The winner of the High School History Essay Award for 2015 is Emily Wagler.
Emily graduates from North Adams-Jerome High School in 2015. She hopes to some day be a published author. To this end, she will study English at Spring Arbor University. She will also pursue a degree in Children’s Ministry, with a dream of working with kids, most likely as a missionary.
The Hillsdale County Fair
I have been attending and exhibiting 4-H projects at the Hillsdale County Fair for ten years, but “The Most Popular Fair on Earth” has been around for many more decades than that. Since its organization in 1851, the Hillsdale County Fair has been contributing to our community. From the horse races and tractor pulls to the animals and cooking exhibits, our Fair offers a fun and unique experience that people travel from all over the country to attend. The Hillsdale County Fair is a significant aspect in the life of the community.
Since the Hillsdale County Agricultural Society was formed in the mid-1800s and the prospect of a county fair was born, the Fair has been an event that brings the community together. Through the years, Hillsdale has remained a rural area, and the farmers have always been joined together by the Agricultural Society and the County Fair at the end of September. It is an opportunity to show off those juicy red tomatoes and that extraordinary crop of hay, or the exceptional dairy cow and envied thoroughbred, things that remain consistent throughout the changing eras. Agriculture is an important part of our county’s heritage, and the best and brightest from around the area are on display every year at the Fair.
One aspect of the Fair that I appreciate most is the amazing display of old-fashioned arts that are such an amazing part of our heritage as well. There are beautiful hand-stitched quilts and wonderful masterpieces of embroidery, things that people have labored hundreds of hours to finish. Our Fair exhibits the beauty of the old-fashioned, showcasing arts that our society nowadays has lost appreciation for. The world is always changing, but the Fair teaches the next generations about our heritage, both in agriculture and in other arts. The 4-H program has been in practice at the Hillsdale County Fair for over 100 years. Its role in the education of young people through the years at the Fair is amazing. It makes it possible to involve students in agriculture and in their heritage, and teaches them indispensable life lessons through the competitions at the Fair: leadership, sportsmanship, responsibility and strong character.
The Hillsdale County Fair has carried an amazing impact in our county’s heritage and history. Its promotion of agriculture in our rural community allows the people who live here to showcase world-class exhibits and bond together through friendly competitions. Our rich heritage is on display every year, and the agricultural background of the community is well-represented at the Fair. The newest and best technology, exhibits, entertainers, and fun bring people from all over the county and even country to Hillsdale for the County Fair. Its fame has grown every year as world records continue to be broken in horse-pulls and tractor-pulls. The Hillsdale County Fair traditionally exhibits the finest livestock and agricultural wares in the county. The wide variety of exhibits and the amazing opportunities for the community truly make it the most popular—and greatest—fair on earth.
Emily Wagler - 2015