Cornell in the community: Tips from the 4-H office, County Fair edition

SuBMiTTED By TESS SOuThERn 4-h edUCator –Madison CoUnty

Most 4-H Educators will tell you that county fair is not just about cotton candy, corn dogs and rides, but more about the experiences that 4-H youth exhibitors have while they participate at fair. This year the Madison County Fair begins on Thursday, July 6 and runs through Sunday, July 9 in Brookfield at the fairgrounds.

As always, you will find 4-H youth with animals in the barn and show ring or find their projects on display in the Larkin Building. As we descend upon fair season, we want to remind our 4-H families and the local community about a few things…

Focus on the experience

4-H families spend countless hours preparing for fair. From practicing with animals to creating projects, finalizing paperwork and so much more, youth and their families are prepping and planning months in advance. Youth are focusing on the experience and opportunities! 4-H is about having fun, learning, exploring, and discovering. In 4-H, young people make new friends, develop new skills, become leaders, and help shape their communities.

4-H members should remember that this is a good time to learn and grow, try not to be too hard on yourselves.

Community members can help by asking questions about the process and supporting youth by watching shows, looking at projects which are on display, or by volunteering with 4-H.

Lead by example

Good sportsmanship and a positive attitude go a long way in the show ring and at the judges table during county fair. This goes for everyone – 4-H members, leaders, educators, and judges. Remember that the public is looking to us as experts in our fields, so even through the stresses of the week, take time to show everyone why being a 4-H’er and attending county fair is so great.

4-H members should remember that everyone who has a project at the fair has worked hard to be there, if you disagree with the outcome, turn it into a learning opportunity. Ask the judge what areas you could improve upon for the next year and end your conversation with a hearty “thank you” and a handshake. Community members can help by cheering on youth in times of struggle and success. Fair week is just a few days but those memories will last a lifetime.

Take time to reflect… and join in the fun! 4-H members - Sit back and reflect upon your time spent at fair. Maybe ask yourself some questions: What went well? How can you improve for next year? What additional opportunities would you like to experience through the year to prepare for the following year? All of these will help you grow as a 4-H’er. Do not forget to take time to have fun too. Ride a few rides, eat some fair foods, and learn a new card game with your friends in the show barn. years. kept its core together, including coach Michael Malone, and added some key pieces to put together the best record in the Western Conference and a dominant 2023 postseason run.

Community members –Take time to reflect on all you witnessed at fair. Think about the dedication you saw by 4-H members who were caring for their animals each day. The creativity and skill that you were able to see as you looked through all of the projects in the 4-H building. Maybe consider how your own skills and talents can be used through 4-H as a volunteer, or maybe just encourage others to join 4-H or volunteer.

Did you know that 4-H members are two times more likely to make healthier choices and four times more likely to give back to their communities? Participating at county fair is just a small part of the way youth can interact with 4-H in NYS. Contact Madison County Cornell Cooperative Extension with questions about how to join or volunteer and we look forward to seeing each of you at the county and state fairs this summer.

No one took more than two games from the Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in the conference finals and needed just five to put away the Heat.

What’s more, while it was true that Jokic (with his 30-20-10 triple doubles) and Murray (just as potent) were the main threats, every single player hustled, played defense and did small and big things along the way.

It was rare to find anyone who had a bad thing to say about the Nuggets at the end. They were that good.

The same could be said of the Golden Knights, who inaugurated major professional sports in a city the top leagues had avoided for decades given the central role of gambling and casinos in the Vegas ecosystem.

But then Vegas reached the finals in its inaugural 2017-18 season and, by doing so, showed that Sin City could multitask and get away from the card tables for some other action besides prizefights. Soon the Raiders showed up from Oakland, and the A’s are about to do the same.

Yeah, it helped that Vegas had a far better collection of talent to choose from than previous NHL expansion teams, but that wouldn’t matter much unless management was sound and the front office was willing to (sorry) gamble.

Vegas wasn’t afraid to part with mainstays like Marc-Andre Fleury and switch coaches, hiring Bruce Cassidy after the Boston Bruins let him go, and was equally bold in grabbing disgruntled Jack Eichel from Buffalo and making him love hockey again.

Then, after missing the playoffs in 2022, Vegas put it all together this season, content to let others (like the Bruins and Oilers) face the pressure and, utilizing all of its depth, wore down and overwhelmed everyone come playoff time.

Vegas loved every second of it, especially the evening the Cup was clinched.

For all the noise inside the arena, there were tens of thousands more outside, getting louder and louder as each of the nine goals scored brought Vegas closer to Lord Stanley’s silver.

In those moments, it was difficult to gin up the sort of bitterness and jealousy such a quick ascent by a franchise could evoke, though I’m sure fans in Buffalo (to name one place) would wish that they could have something similar after waiting more than 50

Every night is one to party in Las Vegas, but perhaps only the 1990 NCAA basketball title won by UNLV ever compared to this one where the home folks, and not the tourists, brought the revelry.

Whether the Denver Nuggets or Vegas Golden Knights get to the top again, their fans will look back to the same time in mid-June 2023 when what they once imagined, for years or for decades, turned into sweet reality.

Phil Blackwell is sports editor at Eagle News. He can be reached at pblackwell@ eaglenewsonline.com.

Spiritual Experiences