Agriculture education major feature of Effingham County fair

SPRINGFIELD — The Effingham County Fair is about greater than delivering enjoyable for space residents.

“The side benefit is that people get to see what agriculture looks like,” mentioned Thomas Kessler, an Effingham County Fair Committee member who oversees the Individual Exhibits competitors. The competitors options corn, peanuts, cotton, cane, peas, hay and lots of different commodities — even gourds.

“I’ve had a number of people through the years come in and say ‘I didn’t know that peanuts grew in the ground or ‘I thought peanuts grew on a tree,’ ” Kessler mentioned Aug 11 throughout Business After Hours, an Effingham County Chamber of Commerce occasion on the fairgrounds. “During the week of the fair (Oct. 13-22), I’ll have some cotton that it is possible for you to to the touch and really feel within the boll, machine picked and delinted the place we choose the seeds out of it. Then you possibly can see the seeds and the cotton itself.

“Part of all that is to show people where our food comes from. There is nothing wrong with the grocery stores but all they do is handle it. It’s still got to be grown somewhere. That’s what we are trying to show folks — that it does come from farms.

“Grocery stores just disseminate it.”

Most of the objects submitted for the Individual Exhibits competitors come from farmers. Gardeners are welcome to enter objects, too, nevertheless.

“We judge on the best quality or highest yield, depending on what (the category) is,” Kessler mentioned.

Kessler mentioned there are greater than 30 classes.

“Admittedly, some years might not have something because the season didn’t allow it to be produced or whatnot but we are very open to allow a lot of things to come in even if they are not in the (Effingham County Fair) book,” Kessler mentioned. 

Some of the extra uncommon objects embody chestnuts, walnuts and pomegranites.

“Some of the things that I’ve brought in from time to time is sesame,” Kessler mentioned. “Sesame is on a bun and we have grown it commercially in the state but there is not anybody growing it commercially much right now in Effingham County. We have grown it some on the Bulloch County side.”

Kessler mentioned one Effingham County household grows loads of gourds.

“They have lots of different shapes,” Kessler mentioned, “and they have a lady who paints them to make them decorative.”

Gourds are judged of their pure state within the Individual Exhibits competitors. Painted ones will be entered within the fair’s artwork displays.

“We also have a number of flowers and house plants that people bring in,” Kessler mentioned. “If you’ve got the prettiest flower, you can get the prize for the day. There are about 10 or 12 categories for that.

“(The flowers) are in pots. They are not cut flowers. We have not gone that route yet.”

Kessler encourages anybody with a inexperienced thumb to enter their objects within the fair.

“They get to share with the community what they have produced,” he mentioned. “Still, the bigger picture for me is the people get to actually see it in its overall state.”

Fair entries shall be accepted:

Oct. 9 — 2-5 p.m.

Oct. 10 — 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Oct. 11 — 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Oct. 12 — 10 a.m.-5 p.m. To be taught extra in regards to the fair and its numerous competitions, obtain the Effingham County Fair Book at https://effinghamfair.org.