2011 Iowa State Fair

Tuesday, August 16 was our day at the Iowa State Fair.  It was the last big event we had planned for the summer before Caleb starts school for the first time next week.  It was great fun and the kids did great; from the car trip to the long lines, they were patient and had happy moods almost the entire time (with the help of Mama's "Pick Your Battles" motto!).




The day before we left, Josh washed the car for us... with a little help from the kids.  Some of the water actually made it to the car to wash the cat tracks and dust off.   BUT....




....alot of it found funner places to hit!




Tuesday morning was rainy.  We've been wanting rain for a long time, and it just HAD to come on the morning of the day we were going to the fair. 



The rain didn't make this farm boy blue, though.  He was smiling at the thought that his hay was getting a drink.  It rained on us all the way to Des Moines and throughout the morning, but unfortunately we didn't get as much back at home as we had hoped.



We've always parked at the fair in years past, but this year we chose to park at an additional parking lot and ride the transit provided by the fair to make parking easier.  It was the kids' first bus ride and, despite the kooky look on Caleb's face, they enjoyed it.  (Sarah Rose was just mad I made her sit on Daddy's lap while I took the picture...she really did like the ride, too!)




One of the traditional exhibits at the fair is the "Big Boar" contest.  The stats for this monster is below.  All I can say is that that's alot of pepperoni!



After the big boar, we stumbled onto the world's smallest bull.  I don't remember exactly how little he was, but he was much smaller than we're used to seeing here on the farm.



Then we saw an elk...or moose... I know it wasn't a reindeer.  What is this thing?





Then an ostrich.  I think this picture is hilarious!  Josh and Brian.... and the ostrich!




We're not exactly horse people, but Caleb was pretty excited to be able to be up close enough to one to be able to pet it. 




We finally wound around the cattle barn to find the Big Bull.  Its stats are below.  For those of you who know about grain markets and what not...can you imagine feeding this sucker out right now?  I sure hope the owners get something out of Bubba here 'cause it cost them an arm and a leg (and quite possibly a second mortgage) to feed him!





Awww... and here's my own little guy....




...and gal!




Aunt Sis (Josh's sister, Kristin) and Brian told us about a cute hands-on exhibit for little guys to play farmer.  It was pretty funny because there were a few times that Caleb corrected things he saw in the exhibit that weren't quite right.  That's what you get, I guess, when you take a kid who all he knows is farming into a teach-the-town-kids-about-"farming" place.   He thoroughly enjoyed the pedal tractors though!




Each kid got a basket to collect produce in, an apron and a hat for the tour.  They got to keep the hats but had to give the aprons and baskets back.  This did not sit well with Sarah Rose.  She almost started throwing a fit.  UNTIL she realized that she got a "dollar" for selling her wares.  The kids were able to take their dollar to the "store" and buy a treat.  They had a huge selection to choose from!  It was really quite neat and took a lot of effort from those involved to make it such a success. 




Part of the kids' area was trying to milk a cow.  I think "milk" actually came out when the kids squeezed the udder. 




There was another building that housed different farm animals and explained different stages in their lives.  They had a cow, a goat and several sows ready to give birth at any time. They also had eggs that were incubating, baby ducks and chicks and a baby ostrich.  Very educational.  My kids already know all about baby pigs and cows and have seen countless number of chicks hatch in our incubator, so they really weren't all that impressed with those babies.  But Sarah Rose was quite enthused with the ducklings...something we don't have....YET :-)

 Okay, so we've come to the point of why we chose Tuesday, August 16th to attend the fair.  It just so happens that the year 2010 marked the year that our farm became a Century Farm.  Josh's cousins, Michelle and Jenny, have done some research that led them to acquire an application for entering the Van Zante farm in the honor of becoming recognized as a Century Farm.  To make a story full of twists and turns short, Joshua's Grandpa Elmer bought the farm from two of his brothers who had bought the farm from two of their uncles from Pella way back in 1910.  So the lineage of the farm is:  two Van Zante uncles passed the farm to Grandpa's brothers who sold the farm to Grandpa Elmer.  Grandpa Elmer farmed it with his boys, Arlin and Loren for many many years and now Loren and Joshua farm it.  If Caleb's enthusiasm for farming continues as it is today, he will be the fifth generation to farm the land!  I think it is amazing that 100 years of Van Zantes have put their passion, hard work and determination into making the farm what it is today.  And still today, the men put back breaking work into making everything run smoothly to continue on the legacy that was started so many years ago. 

Josh and Loren are two  very humble guys who don't like much attention drawn to them, but I'm going to take this opportunity to say something anyway (because they're not here and can't stop me!).  I don't know two men who work harder, take less time off, treat their neighbors kinder or put as much pride in their work as Josh and Loren do.  Everyday they get up with an agenda to do that keeps them busy from sunrise to sunset and beyond, regardless if its beautiful out, negative 20 or 110 degrees.  You won't find two more dedicated men.  And there is not one person about who can find a legitimate complaint about them as men or their operation because in all they do they do to the glory of God, in a way that we feel will honor Him most.  I think the Van Zante family from one hundred years ago up until today should be very proud and honored to have such good men carrying out their legacy.

Back to the fair...
In honor of becoming a Century Farm, there was a recognition ceremony held Tuesday at the Fair (in the Budweiser Tent, of all places!).  They recognized farms from all the counties in Iowa, with county names beginning in A-I being in the morning and the remainder of the farms in the afternoon.  Being from Wapello County, we had a long wait.  And what better entertainment (for ten minutes out of the two hours, at least) than to play with the camera.  We took dozens of pictures, here's some of my favorites:



Mommy and Caleb




Me and my kiddos




Sarah Rose didn't think very highly of the group hug shot!




I am loved!

There were 30 family members there to receive the award, with a picture being taken with Secretary of Ag Bill Northey.  I don't have a picture to share of the event but it was a great honor for the Van Zante family.
By the way, I have to say that all eight youngest members there did a impressive job of waiting patiently in the hot, crowded tent for our turn on stage!

After the ceremony, the men in our family had to get their equipment fix before heading home for the BBQ that had been planned with extended family that came to join in the festivities.



Caleb quickly learned to go around each tractor and look for a "do not touch" sign.  If it didn't have a sign, he knew he might have a chance at trying the tractor on for size.  Here is a little John Deere B that had been refinished by a group of highschoolers.




And of course, gotta get a red one in there for Papa Loren.




A 4020, I believe.




Can't you just tell how the guys were enjoying themselves?  It appears as though the love for tractors knows no age limit for this group of guys!



I think this might be a Minneapolis Moline.  It didn't matter what kind of tractor it was, Caleb just thought the orange tractor was COOL!



Finally at the end of the day, after the fair and BBQ that evening, was bedtime.  Even though she had a nap on the way home, Sarah Rose was tuckered out.  When I checked on her before I climbed into bed, she had curled around her dolly and was fast asleep.  I love this picture because both Sarah Rose and her dolly has on a pink shirt with pink polka dotted leggings.  It was very sweet :-)