It Can’t be OVER!

How fast this summer has gone! This was our last adventure of the summer!


Otoe Co. Fair- Syracuse



On Wednesday, August 18 we headed to the Otoe County Fair in Syracuse! We got there for the parade and drove through with 4-Hers and Sarah Purcell, Otoe County Extension Educator, throwing candy. Once the parade was over we went to the fairgrounds and set up beside the food area, hoping to catch the lunch crowd!

Like in Cass County we set up with the CWF kids and their shed they were raffling off as well! We had good luck, selling raffle tickets for both! We enjoyed the afternoon talking to fair-goers and the 4-Hers planning to go on the CWF trip next year.

When we finished up we headed back to Lincoln for a day off between fairs! Thanks Otoe County!

Chase Co. Fair- Imperial



Molly left Lincoln in the truck and worked her way west to pick up Reese Friday morning. Reese was in Alma helping her boyfriend move into his new house! Once Molly got to Alma and picked up Reese we hit open road! We have been highlighting all the roads we’ve been driving on this summer on our map and this chunk of Nebraska was highlighter-free! It was exciting to be in new territory!

When we got to the Chase County Fair in Imperial we set up in an excellent location right inside the edge of their sale arena barn. This was the fair’s 125th Anniversary!

The sale started around two and the announcer gave us shout outs all through it! There was also another table set up with 4-H Council member selling tickets by where the people picked up there sale number and cashed out when it was over! It was a great place to be and they sold lots of tickets for us too! Reese’s friend Jake hung out with us and helped us sell tickets too! He even hooked us up with 125th Anniversary koozies! There were purple, blue and red ones… ribbon colors! How clever!

Once the sale was over we moved closer to the flow of traffic in the central part of the fairgrounds. We were so impressed with the Chase County grounds keeper! There were beautiful landscaping displays all over the fair! The flowers were all blooming and it just gave the place a festive feel!

We hit the road to Ogallala to stay for the evening and got to watch another beautiful sunset in western Nebraska! Once we got to Ogallala we went out for a nice supper to celebrate a successful summer!


Grant Co. Fair- Hyannis




Bright and early in the morning we headed to our LAST COUNTY FAIR of the summer. Number 42! It was crazy driving on curvy Highway 61/92 for the last time. We were both in awe of the fact that it felt like we just went to the Franklin County Fair last week! Our first fair! And now we were going to our last. Sad. ☹

We got to the Grant County Fairgrounds in Hyannis and lined up for the parade! We were number 19 in the lineup with a few after us! Impressive for such a small community! After the parade we went back to the fairgrounds and set up by the grandstand where the rodeo was going on! We caught a good crowd over the lunch break and even got to have some of our favorite shaved ice! We had it in Frontier County, they are based out of Sidney and top their shaved ice with whipped cream and a gummy bear! They made us feel young again! ☺

We enjoyed the Grant County Fair and were sad to see it, our last county fair, in our rear-view mirror. Thanks!

Pampering Ourselves



We headed back to Ogallala to take the interstate back and stopped at the Cowboy Museum! It was a stamp in our passports! After refueling the truck and refueling us with a couple Dr. Peppers we headed to Kearney!

We decided to pamper ourselves after living out of our suitcases for the last 2 months by getting manicures and pedicures! We stopped and got iced coffees (our summer obsession) and went to the mall for our appointment! It was so relaxing and got us ready for school to start on Monday!

Molly grabbed a bite to eat with her family and Ben picked up Reese and they went back to Alma! The last stretch of interstate went fast and the truck was back in Lincoln after a quick summer on the road! Crazy that portion is over! Now we’re headed to state fair!

Come see us on the south side of the 4-H Pavilion parked outside the doors to get your raffle tickets at state fair! August 27 through September 6 in Grand Island!

Molly's Solo Flight

Loup County – Taylor

Since Reese went back home to Iowa for one of her best friend’s – Kate – wedding, I was left all alone for the weekend! On Saturday, I took the interstate, Hi-way 281, and Hi-way 91 all the way to Taylor for the Loup County Fair. Upon my arrival, I set up shop on the street next to the square. That night they were having their premium livestock auction – in the middle of town on the road by the way! The Loup County 4-H program has about 50 members out of the 80 kids who attend the Loup County Schools. Great percentage! After the auction, I had a couple of 4-Hers keep me company as we waited in route for the Parade. The theme of the parade was ‘Take time to…” One of my favorite floats was for a Nail/Spa place with a college aged guy soaking his feet in a bubble bath with the theme of “Take time to…relax!” Once we drove through the parade, Extension Educator Jan, helped me sell tickets for a while before I had to head out. Thanks Loup County! We sold several tickets!

