What's Happening MoCo?

What Fuels the MoCoFair? Meet a #MoCoFair Queen, Mom and Junior Board

• Derrick Kenny • Season 8 • Episode 85

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Join us as we speak with Mallory and Anthony, standout members of the Junior Board at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. They share their journey of organizing pivotal events like the parade, complementing the efforts of the senior board, and reveal how the influence of 4-H shapes aspiring leaders. Discover the familial bonds and generational involvement that make this fair a cornerstone of community pride and continuity.

Abby Zimmerman, the newly crowned queen of the Montgomery County Ecological Fair, takes us behind the scenes of this vibrant event. Abby's family has long been entwined with the fair, and she brings a unique perspective on the educational and volunteer opportunities it offers. From workdays to leadership roles, Abby emphasizes the value of community participation, urging listeners to engage and contribute to this multifaceted celebration of agriculture and ecological awareness.

Suzanne Burton, a dedicated fair participant and mother to multiple fair queens, joins us to discuss the passion and dedication required to earn the crown at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. She reflects on her family's extensive involvement and the joy of supporting her children's journeys to the royal court. As the fair approaches its 100-year jubilee, Suzanne shares her vision for balancing cherished traditions with modern technology, ensuring that the fair remains a beloved event for future generations. Tune in to be inspired by the commitment and community spirit that make this fair a lasting legacy.

Speaker 1:

Cast from your award-winning government television station, county Cable, montgomery. Now here's your host, derek Kinney. Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco. We're at the 2024 Montgomery County Agricultural Fairground. It's the 75th anniversary of the Jubilee and we're here with Mallory and Anthony and they're with the junior board. How's it going to the guys? It's going great, alright, alright. Now it seems like you guys are very active here at the Ag Fair. I see you running around, I see you behind the scenes, but a lot of people may not know, me included. What does the Junior Board do?

Speaker 2:

We do a lot of organization and preparation for certain events the parade that was yesterday. We do a lot of making sure everybody is where they're supposed to be. We have all the floats oh wow, royalty. It's just a lot of organizing and keeping everything flowing.

Speaker 1:

So a lot of the events, the things that are kind of complicated, have multiple parts and people involved. You guys help provide leadership to that.

Speaker 3:

That's correct. So we do a lot of similar activities to what the regular, the senior board of directors as we like to call it. So we sort of shadow them in, almost in preparation to take their place and to join the board of directors, so we get very involved in a lot of activities. They do like how I set the parade and we do a bit of other activities as well.

Speaker 1:

What's the age range of the junior board? How did you guys get involved with it so?

Speaker 3:

it is 16 to 23. So the idea behind it is as you grow you learn more and more about the fair, and it's also kind of an avenue A lot of youth around here also do the royalty, the fair royalty, and so fair royalty ends at 18. So the idea is they're done with royalty and they can also join Junior Board afterwards, right, so you can continue on your service to the Ag Fair.

Speaker 1:

The idea is they're done with royalty and they can also join junior board afterwards so you can continue on your service to the Ag Fair. How often are you active as part of the junior board? Is this an all year thing? Is this something that's periodic, or how does it work for you in terms of your schedule of support?

Speaker 2:

It's an all year thing. We have a meeting about every two months and then, during the fair week, we are here all day, every day.

Speaker 1:

Wow.

Speaker 2:

Just going through the motions. Yeah, it's like a part time job.

Speaker 1:

All right, all right, that's good. Now, how did you get started? You mentioned earlier that often people just wait in the royal court first and then they move on. But how? How? A 16 year old perhaps? How do you get started? You got to apply. You tell your mom, you tell someone of the Ag Fair, how do you start?

Speaker 3:

so there is an application process. So in November we start or actually October we start announcing and recruiting for the junior board directors and then in November, we interview potential members as an application process and then, as the current board will nominate or make nominations and vote on who we believe is best for the positions we have open.

Speaker 2:

Now adding to what Anthony said. So a lot of us who end up on the junior board or the senior board participated in 4-H before deciding to be on the junior board or the senior board. So at young ages we decided or our parents got us into it or a family friend it's just. However, you get connected into it and doing 4-H and your livestock animals and that's a lot of how actually we just kind of go into the next role.

