Some activities will continue during fair week – virtually
File photos by Tom Rivers: Rylie Lear of Waterport is shown during last year’s 4-H livestock auction on July 27,2019. This year’s event will be held online instead of in person. Bidding opened this morning and closes at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Chicken barbecue will be back Thursday with takeouts, drive-through only
Provided photo: Each 4-H member who participates in the fair will receive one of these ribbons, which is in a teal color. 4-H projects aren’t being judged this year. Joanie Gabalski of Byron is holding the ribbons.
KNOWLESVILLE – This week is fair week. Normally there would be about 5,000 people each day at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville.
But it’s pretty quiet with the event cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But it isn’t a total shutdown. 4-H kids still completed projects in family and consumer sciences, and those projects will be displayed in storefronts and public libraries in the county.
4-H’ers who completed those projects will receive a teal ribbon that proclaims them as a “Historic 2020 Orleans County 4-H Fair Participant.”
Members of the 4-H dog clubs also will be posting videos to a Facebook page for the dog clubs. Today the 4-H’ers will be introducing their dogs in the videos. On Tuesday and Wednesday, they will post videos of their dogs in costumes and also doing tricks.
They won’t be judged, but it is a way for the 4-Hers to stay connected during what is normally a week that is the culmination of the 4-H year.
About 75 to 100 members of the 4-H program are expected to be active in some way during this “virtual” fair week.
That includes a 4-H livestock auction. That is normally on Saturday, the last day of the fair, with a big crowd in one of the livestock barns. This year it will be a week-long auction. Bidding started online today at 9 a.m. and continues until 7 p.m. on Saturday.
The Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orleans County teamed with Bontrager Auction Service in Batavia for the sale.
The auction includes 19 lots of steer, hogs, lambs, goats, poultry and rabbits. Click here for more information.
“We’re curious to see how it goes,” said Kristina Gabalski, the 4-H program coordinator. “It will be very different.”
4-Hers will still be connecting with bidders, trying to line up support for the auction.
Gabalski said 4-Hers also will receive a T-shirt if they participate during the week in some way. The 4-Hers also are gathering items to put in a time capsule from this historic fair. Gabalski said hand sanitizer and a toilet paper roll will be included in the capsule.
One popular event will be at the fairgrounds. The chicken barbecue will be served from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday. It will be takeout and drive-through only. For more information, click here.
Nicole Mrzywka of Holley gets ready to lead a dairy animal into the show ring during the grand master showman competition last July 26. Nicole finished as the reserve master showman for the fourth straight year. The popular event won’t happen at the fair this year due to Covid-19.