That night, I drove to Spalding to stay with my family friends – the Cockerills. We had a great time catching up and spending a lazy Sunday morning together!



Seward County – Seward

Around noon, I left and headed to Seward for the Seward County Fair. This was the last day of the fair so several 4-H members and families were cleaning up and taking home their exhibits and animals. That evening there was a demo derby which brought in a lot of generous people who bought tickets! A big thanks goes to Tammy Stuhr – Extension Assistant – who helped me set up and sell tickets! After the crowd died down, I headed down Hi-way 34 back to Lincoln.

Another Journey

Greeley County – Spalding

About mid morning on Tuesday, August 10th we left Lincoln and headed over to Spalding for the Greeley County Fair. We parked next to the livestock arena where the Beef Show was taking place. After the beef show, we sat up shop next to the grandstand where a singer from Branson was to perform.

We were also next to the 4-H Food Stand. They make 75 homemade pies every morning – and boy were they yummy! Before the concert began, Greeley County sponsored a Children’s Parade and Car/Tractor Show. It drew a large crowd making ticket sales a piece of cake! It was also a beautiful evening at the fair! We had a great time with the Central Four (Greeley, Valley, Sherman, and Howard Counties) 4-H Staff and we were sad to leave them!

After the fair, we headed to Halsey to stay at the 4-H Camp one last time. However, as we were almost there, we decided to continue our way to Valentine to cut back on our driving time in the morning. Once in Valentine, we stopped at the Motel 8 only to find that it had a ‘No Vacancy’ sign on their door. We then traveled over to Comfort Inn only to find out that they were full also, but luckily, they had another hotel under the same ownership just down the road. So finally, we ended up sleeping at the Dunes Inn & Suites. Thanks ladies for making our stay great!



In the morning, we had an extra hour and half to sight see before we needed to head to Gordon so we decided to get a couple more stamps in our Nebraska Passport! Our first stop was Smith Falls State Park – Nebraska’s newest State Park! It was also our first experience with a waterfall! Did you know there are1,302 gallons of water that pass over the falls a minute from 7 springs that are 3 miles away from Smith Falls? After getting our stamp at the visitor center, we hiked our way to the fall about a half-mile away. What a beautiful landscape and scenery! So pretty! Our next stop was the Niobrara State Park a couple miles down the road. We didn’t have much time to spare here, but we both plan on coming back to site see more!



Sheridan County – Gordon

After our tours of a couple of Nebraska’s State Parks, we drove the entire length of Cherry County (Nebraska’s largest county,) which by the way took an hour, to the town of Gordon located in Sheridan County. Waiting for arrival at the fairgrounds were 10 4-Hers and parents ready to sell tickets! We had such a great, enthusiastic group - selling tickets was a breeze! Thank you Sheridan County! We had such a great time!



During the fair, a couple of the 4-Her’s had a shake from a local store in town called the Covered Wagon. They raved about how amazing they were, so we just had to stop before we left. What a neat experience! The restaurant (well drive-thru) was shaped just like a covered wagon, and you drove through it to order and pickup your food! Reese ordered a Crème de Mint shake and Molly had a Peanut Butter shake and we shared a mix veggie basket. Talk about amazing! We might just have to make a special trip back to Gordon just for their shakes!

Rock-Brown County – Bassett

We hurried our way back across Cherry county, through Brown county and over to Rock county for the Rock-Brown County Fair in Bassett. We crashed the 4-H family barbecue and later checked out the team roping across the way. Thanks Rock-Brown for having us out! That night we went back to our friend Mary’s house in O’Neill.



Holt County – Chambers

We left O’Neill around 9:30 AM to head to Chambers. The Holt County members were very welcoming to us – the Fair Board members were very helpful and friendly!! We had a great location in between the food stand and show arena. The fairgrounds were busy with 4-H members and parents checking in 4-H projects and participating in the dog show. Holt County even had their own water bottles! The design was very unique and creative! We vote that Holt County has the best public bathrooms as well! Megan Lubke, the Extension Assistant, made an awesome announcement about the 4-H Truck Raffle for us across the entire PA system! Thanks! We had lots of fun!