Speaker 1:

Now I always I always try to ask this extra question, because I've been around the Ag Fair for years and I'm familiar with 4-H. But when you mentioned 4-H, to a lot of people this means you have 4-H's or 4D flow work. But what does it actually mean? What's the reason that it's significant?

Speaker 3:

So 4-H stands for the four H's head, heart, hands and health and so these are values we hold dear throughout our college or college, our 4-H career, or college, our 4-H career. And so it's stuff we do like community service, our competition, our sportsmanship in our competitions, and so it's just holding those values dear and it's something we not only use in 4-H but we carry on into the other activities we do past when we graduate from 4-H, like the junior board, like royalty, and even in our further academic careers and in our jobs.

Speaker 2:

It's one of those things where 4-H doesn't just, it's not just a little box of a certain age and that's all you can do with it. During 4-H you learn about leadership, you learn about speaking, public speaking. There's a lot of different avenues, and you carry these into your next career or whatever you end up doing. It's something that is constantly you've used throughout your life now.

Speaker 1:

I noticed also that it seems like families are very involved in the field. Are your families involved in the fair and if so, how? Because we're looking at the 75th anniversary and a lot of what we see is legacy. What is your family's involvement with the fair?

Speaker 2:

There are a lot of generations in this fair. I mean, I know personally when I was younger I'm 23 now when I was much younger doing 4-H. I remember looking up to the other 4-Hers who today, now I see their kids doing it. So it's kind of wild because it is generational and what's awesome about it is you can you keep getting it, you keep having these generations come back and do it. It's still going. So you don't always see that, but when you do it's amazing.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, it's families upon families that come together, and the fun part is there's some families that have been here, likeory said, for generations. I know there's fifth and sixth generations showing today that have been coming to the fair since that first generation. And then there's families that this might be their first fair, and so the fun part about it is that all these families come together and create we call it our fair family, so we all become one unit and all work together to make this fair happen and make it a great and fun experience.

Speaker 2:

And also adding to what Anthony said. It's also I mean, yesterday I was speaking to just a random couple and their son because I was getting something to eat and I sat down and they saw that I was junior board and I spent two hours last night talking to them about the junior board but then they started asking about 4-H and what we did and what it meant. So it and that was just a random couple that I just decided, okay, I'll talk to them and they were really engaged and they were saying how I would have had no idea that that's what it's about. Like these are the things you do, like I wouldn't have known how much this actually played a role into everything.

Speaker 1:

That's amazing. So, this being the 75th anniversary of the Ag Fair, or 75th Jubilee, I plan to talk to a lot of older people because I was thinking about people that have been here many moons ago and things that have happened. But in speaking with you, just as important of the Ag Fair's 75th year is the future of the Ag Fair. In many ways, the Junior Board is a deliberate incarnation of what the future will bring. What do you have to share as someone that's going to be part of the leadership of the Ag Fair for years to come?

Speaker 3:

for the 30th anniversary, I mean the 80th anniversary, the 85th anniversary, the 90th anniversary, so, really, what I look forward to as being on the junior board, as aspiring to be on the senior board and growing my impact on this fair is how can we improve, how can we reach out to more, how can we teach more people about agriculture and help them understand? This is what we do, and not only, you know, showing the animals and the immediate aspects of the fair, but also the inner connections that we make here at the fair and all of the work that goes in, because the youth that come here and show it's not like they just bring an animal show. They work with these animals for years and years. So that is something I've actually looked forward to in the future is showing more and more of the background of this fair and just simply showing the upbringings.

Speaker 1:

Now, if you had one thing, that you want to share with people that might hear and just simply showing the upbringings Incredible. Now, if you had one thing that you want to share with people that might hear this podcast or see this podcast, or even find and click on this somewhere on social media, what would you want them to know about the Montgomery County Ecological Fair?

Speaker 2:

I personally would want them to know that it isn't just about the carnival. I mean, we all love to go to the carnival but, there is so much more you can do, so much.

Speaker 2:

You can learn so many opportunities, and all you really have to do is reach out to someone. You can see someone that has a name like Junior Board or senior board and if you want to learn about it, just come. Come and come and learn. Come and see what we do and what what it takes to make sure this fair happens every year.

