Ashley, North Dakota

Transcription

[loud applause & cheering] [motors purring] [loud cheering & applause] (male announcer) ...posing for the camera as they come around the final turn! Take in the grandstand, the carnival, and don't forget to get some of that great fair foo. Have a good time, and enjoy your 2008 North Dakota State Fair! (woman) Funding for "Our State Fair: The North Dakota Experience" is provided in part by the North Dakota State Fair Association and by the members of Prairie Public. Moooo! [SWAK!] Winner! Winner! Winner! Do you want to say hi, Sybil! Say hi, say hi! The State Fair is the biggest thing in North Dakota. There isn't anything that comes close to the State Fair about drawing this many people in this period of time. The Fair is a family thing for us. We're from New Salem, and it's my grandparents farm, and we've been showing cows at the State Fair for over 20 years. It's basically a family thing for us. My dad and my brother and my sister are all here, and we all show. We've been coming for 21 straight years to the North Dakota State Fair, and I'm only 16 so I've been here all 16 years of my life, so it's pretty fun. Every day we have a water fight by the camper and play basketball, and it's a great time. (Sherry Amundson) It's part of North Dakota. We're an agricultural state. I know I live in Minnesota now, but I still feel--I'm from here, and I wanna make sure that that continues by keeping the agriculture well alive, keeping the sheep here so that people that have never been around that stuff can come here and be around it and experience what it's all about. No question in my mind the biggest asset, the biggest draw, th greatest advantage that this event has is that it is a family event. There's nothing that is as great an advocate of agriculture as the North Dakota State Fair. (male narrator) The State Fair, immortalized in so many ways in our public consciousness through the years, and especially in the nostalgic part of our mind that keeps the precious memories of youth. Used to be so sad when we leave here, you know. You only spend a week here. And when you leave, you always think well, just 51 more weeks, and I'll be back, you know? I've actually been up here since 1978, and I've been bringing kids up since 1983, bringing kids up either through FFA or 4-H kids. And the reason why I bring 'em is to teach 'em how to care for animals, to fit and clip their animals. We try to teach 'em a little bit about leadership skills and respecting people and trying to live with people for a whole week. I've been coming here since I was at least 3 for sure. My family and I'd come down here. We'd pretty much spend the whole week. I just had a friend that told me wow, you should run for Miss Rodeo North Dakota. You'd be good at it, so I took a shot and tried. (narrator) The State Fair we now know as based in Minot had humble origins, starting out as the Northwest Agriculture Livestock and Fair Association, first held in September 1922. I think it may have begun with horse races. That's the story that I've heard that they began with horse races and then began inviting some other things in and then added additional entertainment, If you need anything more entertaining than a horse race. By the time that I became involved, there were 4 of them in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Minot, all of which called themselves the North Dakota State Fair. (narrator) Finally the 1965 State Legislature decided to have one permanent State Fair, and Minot won out. This is a very proactive community, and they like to make things happen, and that's why the North Dakota State Fair is in Minot. Minot was the fair with the most central location to exhibits and the most valuable facility, and based on that wound up the official North Dakota State Fair. (narrator) With many facilities already in place, the Fair grew steadily through the mid 1970s, but the biggest growth years happened under State Fair Manager Jerry Iverson who held the position for 30 years and who became synonymous with the State Fair. My children were always embarrassed that dad only had a job for one week as the State Fair Manager, but this North Dakota State Fair has been growing ever since it was instituted in '66, but we actually didn't have any paving except the main roadway through the fairgrounds. The office was a little stucco building in the center of the fairgrounds, and so there were a lot of changes made mechanically and esthetically to the Fair, and we were involved in helping to plan them. I believe there was abou30 million dollars worth of projects that were completed. (Chet Reiten) He was the driver; he was the one that pushed. He was the one that made the tough decisions, you know. When you're gone, there's gonna be people say well you shouldn't do that because they'd sue the government. He kept pushing it, and the reason it is that good, you've gotta give him credit for makin' that Fair work. (Renae Korslein) We started out in the office down at the park, and when Jerry said we're going to move into the building where the all-seasons arena is, we all went, what would we do up there? Nobody goes to that side of the barns. And as you can see with Jerry's vision as much up here now as it was down there. (Jerry E.) During my tenure anyway, we had the advantage of a very hands-on, very astute financial manager in the form of Jerry Iverson who was very cognizant of keeping the bottom line in the black. One Sunday morning after the Fair was all over, we were getting people their exhibits back, and we had just finished everything