Cass County – Weeping Water

We traveled almost for 5 hours all the way to Weeping Water zig zagging across the state after we left Chambers. We were lucky to have a great spot next to the Tractor Pull which pulled in several hundreds of people even in the dreaded heat! We had a couple of CWF members selling tickets with us to help raise money for their trip. Along with the 4-H Truck, they also had a large shed donated by a 4-H Parent out of Richardson County whose kid was going on the trip as well. We made a great pair! After a few hours in the heat, we headed back to Lincoln for the night. Molly had Orientation for her school job at the Burr Hall Front Desk and Reese left to go back to Iowa for one of her friend’s wedding! It was sure nice to sleep in our own beds for a change!

On the road again! (Part Two)

Antelope Co. Fair- Neligh

After leaving Halsey about 7 a.m. we headed to Neligh for the Antelope County Fair. After gassing up and cleaning all the bugs off of our windshield, it seems to just rain bugs when we drive at night, we pulled into the fairgrounds.

We met up with the Extension Educator Anita and she directed us to the 4-H exhibit hall for the day! It was great weather and we enjoyed our shade. The rabbit and poultry show were in progress and the announcer would give us a shout out ever now and then… thanks! There was quite the crowd for the poultry show, there were over 130 entries total! Biggest Poultry Show Award: Antelope County!

We enjoyed chatting with Anita and checking out all the building exhibits! They had over 30 decorated tables and she said it was their “cattle show” in the building! ☺ They were all very creative! As we were tearing down we got a visit from our friend Ben Beckman and he gave us a hand! Thanks!

Antelope County was a fun, laid back morning and we thoroughly enjoyed Anita, thanks for all your help! Keep selling tickets!

More Stamps!

On our way from Neligh to Ord we hit up a few more stops on our passports! We took another county road to get to one of them… I don’t think we’ll ever learn! It was twisty-turny, hilly, gravel road but we made it!

Fort Hartsuff was an old military fort that used to be the hub of activity for the area. It was a private farm headquarters for a while but it was eventually donated to the NRCS and is now open to the public! It was interesting to see all the old buildings and their various purposes throughout the years!

Our next stamp was at the Happy Jack Chalk Mines in Scotia. Correction, outside of Scotia, we toured the town and finally asked a nice man on the street where it was before discovered it was a few miles further down the road! Once we made it though we got to see the mine shafts and got our stamps! Stamp Total: 9. We got our free T-Shirt!



Valley Co. Fair- Ord

We got to the Valley County Fair in Ord about the time their free BBQ started! Their building was very impressive. Inside of it was two show arenas, the food stand, 4-H exhibit area and at the far end their actual Extension Office! Right there on the fair grounds! Very convenient.

We set up in a hot parking lot beside the kid’s inflatables and the area set up for the cake auction and live entertainment later. Their cake auction was outrageous! It was a “big deal” according to the locals! 90% of the proceeds went to the 4-Her and the other 10% went to Valley County. The grand champion cake went first and set the cap for all the cakes. It sold for almost $800! A CAKE! They all sold for over $350! What an excellent way to raise money for the kids!

We sold tickets and then packed up to head to Hooper for the night! We stayed with our friend Z! Thanks for letting us hang out!



Burt Co. Fair- Oakland

On our way to Oakland we stopped in Bancroft at the John G. Neidhart State Historical Museum. It was interesting to see all of his literary works! He is the official Nebraska poet. We got a stamp in our passports, number 10!

We got to the Burt Co. Fair and met up with their Extension Educator Mary. It was their livestock day and there were lots of people everywhere! We set up right in front of the 4-H Exhibit Hall and caught a large portion of the traffic to the show ring.

Burt County was very generous and the tickets were an easy sell! It was a very 4-H focused county with the Exhibit Hall being the center point! We enjoyed all the people that went through. We would like to award Mary with the Best Loud Speaker Announcement! She was awesome and generated ticket sales too!

They had the best food stand set up we’ve seen too! It was an entire serving line and you got what you wanted and then paid for everything at the end. There were tons of tables set up too. We went at about 1:30 p.m. because the line went on forever right around noon! The food was great too, Molly had a taco salad, the best she’d ever had supposedly, and Reese had a hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes! We were stuffed but oh was it GOOD!

