More events designed to keep people engaged, active

By CAROL RYAN DUMAS

Capital Press

The Twin Falls County Fair and Magic Valley Stampede will have a few new offerings this year and return events to honor the community's agricultural roots.

Those include new animal categories at the 4-H sale, a farm competition, an Idaho food day chef event highlighting Idaho grown, a special rodeo presentation honoring Idaho's cowboy tradition, and the return of the Ag Pavilion.

The 4-H sale board has welcomed new animal entries for judging and sale, including poultry, rabbits and goats, fair manager John Pitz said Aug. 2 at a press conference to promote the fair. It runs Aug. 31 through Sept. 5,

With 1,020 members, 65 clubs, and 200 leaders, the Twin Falls County 4-H program is the largest in the state, said Rhea Lanting, county extension educator.

The addition of poultry, rabbits and goats has been coming for a long time, but some sale committee members were not keen on the idea in the past, she said.

That's changed this year, and the committee has been open to broadening the sale, she said.

Pens of the new additions will be limited and traditional sale animals, such as beef cattle, sheep and swine, will be reduced a bit to accommodate the new categories, she said.

The new animals will be sold, slaughtered and dressed like the traditional fair animals, and their 4-H owners will be soliciting sales.

Also new at this year's fair will be a farm competition, where competitors can do everything from setting siphon tubes and picking rock to stacking hay bales, Pitz said.

"We want to try to provide more and more activities to do instead of just sit and watch," he said.

The Ag Pavilion, provided by Food Producers of Idaho, will return for its second year, with more than 50 displays, activities and exhibits. The hands-on activities and informational material is designed for children and adults alike to educate visitors on the value and importance of agricultural.

Idaho Agriculture will also be featured on The Day of Idaho Food, held on Labor Day, as designated by the state Legislature in conjunction with its designation of 2011 as The Year of Idaho Food. Chefs will be demonstrating dishes using Idaho-grown foods.

Sankey Rodeo Co. will also return this year, providing top animals for the PRCA rodeo competition. A special presentation honoring Idaho's cattle industry and longtime cattlemen will open the main event.

For more information, call 208-326-4396 or visit www.tfcfair.com