Speaker 3:

It's, it's amazing and what I would say is if you're coming to the fair and you enjoy the fair, get involved, because it has been the best experience of my life to not only come to the fair as a patron, as someone who's just walking around and enjoying the ambiance, but to then go and show and to participate in the fair and now that I'm actually helping run the fair and helping make sure that this happens. It is an amazing experience and I encourage anyone who enjoys the fair and enjoys to come to get involved, become a volunteer, see what it's about, see the background of it and get involved and get involved in the community.

Speaker 1:

Now you mentioned get involved. What's the first step? Is there a website? Is there a phone number? Is there an office? What's the first step? If a family is interested, a child is interested, an adult is interested, Absolutely so.

Speaker 3:

before the fair starts, the first three Saturdays prior to the fair starting, we have workdays, which is where all of our volunteers come and help put on the fair. So they help clean up the fair, paint, do the flower beds, everything that goes into making this place look beautiful and functional for the fair. Come to any of those days. They should be on the website on Montgomery County Fair website.

Speaker 1:

Good day and welcome back to what's Happening. Moco live at the agricultural fairgrounds and we are in the presence of royalty, the queen. The queen she's been queen for almost two or three days now. Abby Zimmerman. Abby, how are you today?

Speaker 5:

I'm good. How are you doing?

Speaker 1:

Good, good, good. I always enjoy talking to the king and queen each year. It is such an honor because out of all the four acres that started maybe many years ago, five years ago, ten years ago, there's only going to be one Ag Fair, king and queen, each year. What's it been like so far for you as queen?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, so far it's been extremely eye-opening. I've seen different areas of the fair, different corners of the fair that I normally don't go to, you know, like the the big cheese, for example, like I've always gone up there, get one girl cheese a week but I've really got in to see, um, what's behind the scenes. They're all the different volunteers that come through the community and everything. They really come and help pull the ag fair together, and same with the heritage building. You know I was up at senior day earlier this morning and saw all the volunteers that work, you know, behind the scenes to create the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair, not just an experience for the exhibitors and the livestock holders but an experience for everyone that comes through these gates.

Speaker 1:

Wow, wow. And so now you're getting to see able to see the fair as a whole Exactly and see it from a different standpoint, and you have a role in that. So, as you're seeing these different areas, what is your role as you go to, like the cheese or the the cake cuttings? Is it different than it was previously?

Speaker 5:

yeah, most definitely so. Now that I'm the queen and everything I kind of serve as like the face for the agricultural community, which you know is something that I'm I am very honored to serve. You know, I have have a lot of deep family roots and a lot of friends that are very heavily involved in the agricultural community, so to be able just to talk to the public about my involvement in agriculture and how agricultural is truly an industry for everyone is truly something that's very honorable to me.

Speaker 1:

Wow, and you spoke about your family, and this is the 75th Jubilee of the Ag Fair and it's really driven by families in some respects. As well as volunteers, new families, old families, families that have been around for a while let's talk about your family. What is your family like? Are there other members of your family that's involved, and what is it? What type of support, of support do you guys provide to the Ag Fair?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, of course. So many years ago my grandfather. He got involved in the Montgomery County Fair. He moved up here with my grandmother from Arkansas and he actually worked for the FDA for many, many years. And then over here. He worked as a superintendent of the poultry barn, and so they had four children, including my mother. All four of them are fair kings and queens. Yeah, and then you know all of their grandchildren my aunt, her family is in Virginia, so they're not really heavily involved.

Speaker 1:

But with the exception of that, all of us are very deep-rooted still.

Speaker 5:

I mean even my Aunt Marla. She's a couple years younger than the rest, but her two little girls, hannah and Grace, they're so pickin'.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, all right. So what was the moment like up there on stage, you're a princess, of course, and you were a princess last year as well, yeah, so did you feel differently this year leading up to the announcement than you did the previous year? And then, once you heard your name, what happened? What was the feeling?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, definitely so last year. It was definitely. Experience Last year was like, okay, well, I'm already princess and you know I can be content with that because obviously once you're a queen, you can't do it again. So I wanted to continue my career with royalty. But I feel like this year, you know, I felt really, really good about my interview and everything and going through the process. It was just like you know what will happen will happen. And everybody on world court this year you know my court members they are all incredible people. So any one of us who would have gotten king or queen I would have been happy either way.