We had so much fun in Burt County, it was great to just chat with people and enjoy the morning! It was our most productive morning yet! Thank you so much Mary for your help, we really enjoyed getting to know you!




Douglas/Sarpy County- Springfield

We headed from Oakland down to Fremont, through Omaha (eek) and into Springfield. The directions we got from the educator were from Lincoln so we just navigated ourselves and we felt a little lost for a bit but in truth we were always on the right roads and drove straight there! We shouldn’t have doubted ourselves!

We got to Springfield, washed the truck at the car wash which was right next to the fairgrounds. We then met up with the Extension Educators and got set up next to the shooting sports. There was a rodeo starting about 8 p.m. so we caught some of that crowd. We got to chat with 4-H families and it sounded like they were having a good fair.

Lil’ Green was there and we got our picture taken with him! He even tried to get in the truck… for some reason he didn’t quite fit in the drivers seat! We also had a 4-Her come visit us with her rabbit, they were cute!

We headed back to Lincoln and it was the shortest drive to where we were going to stay for the night! It felt very strange to get out of the truck after 45 minutes! We are becoming seasoned drivers it seems, 3 hour commute to our next location is short!



Lancaster Co. “Super” Fair- Lincoln

We hit up the Lancaster County Fair in Lincoln on Sunday… what a HOT day! We were set up in a parking lot and I think an oven would’ve been cooler!

We were next to “Daryl’s Racing Pigs” and got to watch them run around the track for their prize, Koolaid! It was a crowd drawer and everyone enjoyed picking their favorite pig! We were also next to the Rabbits R Us 4-H Club dunk tank! It was entertaining watching them fall in the water and after sitting out there for hours we were a little jealous too!

On the road again! (Part One)

Well we had a lovely two days off! Reese stayed in Lincoln while her family took a mini vacation and came to Lincoln to see her and Ben! It was great to see them and it would have been nice if they could have terrorized Lincoln for just a little bit longer with Reese! Haha. Molly went home to see her family back in Minden. Her brother – Peter – was leaving for college Friday! It was a quick trip, but worth the drive! It’s funny how on our days off, we still drive! ☺

To start this journey, we first met our NEW Executive Director of the Nebraska 4-H Foundation – Stuart Shepherd. Welcome to the staff! We are excited to be working with you!




Custer County Fair – Broken Bow

We took Highway 2 all the way to Broken Bow for the Custer County Fair. We set up shop next to the Livestock Arena where the 4-H and FFA Beef Show was going on. What a huge crowd for such an event! We didn’t think we were going to be there long, so we didn’t put up the tent. However, it got very hot – so we decided to put it up anyways.

After the beef show, we moved next to the Grand Stand where several vendors were located. It was a good location right next to the tickets for the concert and food! We took a calorie dive and tried the deep fat fried Oreos! They were great but oh so bad for us!!!

We were neighbors’ to a local coffee shop stand – The Secret Garden. It was amazing! Reese had a Caramel-Heath Mocha and Molly had a Java Chip Mocha – the best iced coffee we have had all summer! We enjoyed our 4-H company for the evening. They were great help! Thank you!

On the way into town, we heard on the radio that Sammy Kershaw was playing that evening at the fair. We thought it would be fun, so we bought tickets and had a great time! Gotta love the unexpected County Fair entertainment.

After the concert we hit the road again for a long drive to O’Neill! We had an exciting first on the drive… our first ROADKILL! We took out an opossum! That helped make the drive go quick and before we knew it we got to our friend Mary Peetz’s house! It was great to see her!

In the morning Mary’s stepmom made us awesome waffles with strawberries and blueberries and fresh ground coffee on the side! After much needed showers and a little internet time we got on the road for a little sight seeing before the fair!



NEBRASKA’S Byways Passport Program

We’ve decided to participate in the Nebraska’s Byways Passport Program and we are having a great time! This summer the Federal Highway Administration and the Nebraska Department of Roads with assistance from the Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism are sponsoring the Passport Program to increase tourism within the state along scenic byways!

In a nutshell you take your passport book to a variety of listed tourism stops along the 9 Scenic Byways in Nebraska and get stamps! At every stop you get two stamps, one in your book and one on a tear-out sheet in the back. On the 30th of September you mail in your passport tear-out sheet to get prizes! 9 stamps: Nebraska’s Byways T-Shirt; 18 stamps: Digital Photo Frame; 27 stamps (full book): FLIP Video Camera. We are shooting for T-Shirts and Digital Photo Frames! Go to their website at www.visitnebraska.gov/scenic-byways.