and were standing outside-- it was Jerry and his wife and I and a couple of people who worked for me, and he was talking about the Fair, how it was going. And I said, oh, Jerry it smells out here. Well, it was the livestock, and he said "That doesn't smell Fern," he said "That's money!" [laughs] I bought a ticket every morning for the 30 years I went to the State Fair. When somebody would come to me and say I want free admission for tomorrow, I just needed to look 'em in the eye and say well, "I bought mine this morning." And so we protected that recognizing that was a major source of revenue. (narrator) Under Iverson's leadership, Fair Attendance peaked in 1983 at just over 300,000 people. Following Iverson's retirement in 2006, Bob Wagoner arrived from Montana to take over as the new Fair Manager. I learned a lot about the Fair before deciding that I was really interested in coming, and the more I learned, the more interested I became, and certainly the proud history of this Fair that's developed over the years is a great asset for the State of North Dakota, and that's really what attracted me to come here was to come here and try to maintain and continue to grow that great tradition. I told him, you know jokingly, but in reality I told him yeah, you can retire, but you can't get too far from your cell phone, and he's been wonderful. (Renae Korslein) Bob stepped into some very big shoes, of course, we all felt Jerry Iverson was our hero, but Bob has made the transition. He didn't come in here with a bunch of changes. He knew it was a successful Fair, and we have just been accepting the same things that we were doing. [loud applause] He's certainly lean when you look at him down his top. He gets a little finer in his bone... My heifer's name is Labelle, and we're going to show her here at the State Fair. The focus is still on agriculture, whether it's farm machinery or it's livestock displays. Probably one of the highlights of the year is the 4-H and FFA kids that bring their projects here. A farm boy from Binford, North Dakota with an ag degree and former ag teacher, agriculture, 4-H, and FFA, were my number one priorities. So the most successful fairs in the United States today are fairs like the Minnesota State Fair and the California State Fair where agriculture is a main focus, but to try to be all things to all people is nearly impossible. (narrator) The highlight of the State Fair has always been and remains the proud youngsters and their livestock. Competition covers 8 different livestock animals and the various breeds, and youngsters have thousands of entries. We're judging them. It's just one person's opinion. It's not an exact science, but you want to make all those kids have a positive experience in the show. Whether they get first or last is at my discretion because today I'm calling the shots, but we wanna make the experience good for them. We have to take them for walks, and before our show we have to wash them and blow them out and comb them to get them ready. It gives them responsibility. It teaches them to say something is theirs and take care of it, and quite frankly we wouldn't show cattle if it wasn't for the kids. It is a lot of work. Get the other side? Yup! She's the big-footed, stout main heifer, I think, in terms of rib and muscle. She also wins those categories. Put her together, she's my most complete pick, and I think the young lady's heifer easily wins this particular division. Good ! I got Reserve in the Open Show, and I got Grand Champion in the Junior Show. (Rob) As I said earlier, it's very rewarding from giving the kids projects to be responsible for and to just follow through on. It was worth it, and I'm really happy. 10 is the Champion, and the calf champion is the Reserve Let's give your leaders a nice round of applause. They're looking for a complete female that has a lot of size and scale, that's big, like tall and long. They're wide across their top, then they have to have a lot of muscle in their quarter, which is their rear and a lot of depth and spring to their rib. And they have to be clean up here and look like a heifer. Like some animals look like they're bulls, so they have to look very feminine and have some style and eye appeal. I've won other shows with her, and I've lost other shows too so it's just like, I'm happy, 'cause I think he made the right decision. To be be pretty blunt with you, it's judged based on how good it'll taste at the table, and there's no other way to talk about that. Baaaa! You have to take a card and card her out, and then that pulls out their wool, and you'll take a scissors. It's pretty much a big scissors, pair of scissors, and you'll level it out, like here on their ribs, you wanna make it flat and level. And then on their hindquarters, you wanna take off all their big, unlevel spots. Thank you! You can't have that, not yet! We start training our cows so that they don't freak out with the halter about a month ahead of time, and we just have to feed 'em every day we wake up. Last night I probably got into the hotel room at like one, ended up getting up at 4, so it's a lot, and you don't get a lot of sleep, but it's worth it. There's a whole lot of competition in this barn, and we've all been really good friends and family. Basically this is our family when we're showing cows so it's a good thing to win, and everyone's happy for everyone. This is Sybil, she's a Jersey. She actually did a pretty good job for her first time at the State Fair. And I really thought she was gonna get last place, but she kinda surprised me and got first. [smack!] She