There may be life off the ranch, but any Fremont County farmer or rancher will tell you – The #aglife is “the good life!” #Aglife is a County 10 series, brought to you by Wyoming Community Bank, that pulls the curtain back on farm and ranch life in Fremont County.
The time between events takes up most of the day at the Fremont County Fair. Local 4H and FFA exhibitors will show their livestock for a few minutes in the ring, but spend the rest of the week feeding, watering, grooming, and caring for their livestock.
Spending this time productively, while still having a little fun is a key to success for any youngster, or young adult at the fair.
In previous generations, water fights at the livestock washing area were a common activity on hot days, while a friendly fist fight in the evening hours was a common occurrence, especially between Riverton and Lander area fair participants. Those days of fisticuffs are largely gone today, with a fight being a very rare occurrence.
The cell phone has taken some of the socializing out of the fair, as many exhibitors in their off show, or off duty hours are glued to their handheld electronic devices just as they often are at home and at school.
There remains a lot of socializing, especially for students from isolated areas who don’t have friends close by and only see many of them during the school year.
As the exhibitors grow up from early 4H to senior showmanship in 4H and FFA their social interests grow as well, with many of them easy to spot sitting together at the rodeos and other evening events.
Fair kids today do the same things their parents and grandparents did decades ago, but they have more outlets and better methods of communication than previous generations.
Still, socializing remains a huge part of the fair.