Speaker 5:

But yeah, I mean definitely receiving the title of queen was really really astronomical to me, especially hearing my sister's name be called even seconds before I was first princess.

Speaker 1:

And then my name being called for queen is very, very special. So how is it, among your family, to have not only the queen but, also the first princess, so there was a little doubt that one of you, zimmerman, would have been queen this year. What goes into the application process or the preparation process for you to compete and win as queen of the Ag Fair?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, of course. So around the time of March we fill out an application process which includes a Google form with the basic questions, and then we complete a couple of other practices and everything just to kind of go over what we love about the fair and what our passions are behind the fair and what our different ideas are for certain things. And then we come in and we obviously have an interview.

Speaker 5:

We interview with a panel of three judges, sometimes four, and just talk to them again about the fair, about our projects and about our involvement, and then from there judges make a decision and we figure out what it is at Coronation Night.

Speaker 1:

Oh, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. So now you are the queen. You are now blazing the trail for the next young lady that wants to be queen, somewhere out there with a little 4-H'er, or someone that's not 4-H'er yet and say, one day, I want to wear that tiara, I want to wear that crown. What advice do you have for maybe one of the people that, one of the queen's princesses that didn't win, or one of the future queens? What advice do you have for them in their journey towards possibly becoming considered a queen?

Speaker 5:

Yeah, definitely. So the biggest thing is just finding what you love and sticking with it. You know, for me, I raise livestock, I raise sheep and I also sow, and you know, becoming very, very involved in those parts of the fair has been very intricate into getting me more involved with the fair. You know, finding something that you're really, really passionate about and really putting 100% of your effort into it Not 95, not 65, putting 100% of everything that you have into it, and then really, you know, from there things will blossom for you because if people can see that you're dedicated, people can see that you care about why you're here, people will see that and they will recognize you for it.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. And that's what's happening. Moco, we're here with royalty Abby Zimmerman, very, very, very real, very humble. I had a chance to meet her years ago and I will say there's a lot, there's a lot of great effort that goes into the application process of becoming queen. Um, and just the thoughtfulness, um, and the care that it takes in selecting the queen is a true honor, and it's an honor to have you here on the what's happening local podcast. Thanks for joining us and looking forward to great things from you in the future. So thanks for being here of course.

Speaker 5:

Thank you so much.

Speaker 1:

Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco. We are here live at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fairgrounds, experiencing the 75th Jubilee at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and what it means to some of the people that have been supporting the fair for so many years, people like Suzanne Burton. Suzanne, how are you today?

Speaker 4:

I'm fine. Thank you on this beautiful day.

Speaker 1:

What does the fair mean to you?

Speaker 4:

Well, there's a saying among fairgoers that the fair is always the nine best days of the year.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 4:

And that is literally true. My family has always looked forward to coming to the Montgomery County Fair and we've been coming for probably the past close to 20 years.

Speaker 1:

Now there's something different about your family, though, because not only do you come to the Ag Cultural Fair each year, you've actually participated in different ways. What are some of the ways that your family has supported the Ag Fair or participated in some of the other activities of the Ag Fair over the years?

Speaker 4:

That's true. In fact, this morning I was up in the big cheese booth, which has been around for over 60 years. They pride themselves on selling more than 10,000 grilled cheese sandwiches every year, so I was one of the grillers this morning for four and a half hours. So make sure to stop at Big Cheese when you're there. But my family I have four children and parents do what their children do, of course.

Speaker 4:

So we started volunteering at the fair when our children were involved in 4-H, and 4-H is a community program focusing on development of youth in all throughout the country and specifically here in Montgomery County. So that led us to volunteering here at the fair. So other places that we've volunteered are there's an old-timers building which is up at the very top of the fair where you have some history of the fair and some people that really started the fair helped to actually build these buildings and they have their own like antiques and sort of from there that are there.

Speaker 4:

Um also today's senior day, so that's a big deal where we invite our seniors in the community come, and there's a lot of vendors here that support senior activities or doing free giveaways. There's a vip day on monday where um people with some special needs are paired with volunteers to take them around the fair. We have multiple animal shows throughout the fair. Animals are a big deal here at our fair. In fact, many people come from other states specifically to the Montgomery County Fair to show their animals. As we in Montgomery County are the largest fair on the eastern seaboard. Little people know that, that we're bigger than the state fair, wonderful, wonderful.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that we find special at the montgomery county agricultural fair is that you actually have a royal court and you have kings and you have queens and things of that nature, and in the past we've talked to the kings and queens but we haven't talked to the moms oh god so what's how many you?