won at Pack, and she did all the obstacles except for one. You have to jump over hay bales, weave through cones. You have to back your llama, side your llama, show your teeth, and pick up a foot. [baaing of sheep and lambs] This breed was the Dorsets, and it was all ages from yearlings which are just one-year-old to late spring lambs which are born after February, and we show competitively across the United States, and this is our job. The shows range from Pennsylvania to Utah and down to Arizona and everywhere in-between, and it's a grueling process. I'm 8 months pregnant, and I feel like I'm in pretty good shape, but I have a little one-year-old that's behind you there too. My husband and I are working extra hard this last year. (man) You can bring those in. We try to take the hogs that are long-bodied, that are sound, that are fresh, that are problem-free. The young man over there on the far end will get the reserve championship. [applause & cheers] I was really excited. I really love my gilt. The Fair is really very, very fun, and it's fun to show off your animals and all the hard work you've been doing throughout the year. [applause] I guess what we try to do is teach 'em that winning isn't everything-- sportsmanship, how to be good sportsmen and things like that. The real true value of some of these shows is the family time you spend together. In this day and age, we're all so busy trying to make ends meet, and a lot of times on your trip to the Fair or when you're workin' on your project, that extra time you get to spend with your children is invaluable. (Jerry Iverson) And those same families had the same camping spots for 15-20 years, and the 2nd generation is now camping in the same location bringing their families and taking a 9-day vacation and moving a camp to the North Dakota State Fair. I remember when it was just a few tents, but now the whole area next to the river is just filled with tents. Oh I'd say we've been here probably 25-30 years. I've been here since I was a little kid. We started out showin' hogs and beef cattle as a 4-H member myself. I'm now married and have 6 children of my own. Two of them are showin' cattle, and since they've been showin' cattle, we've been comin' up here probably the last 5 years. We make it our point to camp here every year. We just live 30 miles west of here, and it'd be pretty easy for us to drive home every night, but the friends and different people that you meet, that's kind of a nice atmosphere just to stay here and visit with them every night. It's kind of a neat deal for the kids. They stay in the area, and they can mingle with different friends and make new friends. I've been camping here since I can remember-- came up with my family all grown up, and then we moved to Colorado and just moved back 2 years ago, and I wanted to give that experience to my boys, so here we are again. By the end of the week you're ready to get out of here. It's fun throughout the week showing cattle. There's many shows that we've showed in. We brought 3 head up here, and we've showed 4 days in a row, but by the end of the week you're tired, the kids are tired, and you're ready to get 'em home back to their own atmosphere and back to the same routine. (narrator) Another staple of the Fair is rodeo events, challenging for contestants, but entertaining for the audience. (woman) 22 flat for this team. For probably 20 some years anyway, been rodeoin' and I guess Nikki has, and our kids have already started in it, and we go to quite a few rodeos every year so our kids are quite involved with it as well. [applause] (male announcer) Come on Joe! All right, getting' into it now! I believe the world is burnin' to the ground Well, I guess we're gonna find out We work year-around, sometimes 2 years out on entertainment focusing on who's available, who's interested in playing fairs, who might be in this part of the country in July when we need them, who's in our price range. All of those factors we weigh very carefully. It's country heavy I think because of just the area that we're in and the history, but we balance it certainly. We usually go for 4 country concerts, 2 rock concerts. One of the reasons for the success of this Fair has been a balancing act with trying to appeal to all of the different demographics. (Tiffany Grosche) We used to come every year before we had kids. We were here every year, every concert, so I enjoy 'em. I like the outside atmosphere. Some people say the sound isn't as good as an indoor auditorium, but I love it. I love being outside, but I'm a big country fan, and that's usually seems like where they get the big ones are the country so to me it's perfect, 'cause that's what I like. I always like it 'cause it brings old friends back. A lot of friends that have moved away come back just for the State Fair so it's like our once a year going out and seeing each other. Makin' somebody to chang on the other hand... hit the produce isle at the Super Wal-Mart so I bumped into a pretty girl's shoppin' cart all I did was break her eggs (audience) and bruise her artichoke hearts What's a guy gotta do to get a girl in this town Actually the grandstand at most fairs, often at state fairs is kinda like a loss leader in a retail business. You get folks to buy the front gate tickets, you get 'em to buy carnival rides, and you make your money in other ways, and you wind up providing the entertainment basically at a break even basis. Beginning in the late '80's and early '90's I think the State Fair Board along with management recognized that entertainment could be a draw in