It’s Farm, Home and Youth Fair time
Summer event held at 4-H Center in Creamery Village
Named for its main sponsor the last three years, The Farm, Home & Youth Fair returns to the Montgomery County 4-H Center Aug. 8-10.
Patti Colby, the president of the Farm, Home & Youth Foundation of Montgomery County and the fair’s chairperson, estimated that between 5,000 and 6,000 people show up over the course of fair weekend.
The schedule of events will feature showcases of 4-H projects, including livestock and animal science; a “Giant Fabric Sale,” which has been extended this year beyond the fair hours to 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Aug. 11; exhibits; demonstrations; hay rides; contests; games; music by Kendal Conrad and The Daisy Jug Band; an Open Pet Show; a selection of food and the “World’s Largest Sausage Patty.”
If you’ve peeked at the detailed schedule at https://montcopa4hcenter.org/the-f hy-fair, you might have noticed a “Cow Plop” for Saturday morning. Colby said that after taking the humid summer heat into consideration, combined with the sun beating down on a cow in an open field, that event will be moved to the Montgomery County 4-H’s autumn fundraiser event. “When it’s 90-plus degrees, we certainly don’t want anyone’s animals harmed,” she said.
At 7 p.m. Thursday inside the 4-H center, Stephanie Kappel, a Skippack native, Allentown business owner and finalist from Food Network’s “Holiday Gingerbread Showdown,” will lead a cookie making and decorating demonstration. “A lot of kids in our cooking classes are eager to see her do her magic,” Colby commented.
Also new this year is children’s entertainment by Party Animals Express at 10 a.m. and noon Saturday.
Although it’s unclear why goat yoga was invented, it’s becoming a more common occurrence on farms where goats are kept. Even Hotels.com’s “Captain Obvious” was shown demonstrating it on a TV commercial. Friday and Saturday morning at 9:30 during the fair, you can try it out with one of the approximately 18 goats from the Silver Pails 4-H Goat Club — a club currently with 15 youths interested in keeping goats as pets. “The first year we did (goat yoga at the fair), nobody had heard of it,” Colby recalled.
“It’s a lot of smiles and laughter,” said Skippack resident and Silver Pails leader Sharon Gross, noting that the goats will climb on top of you or crawl underneath you, depending on your pose. “They’re mostly pygmy goats and Nigerian dwarfs. Also, we do mixed breed goats.”
Cost for goat yoga is $5. Although mats and blankets will be provided, if you have yoga supplies, you should bring them.
The club will also be doing more traditional presentations on caring for domesticated goats at 4 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
One of the fair’s popular demonstrations is by the herpetology club, featuring an assortment of snakes, turtles and other reptiles and amphibians. Check it out at 1 p.m. Friday.
Open classes at the fair that also draw a crowd include sewing, quilting, jams and jellies, woodworking, ceramics, photography, home decorating, flowers and vegetables. One unusual, light-hearted class is welcoming submissions for “Largest Weed.”
Horses are a notable part of several Farm, Home & Youth Fair events. The opening ceremony at 7 p.m. Thursday will feature the 4-H Mounted Drill Team. There’s a Gymkhana horse show, which is similar to barrel racing, at 7 p.m. Friday. A Parade of Horse