It’s fair time.
This year marks the 77th year of the fair, and it’s billed as “one of the last free fairs in Texas.” The event blends old-fashioned community traditions with family fun. The Trinity Community Fair will be held Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 at the Community Center in Trinity.
The fun and excitement that the fair brings to town is near fever pitch. You can smell the popcorn, the barbecue, and the smells of the other food and the smells of the other vendors on location. I love it. From the youth Livestock Auction to the carnival and the entertainment with local music. Altogether, it makes for a great weekend.
Some of my fondest memories of raising my girls were helping them with their ag projects through the 4-H and FFA programs, as they raised and showed pigs and heifers for the Walker County Fair.
The first few years, they raised and showed pigs; in the last few years of high school, both of them raised and showed heifers. Nothing like watching the heifer pull your kid around the yard as they try to halter-break the animal.
At show time, you could see who worked the most with their animals. For many, their hard work paid off. Even if they didn’t win the big prize. And through the week of the fair, our girls lived at the carnival enjoying the rides. They still talk about it today as they raise their children.
The year-long process of feeding, caring for, and preparing their animals for show. My girls had hands-on experience raising a wild animal into a relatively calm show animal. This process taught my girls resilience, the value of sustained effort, and the cycle of farm life.
For my girls, it was their first real experience with profit, loss, and the rewards of hard work. We, as a family, enjoyed this so much that we got into the cattle business and we still operate a modest cow/calf operation as a result of the fair and their ag projects. Now watching my grandchildren grow and allowing them to experience the agricultural life as their mothers did. They are looking forward to being old enough to show an animal and enjoy the fair process.
So, get out there this weekend and support the youngsters and celebrate their efforts through the auction. Let’s have some fun enjoying the music and the festivities, and don’t forget to ride some rides at the carnival. See you there.
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Steven Jeter is Chief of Police in Trinity.