The passport program is great for us because we are traveling all over the state anyways! This is giving our sight seeing some direction! There is so much to see and with our passports we are hitting places we wouldn’t have taken the time to stop at and plus we are getting rewarded for our efforts. Every time we get a stamp we celebrate! It’s a lot of fun!

Our passport adventure started in Alliance! We picked up our books at Carhenge and went to the Knight Museum there too! We got stamps for both! When we stopped at Fort Robinson on our way to Harrison we also got a stamp!





Boyd County Fair- Spencer

We headed out early for the fair and went the Niobrara State Park on the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway. We got a passport stamp and bought a state park season pass…. it’s now in the truck so the winner also gets that! We drove all over the park and stopped at a great overlook for a picnic lunch!

Our view looked out over the Missouri River and amazing bluffs. (Confession, we thought we were looking at the Niobrara River! We were at the Niobrara State Park! We even commented on how big it was, saying how they must have really been hit with rain early this summer! It wasn’t until we were on the road looking at the map that we realized our mistake… duh!)

On the way to Spencer we stopped along the road and stuck our feet in the edge of the ACTUAL Niobrara! ☺ When we got to Spencer and easily found their fairgrounds got set up between two picnic shelters!

They were having a free watermelon feed, good stuff! We had a great guy about our grandpas’ age helping us out getting all his friends to sell tickets! After they wrapped up the watermelon they had minnow races! They were quite the draw for the kids and their parents!

After we packed up we made a round through the exhibit buildings to see if anyone wanted tickets. We ran into the Boyd County 4-H Council president and asked her to buy a ticket. It turned into a great conversation with us explaining it all her. Since one specific group in the county wasn’t selling them yet she decided that the truck raffle would be an excellent fundraiser for the council. Apparently they are trying to buy a sound system for the fair and they are going to sell tickets with their portion of the sales going to a fund for it!

We enjoyed Boyd County and hope the 4-H Council sells lots of tickets! We crawled in the truck once again and headed to Halsey for the night. Since we were only 6 miles from the South Dakota border we thought we take the truck up there! Gotta get a picture with the truck and the South Dakota sign!

Touring!

We got up bright and early in the morning and left the 4-H Camp for a morning of touring! We didn’t have to be in Mitchell for the Scottsbluff County Fair until 4 so we planned on being able to see some Western Nebraska attractions!

Before we left the Nebraska National Forest in Halsey we stopped by the office and added another stamp to our passports!



Our first stop was in Bridgeport to see Jail House and Court House Rocks! Very impressive! We continued on our journey west to Gering to see one of Nebraska’s most famous features…. Chimney Rock! You can see it for miles but we actually drove to the visitor center and the view was awesome! We went inside and actually got to stamp our passport books ourselves! They had a whole stand set up for it!



Next on our list was Scottsbluff National Monument! What used to be called the “Gateway to the West” was one of the most impressive things we’ve ever seen. The bluffs were breathtaking and we got to drive the truck through them! The tunnels looked tiny but she fit! Once we made it to the top we took a path and got a view of basically all of them! We got a stamp for our passports too! Stamp Total: 7!

We had lunch (4 p.m. Central Time lunch that is) in Scottsbluff at “Paradise.” It was the most multifaceted restaurant we’ve ever been to! It included, prepare yourself here, a coffee shop, restaurant, tanning salon, custom printing shop, car wash and DOG WASH. Don’t worry, they all had their separate areas it wasn’t like you sat sipping your coffee in a tanning bed while your dog is getting a bath but it was a CRAZY menu!

The coffee shop portion of the business was very cute! Lots of comfortable chairs, decorative drapes, plants, etc. It reminded us of a sun porch with its big windows! Our waitress suggested a hot artichoke dip served in a bread bowl for an appetizer and it rocked! Molly had a turkey, asparagus and swiss Panini and Reese had a chicken breast, bacon, tomato with pesto Panini. Both were mouthwatering. It was a great place! We had excellent service and the food was awesome!




Scottsbluff County Fair- Mitchell

We got to the Scottsbluff Fair about midway through the market beef show and got to set up right outside the arena! We caught lots of 4-H families and show spectators! It was a hot day and our tent was our heaven-sent! After the show we moved over to the food vendor area and caught people getting supper before the “Mud Boggs.”

