livestock, but there is so much more to what we do. 4-H is about learning life skills, and with farming becoming less and less common 4-H has gone into other areas to reach young people such as sports and different forms of arts and crafts,"Miller said. "What we're trying to do is get people away from the concept that the fair is just about animals. We want to reach everyone in the county, that's what is most important."

The fair is taking this years setbacks in stride, however, as the fair board and 4-H have big plans for the future.

"We're working on getting a lot more entertainment for next year,"Cole said. "We're going to have contests, music, dancing and just a lot more activity for the public to enjoy. Everyone on the Fair Board has had good ideas to make next year's fair better and we're confident in the changes we'll be making. As always the budget will be tight, but I think we have enough good ideas to get the ball rolling for next year."

The Fair Board is looking for volunteers to be a part of the Fair Association in order to help with planning for next year. Anyone interested in helping should call Fair Board President Theresa Cole at 231-584-2587.