Nelson Family Blog: The Turner County Fair

We went right from the wedding into the fair. Literally, on Sunday, we woke up, drove home, unpacked, repacked, and then headed to the fair.

I actually stayed home on Sunday to do laundry, unpack all the bags, and catch up at home. The kids and John headed to the fair to get the animals and projects checked in, and enjoy the free supper. They also got settled into the camper, and spent the night.

On Monday, I came out in the morning because Emma and I had to help with the 4-H judging with the safety posters and hobby binders. It was long and boring like last year, and Emma ditched me after a couple of hours. My parents came to the fair at around 10:00 am, and they had fun walking around, seeing the projects, and enjoying the fair. They also got to watch the kids show their bunnies. The rabbit show was at 3:00pm. Emma's rabbit got a red ribbon, but she got third place in showmanship, so that was exciting. Elliott got a blue ribbon on his bunny, and didn't place in showmanship, but I was proud of him for doing it. Mom and Dad stayed until around 5:00pm, and then they headed home, and we headed to town for open house for school. We got the kids settled into their desks, talked with the teachers, and got them signed up for everything they need for the school year.

We all slept at home and took showers on Monday night, and then we had to get up really early and head back to the fair for our 4-H stand shift. It started at 0630 and went until 11:30am. It was a fairly busy morning, and we were all pretty tired after out shift. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We walked around, looked at exhibits, rode a couple rides, and ate some fair food. John headed back home for the night, and I stayed in the camper with the kids.

Wednesday was another full day at the fair without any real agenda. We went to the Zoo mobile show at Heritage Park and learned about some animals. Then, we did some bunny chores, walked around, hung out at the camper, and ate some more fair food. I did volunteer and sell some ride tickets in the office for a couple of hours with Emma. That evening, we met up with Jeff and Samantha to have supper and hang out. The kids showed them all their projects, including Elliott's Champion Chicken photo. Then, we all played some Bingo for the evening. After bingo, Katie and I went back to Sioux Falls for the night while John stayed in the camper with the kids. I was ready for a night at home in my own bed.

On Thursday, we took our time heading back to the fair and made it back there at around lunch time. John was volunteering and driving golf cart, so the kids and I spent some time on the fairgrounds. By the last day, we were all pretty faired out. But, it was a great fair, the kids did well and had fun, and the weather was beautiful. Thursday night we picked up projects and bunnies around 9pm, and then called it a night.

Friday was a pack up and catch up day. We packed up the camper and campsite, and then headed home. We did some laundry, cleaned, and enjoyed being home. I also gave blood at Remedy, while John had a beer or two. We also took a trip to Sam's Club to get snacks and groceries for school starting again. We made quite a haul, but got a lot of good stuff.

On Saturday, we took the kids to River Fest. John and I actually volunteered while at River Fest. I worked the Beer tent from 4-7:30pm and John worked from 7:30-11:00pm. I had fun working in the beer tent, and then I got to take the kids around at River Fest and enjoy all the activities. There was an Art bus that was pretty cool, and a nice green area that had spinning chairs, beanbags, and other activities. I bought the kids some shaved ice, and we just walked around and looked at things for a while. It was a really fun evening and the kids really enjoyed themselves.

Sunday was another busy day (do they ever end?). We had church, and then we had the Kick off to Christian Education. We had a couple bouncy houses, a beanbag tournament, Gorilla Vanilla Ice Cream Truck, and a hamburger and hotdog supper. It was a fun, busy, afternoon.

Finally, after that crazy week, we had the rest of the day to relax. We just chilled at home. We finished the Home Improvement series, which was a big milestone, and then we just enjoyed a quite, lazy evening.