Once again we loved the lack of humidity in Western Nebraska! Awesome! They also had free entertainment, about 25 feet from us and it was great!

We thoroughly enjoyed the Extension Educator Cathy! She got us all set up and helped us sell tickets the whole night! We want to thank Emily, a 4-Her from Mitchell, who helped us sell tickets too!

After we left Scottsbluff, we hit the highway back to Halsey for our long 3-hour journey, which turned into 4 hours due to the time change! What a quick night!

Zig-Zagin'

Hamilton County

On Thursday July 29th, we ventured to Aurora for the Hamilton County Fair. Upon our arrival, the 4-H bake sale was taking place where we purchased homemade monkey bread! Yummy! We had the opportunity to chat with a local 4-Her who was a member of a Hamilton County 4-H Club that received one of the Governor’s Ag Excellence Awards given out by our office!

While discussing the various Hamilton County 4-H activities, we learned that they have almost 60 Clover Kids!! The Hamilton County Junior Leaders Club along with their Extension Assistant Kae Russell hosted 4 workshops for the Clover Kids. They also held several other workshops for all 4-H members. Kae hosted an embroidery workshop that brought in 27 Hamilton County 4-H Members along with 6 boys! They also held a workshop where 4-Hers made dresses for children in Hattii to help with the disaster relief.




Polk County

We left Aurora around mid afternoon and headed up and over to Osceola to the Polk County Fair! We got to set up shop right next to the free barbeque sponsored by the Polk County Fairboard. For entertainment, a local artist Ashton Jackson sang and there was also a free rodeo for the community to attend. It was a beautiful evening with many community members in attendance.

Polk County even had a horse and buggy ride that rode around the fairgrounds perimeter – which was a hit with the little ones! We also bought some FFA honey from the local FFA Chapter!



Once we packed up after our wonderful evening, we started our long journey to Halsey to the Nebraska State 4-H Camp to spend the night. All the way there, we watched lightening flash in the distance. It wasn’t until we were 5 MINUTES from our destination, did it start to downpour on us! We’re not talking a nice downpour, but more like cats ‘n dogs, can’t see in front of you downpour! We arrived at the Lodge of the 4-H Camp and began our search for our key our cabin. Reese, being from Iowa, has never been to this 4-H Camp, and Molly has not been there since she you a young 4-Her herself, made finding the 4-H Office in the pouring rain a tad bit hard! After getting drenched, we both agreed to go to the staff house and ask for help! Thank goodness they were still up! Instead of making us dash clear our to our cabin in the middle of nowhere, they let us stay in the staff house with them! Thank you soo much 4-H Camp Staff!!




Sioux County

The next morning, we left at 7:30 AM CST on Highway 2 – Nebraska Scenic Byway –Sandhills Journey - to Harrison in Sioux County. What a gorgeous drive! It is truly a drive that everyone needs to take! Along the way, we stopped at Fort Robinson at Crawford, and even managed to cross the border into Wyoming –a first for both Molly and Reese!

Fun fact: Harrison is the only town in Sioux County and is located 9 miles from the Wyoming border and 28 miles from the South Dakota border!


At the Sioux County Fair, we parked the 4-H Truck in the “arena” during the livestock show. The show ring was the space between three buildings, lined with parents and grandparents in lawn chairs and one set of bleachers. It was completely open but got the job done!

Everyone was very happy to have us and kept thanking us for coming all the way out! Thank you Harrison, you gave an excuse to come up to the very north-west corner! We also had yet another free BBQ and enjoyed the sandwiches and chips. Thanks!

We then traveled down the lonely road of Highway 29 south of Harrison and did not meet a sole until we hit the town of Mitchell for over almost 60 miles! Along Highways 92 and 26, we ran into several fields of sugar beets between Scottsbluff and Bridgeport.





Morrill County

We arrived in Bridgeport in Morrill County right on time and made our way to the free bbq sponsored by the 4-H Council. It was our first fair burgers of the summer! The entire meal was a huge potluck - homemade salads, pies, desserts, and even fresh watermelon! It was by far the best free food we have encountered so far!

