I see that our last post was on July 31st! Good grief. Life started moving so fast after that, and so many e-mails were flying that little time was left for blogging. But now we have fair photos to share!

Before I start adding them to the photo album though, I want everyone to know how much I appreciated all of your hard work and team spirit during the Island County Fair. You all took your responsibilities seriously (well, we may need to talk about 4-H Building barn duty, but later :) ), and pitched in whenever you were asked.

If you took any one element of the fair and really looked at all that goes into it, you'd see that each one of them is an accomplishment in itself. For instance, the Livestock Sale, Round Robin, Parade of Champions, Kitchen Contests, division competitions, etc., each require so much planning and attention to detail as well as support from all sorts of volunteers.

Now, roll them all together into one big event called "the fair," and you can begin to imagine all of the complexities and conflicts that can arise.

And yet we made it through them all with flying colors! You are a most wonderful group! Thank you for working with each other so well.

How did this happen? It's the last day of July! Oh my goodness! That means that all sorts of things must be done by today or tomorrow!

Wristband orders will be sent in from the 4-H Office. If you need to add someone, or change your club order in any way, now is the time!

Animal entries must be finalized today. Any animal entry that is not completed by tomorrow will not be eligible for premium points. Leaders, please check your e-mails. You will be sent at least one, if not two, report(s) of current entries so that you can verify that your club members are ready for the show.

Anyone wanting to participate in the Home Ec Contests needs to have their activity worksheets in the WSU Extension Office by tomorrow. Without these worksheets, Lois does not know how to schedule the events in the kitchen, and she does not know how many judges she needs. So please, make sure you are getting these forms in.

Performing Arts and Pre-Fair Public Presentations will be taking place tomorrow, Friday, in Oak Harbor. If you are wanting to participate in these opportunities, make sure you have done the on-line entry for them, and contact Kelly Hall and/or Leandra Reuble for schedule and location information.

Campground Applications. These do not come to the WSU Extension Office. BUT they are due to the Fair Office no later than tomorrow, August 1.

As all of this is happening, please be aware that we are peddling as fast as we can here at the WSU Extension Office. The Island County 4-H Fair is not the only thing requiring staff time right now. We're also co-sponsoring the Fair U, coordinating the WSU Extension booth for fair, working on the "Dance On The Prairie" and "Farm Tour" promotional pieces, gearing up for Don's retirement, and continuing our regular schedule of meetings, presentations, community partnerships, etc.

So the more lead time you can give us with your requests for help, the more successful we will be in getting you what you need.

It really is the last day of July. And we really will be at the Island County 4-H Fair in 12-13 days. What FUN!!!!!