John Spreng, OFMA District 5 Representative, welcomed me to the fair. He showed me the flower beds around the fairground that the different 4-H Clubs had decorated to fit the fair's theme of "the beach". There was a very neat youth activity building where younger children could see baby animals, ride on kiddie pedal tractors through a straw bale maze, or play in the corn-box (instead of sand it was corn grains). The Sale of Champions was taking place and I heard, unofficially, that over $35,000 was pledged from sponsors and exhibitors to be put towards a new barn. I met the king and queen, Nick and Sarah, at the sale. I also met the prince, Dwight, and the queen attendant, Clarissa. The beef queen, Katelyn, was also in attendance at the sale. I had the opportunity to say hello to the fair-goers at the sale and thank them for their support of the exhibitors and the fair. I visited the horse fun show and talked with exhibitors about their horses and costumes. A Christian concert was taking place in the grandstand and it drew quite a crowd! In addition to watching a little bit of the concert, John treated me to my very first lemonade shake-up of the fair season. The Junior Fair Board was also hosting a dance for all youth as a fundraiser for the 4-H program. There were kids of all ages in attendance, and one of the first dances was the Macarena.