While selling tickets, we met a nice farming couple from the area who were very knowledgeable about sugar beets. We drilled him with just a few questions as we were very curious about them! We had such a great time at the Morrill County Fair that evening! There was even no humidity! :)

That night we headed back down to Sidney to stay with Molly's family friends once again. In the morning, we went to the original Cabela's so Reese could say she has been there! Then we started our long journey to Burwell for Nebraska's Big Rodeo! We took Interstate 80 to Ogallala, then highway 61 north to Arthur, and then highway 92 all the way to Stapleton where we stopped for lunch at a local cafe! We continued on Hwy 92 and kept zig-zagging all the way until we hit Burwell.



Garfield County

We arrived in Burwell just in time to set up and sell tickets at the end of the first rodeo performance of the day. The next performance did not start until 7:30 later that evening. In the meantime, we had some shaved ice and chatted with the locals. As crowds started to pour in, we put our game face on and got to work! Thanks to Andrea (the NE 4-H Foundation Intern last year), we were able to drive in the Grand Entrance of Nebraska's Big Rodeo where we spotted several of our fans from across the state! It was great seeing everyone! What a great night! We had a blast and sold several tickets for the 4-H Truck Raffle! Thanks Garfield County for inviting us!

After the rodeo, we drove all the away back to Lincoln since Reese's family -from Iowa- came to visit her on our days off! It will be nice to have a couple days rest before we start our next LONG journey! Can't wait!

Reese’s Lonely Adventure

So Monday and Tuesday I got to venture out on my own and before you ask, NO I did not get lost! Beckie, our boss, needed Molly’s help in the office to get caught up before our new Executive Director starts! She will have the road to herself the middle of August when I have to go back to Iowa for a wedding so this was my turn!

Nance Co. Fair

Monday I hit the road about noon and headed to the Nance County Fair in Fullerton, Nebraska! I took reliable I-80 to Hwy. 14 and tada, Fullerton! When I first got into town I saw the Casey’s we took a picture of earlier… it looked like a barn! Very cute! J We have discovered if our directions to a fairgrounds aren’t very good there is always a great alternative… follow a truck pulling a demo derby car! Works like a charm!

It was the first day of the fair and I got to help unload a volunteer’s van filled with exhibits! When I went back out to the Truck to get set up one of the 4-Hers asked what my name was and where I went to school. I introduced myself and explained I was with the 4-H Truck. I realized that I was an unfamiliar face helping out at a small county fair and the small town couldn’t figure out who I was! I love rural Nebraska!

For it being the first day of the fair there were lots of people around and I got to hang out a little bit with the 4-Hers in the food stand. It was a hot night but the shade from my tent made it bearable! I had a nice older woman about my grandma’s age and her brother keep me company so I didn’t get too sad without Molly!

After I packed up I hit the road to Farwell again to stay with my friend Mel! I got there about 10 p.m. and got to hang out with her family. The next day I had to go to Loup City for the Sherman County Fair but not till 4 p.m. Since I was only about half an hour from there I got to help out during the day!

The Rathman Farm

I actually felt like a farm girl again on Tuesday helping do chores in the morning, bottle feeding calves, watering the sheep, checking pastures around the Rathman Farm! After chores were done Mel, her younger brother Clark and I sorted out a bull from one of the pastures and loaded him up to go to the vet. Go figure I got covered in cow manure!

When we finished that undertaking we picked up the corral panels and then unloaded them in another pasture to work the next group of cow calf pairs! I forgot how heavy those bad boys are! I was a little sore on Wednesday!

After the best meal I’d had since I’d been home, we went out to work the cows and calves in the pasture where we set up the panels. I got to help get some of them through the chute but then I had to head back to the house. For some reason I needed a shower before I hit the Sherman County Fair!

Sherman Co. Fair

The livestock show was just wrapping up when I got to the Sherman County Fair in Loup City so I set up by the 4-H Exhibit Hall. I was right across from the VFW where the Chamber of Commerce put on a free BBQ. It was a perfect location with lots of foot traffic! The watermelon stand was a little TOO close to me though… I had four giant pieces in total! I was about floating! J BEST Watermelon Award Sherman County!

I also nominate Sherman County for the most generous county! It was the easiest fair to sell tickets, I would ask if they would like a ticket and they’d say “Sure!” Everyone was very supportive of the 4-H program and were very friendly. Channing also helped me sell tickets and she did a great job! Thanks for your help!

Once the bullriding started that night the crowd started to dwindle and Mel and her brother Austin helped me tear down and get loaded up! It was a long drive back to Lincoln alone that night! I was really glad I only had to endure two days without Molly! This is definitely not a job for one person, it would be a really lonely summer if it was!