Speaker 1:

you're a mom to not only one queen, but two queens. Talk number one your daughters. And which years they were queens, sure, but then what it was like supporting them and helping them through the process of becoming queens of the Royal Court.

Speaker 4:

I am really blessed to have children that want to support the fair and be involved in the fair, and I have a son who was a prince in 2010, a daughter that was a queen in 2012, and another daughter that was queen in 2017.

Speaker 1:

Well, let's share their names so that we can immortalize them on the podcast.

Speaker 4:

Oh sure, my son's name is Tuck Burton, my daughter for 2012 is Mary Therese Burton and my daughter from 2017 that was queen is named Mindy Burton. All right.

Speaker 1:

Getting them ready. They look so official, so royal, so regal. The clothes are all together the dresses and the sashes. How much work is it behind the scenes for the mom to make those things happen?

Speaker 4:

Well, the moms are always the support for the kids right.

Speaker 4:

We're the ones that drive them around whenever they can't drive, that help them to make sure they have all of their materials ready, go shopping with them for their clothes. But honestly, as much as we're there to support and encourage our children in everything that they do, it's really the children that have the drive, the motivation, the energy, the service commitment and the involvement in the fair. Everybody that's on fair royalty, whether they're first-year prince or whether it's their fifth year and their queen, they have devoted so much time to their activities on the fair, whether it's raising and showing animals, whether it's volunteering in one of the craft buildings. It's also building entries that they can share with the public. Public speaking, my children always did demonstrations on things that they had learned throughout the years, specialty things, for example. One of my daughter's favorite is what is the difference between hay and straw? Because my daughter leased dairy goods and we were big into agriculture as well as community.

Speaker 1:

What is the difference between hay and straw? Is there a difference? What is the difference?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, one is used as a feed for animals, versus one is a bedding.

Speaker 3:

And they're different in their structure.

Speaker 4:

But so there are topics.

Speaker 5:

Maybe something new.

Speaker 4:

Yeah, all kinds of topics, and you can use any type of educational product that you do in school also.

Speaker 1:

So that's another way for kids in the community that are school age they can bring their entries to the fair and win awards for school also. So that's another way for kids in the community that are school age. They can bring their entries to the fair and win awards for school projects. Fantastic, fantastic. If you could give one tip to a parent that's looking to get their child involved in the Ag Fair, what would be that tip and what would be the starting point for that child?

Speaker 4:

I would have two tips, if that's okay.

Speaker 1:

Okay, that's fine.

Speaker 4:

I have to plug the Big Cheese too, too, because Shannon Sullivan runs the Big Cheese and every year there are more and more volunteers in the Big Cheese and right now there's probably 20 middle schoolers up there helping out in the Big Cheese. That's a great way to start in the fair, to have a job at the fair and also to learn experience and learn where else you can contribute job at the fair and also to learn experience and learn where else you can contribute. The second suggestion I would have is reaching out to the Montgomery County 4-H. 4-h is a year-long organization. You participate throughout the year and there are community clubs for people that like to bake or sew or want to do service in the community, and then there are animal clubs if you own animals or if you want to lease service in the community. And then there are animal clubs if you own animals or if you want to lease animals and you're an urban child that doesn't have a farm. That's what my kids did we leased goats and we showed goats for probably close to 10 years.

Speaker 1:

Oh, wow. Well, thank you so much for being here, thanks for being so generous with your time and thank you to you and your family for continuing to support the ag fair through all the years and moving forward. What do you want to see in the future? What do you imagine the fair to be like in um 25 years from now, when it's a hundred year jubilee?

Speaker 4:

well, one of the things that's changed so much is technology, and the fair has sort of moved along with technology. We still have the traditions from the past, but we're moving forward, just like you with your podcast, with more and more technology to make it accessible to more people.

Speaker 1:

Wonderful, and that's what's happening in MoCo. We're here with Suzanne Burton, who's the proud mother of royalty. Thank you, two queens and a prince. Thanks for listening and please subscribe MoCo, and please subscribe.