itself. Entertainment is very spendy. It was a major risk to take to put out the kind of dollars that it takes to hire that kind of entertainment, and it has certainly paid off. (Jerry Iverson) We had some wonderful events, but we also know that some of them didn't work quite like we planned. I think they're still giving away tickets for passes for picnics for Glen Campbell concert yet. And there was a polka fest that we put on one time, and there were 2 people that came, I think. I'm not sure, but it wasn't very good. I guess I had the softer touch for Loretta Lynn because if it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have had my job. Ladies and gentleman, current recording artist Clay Walker! (Bob Wagoner) The grandstand, especially the last several years, has become at best a break even proposition, but it's all the other support, all the other ancillary revenues. When people are on the grounds, obviously there's food revenues from the food vendors, there's beer revenues. There's carnival revenues from people enjoying the rides. Um, the Tilt-A-Whirl was really fun and gave me a headache 'cause we went so fast! We were like, spinning and spinning and never stopping. (Bob Wagoner) The carnival Midway is kind of the icing on the cake. The joy and the look on the faces of the kids as they ride the rides and after they get off. Oh yeah, that's always exciting. I like to walk around and watch them. It's certainly something that everyone enjoys, and they're always asking, what new ride is here? Well, we haven't really checked out everything yet. We just got started, but there seems to a lot of things to do, and it's a very reasonable price, for example, the armbands for the rides and stuff like that. I like the Kamikaze, and I like The Zipper, and I like The Viper. I like all the rides really! When traffic got congested because of strollers on weekends, you knew you were doing something right. Fairs start with young people. [kids scream with delight] (man) Right here, right now, guys. [bell rings] Winner! (Bob Wagoner) The carnival Midway that the North Dakota State Fair has is the largest carnival Midway in the state, and we've been with Murphy Brothers for 40 years now which is a testament not only to their quality but also our business relationship, and it's a big part of our business element also. We rely on the funds that we receive from the carnival to help subsidize the entire Fair. Moooooo! Moooooo! Ok, there you go! (Jerry Iverson) The State Fair is one of the last bastions of that kind of family entertainment for the generations. They do a good job here. They try to have something for everybody-- I mean, not just the kids, but the family, but for everybody. (narrator) For 9 July days in Minot, the North Dakota State Fair shows the state at it's best. (Jerry Iverson) The excitement of the grandstand and the smiles on the faces of those young folks in the livestock ring. When you see an 11-year-old leading a 1200-pound steer around in the ring, and she knows someday that pet of hers with the big brown eyes is gonna become beefsteak, and you tie that whole thing together, it adds a new realm to our understanding what the circle of life is all about. (Cleo Cantlon) I really enjoy the horse shows and as a former rancher, enjoy the cattle shows. The concerts are always fun. The food is high on my list, but it shouldn't be so high as it is so I only allow myself one truly nasty thing a year! Probably some of us if it wasn't for the Fair, we'd probably still be bachelors because we didn't work all the time. Why you find that little 4-H girl, which I did, 54 years ago, and it worked out pretty good! (narrator) This yearly gathering of people represents a microcosm of the state itself and its rich agricultural history and of what makes people proud to call themselves North Dakotans, and the future looks as bright as the Midway lit up against the night sky. Five, 10 years down the road, I see introducing and taking advantage of new technology. We've kind of introduced some little things last year and again we'll do this year. I see new marketing trends for how you get your message to the public and to the patrons. (Cleo Cantlon) And more than that, I think it's an ag fair with the emphasis on youth because not only is that how we build a bigger fair, but it's also how we showcase the North Dakota's achievements and how we build more fairgoers for future years. I travel all over the country showing cattle and stuff, and the thing about the State Fair is, they've kept it very agricultural and very rural for our kids. So a blue ribbon is a big thing to these kids still, and I think that's the way it needs to be. (man) She is really a high volume, muscular, easy fleshing kind of female. I talked in class about the Calf Champion. I really think thus far she's one of the nice individuals that's been brought into the show ring here at the 2008 Fair. The Calf Champion wins today. The Junior Champion's Reserve. Let's give your breeders a nice round of applause. [applause; cow moos] Not quite as wide a base in the lower 1/3 of his body. Don't you just love the profile, the length, the level of this, dimple above his tail good through that stifle even-toed, heavy-boned, heavy-footed kind of a hog. Awfully nice kind of a farrow. Folks, we've got an awfully, awfully nice set of gilts out here vying for these championship honors. Let's put our hands together and congratulate each and every one of them for a job well-done today. [applause] (woman) Funding is provided in part by the North Dakota State Fair Association and by...