Finally Enjoying the Fair with Family and Friends

After three years of being a Glasgow resident, I was finally able to make it to the NEMT Fair. I had always thought of the fair as being an exclusive event for 4-H kids to sell their livestock, for buyers who had an interest in purchasing livestock, for a 4-H family to submit entries to showcase their talents and for families with older children to participate in the carnival rides. Since I have no idea what 4-H is, don’t have a need to purchase livestock, and have small children, I never thought I would have a need or even an interest to attend.

Boy did I have a narrow-minded view of what the NEMT fair is all about! This year, I was asked to take pictures of the Rosette winners (which will be profiled in our next issue) and was blown away at the talent of our residents, big and small. I saw works of art from preschoolers, from elementary students, even adults who found a Pinterest idea online and put their own spin on it. I saw quilts, bags, pillows that were handmade and could certainly tell were made from the heart. I saw amazing images that children and adults took photographs of. I smelled and saw tasty pies, breads and cookies.

It was unknown to me until talking to supervisors and participants that anyone can submit an entry. It’s not just limited to 4-H, 4-H families, or even 4-H alumni. Anyone who has an interest and has ties to Northeast Montana is welcome to enter. Anyone who is interested just needs to grab a fair book, read through it to find a department and category that interests you, and create something. Anything!

After taking pictures, talking to the participants and supervisors of the various departments, I couldn’t stop talking about the amount of talent that I saw. I even brought my whole family to the fair the next day to have them see for themselves the different categories that we could participate in for next year. As we were walking through the different buildings, taking in all of the entries, I saw my husband’s eyes light up at the possibilities for entering. We have decided that over the upcoming fall, winter and early summer months we are going to process what we saw, and submit our own entries into the fair next summer.

We are going to make it a family event. I have a three-year old who can make a drawing, who can catch a grasshopper, who can take photographs and with a little help from Mom and Dad, bake cookies. All of these projects she can submit and have a chance to win Best of Fair. I have a 10-month-old son, who will be closer to two next summer, who will also be able to create artwork, color a picture, and maybe with help, bake something. My husband is an amateur photographer, consistently learning new tricks and tools of the trade. He can’t wait to take pictures of the environment around him and submit those photos for a chance at Best of Fair. Me, I would love to just get creative, however that may be.

Submitting an entry into the fair will not only teach my children about hard work, but it will also help them hone in on their talents. They will be able to create something, be proud of something, and even learn about successes and failures.

For those who might have had a narrow-minded view of the NEMT fair, it’s not all about 4-H, carnival rides, or even the food. It’s about all of that and so much more.