Hereford Junior Farm Fair a Family Favorite

Thanks to a calendar listing I spotted here on the Cockeysville Patch, my family had a great, free outing last Saturday at the Hereford Junior Farm Fair.

We took a weekend off from the pool on a not-so-fabulous August day, weather-wise, in favor of taking our two kids to the beautiful grounds of the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture and Farm Park on Shawan Road, where children, teenagers and young adults up to age 21 presented their prized animals for judging as well as for the enjoyment and education of the community.

I had a hunch that this event would be a lot of fun for my daughter, Lucy, who is 3 and a half, and the fair didn’t disappoint. She loves animals – the cow palace at the Maryland Sate Fair is always a hit – and this event was the perfect size and scale for families like ours with young children.

Right off the bat, after arriving on the grounds, we were able to get up close and personal with some lovely alpacas just as some girls were getting ready to take them into the ring for a walk before the judges (my apologies if I’m botching all the official terminology here). From there we moved onto the cows, then to the sheep and goats, before we found the bunnies, who were neck and neck in the race for the blue ribbon for softest fur in our unofficial family competition. I think that it’s safe to say that the bunnies were my daughter’s favorite animals among the beautiful bunch on display that day. Besides their downy fur, several also hopped lazily through an obstacle course, which definitely upped their cuteness factor in her estimation.

Lucky for us, we made it into the building for the prize-winning displays of arts and crafts, photography, and fruits and vegetables just as the skies opened up with a thunderstorm. By the time the rain stopped, it was time to sample the food. My favorite there was the chocolate-vanilla twist ice cream cone, but the bite I stole from Lucy’s hot dog was also pretty satisfying and worth the lecture she gave me afterward.

The pleasures of the day were pretty simple, but being there in a world completely out of my element made me grateful for the opportunity to learn more about the agricultural community that is just a mile or two from my home. It’s one of the many things I love about living here in northern Baltimore County – I’m happy that my children are growing up in a community that is many things at once, and where there is something for everyone.

The other thing that struck me was the happiness I got out of watching all the kids proudly show their animals, who were all clearly so well cared for. I had been to similar events before, but I never really looked at the kids there through a parent’s eye. With each round of applause for the winners, I thought about how well all the children carried themselves and how proud their parents must be to see them out there, sharing their accomplishments with the rest of us.