By Gary Wamsley
Berthoud Recorder

The county fairs are over and it looks like it was a good year for both fairgoers and for exhibitors. As I went over the lists of the Berthoud people who competed in all the categories the fair had to offer I was struck by two things. First is the sheer number of judging events. The lists provided by the fair staff were enormous. For some reason, although the horse events were first, the results were among the last we received. As I looked over the horse results I realized that I missed a great deal of activity by going away to my family reunion that weekend. As I pondered all that activity I realized it takes a small army of people to run those events. I think that a lot of these folks are volunteers and I saw several from Berthoud as I made my way around.

The other thing that struck me was the number of Berthoud entries in the fair. Our area is well represented. We have very active 4-H clubs and we have a great number of adults who enter in the open categories. It seemed we had a much higher percentage of entries and top awards than our population percentage. Of course our Weld County population, who contribute a lot to the overall effort, helps us greatly.

It was quite obvious that our 4-H programs involve a lot of kids and for that to happen there have to be a lot of adults who give their time and effort. I want to take this opportunity to thank all those who make these programs available to the kids and support what they are doing in so many ways.

The junior livestock sale was the final event of the fair. As the 4-H’ers separated from animals it marked both an end and a beginning. Most of the kids will be starting new activities and buying new livestock and the process starts over. I had a great time this year and I, too, am looking forward to next year.

As summer winds down it is time for the annual vintage base ball game and ice cream social. That happens this Saturday at the old field just north of the parks and recreation compound. My favorite part is the homemade ice cream. Shar volunteered to make some for the event even though we didn’t have an ice cream maker. It turned out to be more difficult to find one than we expected, but we have it now and will use it Saturday morning. Come out and enjoy the game and the refreshments.

The Ice Cream Social is a fundraiser for the Berthoud Historical Society, but this year part of the funds will go to the Tinney family. The fundraising continues that evening with a street dance on Massachusetts Avenue. Please come and spend your money for a good cause. Donations are always welcome too.

I’ll see you there and around town.