Lake Forest State Fair

How fortunate we are to have the Delaware State Fair in Harrington.

It involves so many of our children and their families in positive, productive, constructive activities; not only for that 10-day period, but often for the entire year. Teachers and staff members get involved as well, whether it’s in the Kids Zone or the Needlepoint Show, Pete’s or the sheep barn - Lake Forest Spartans are everywhere.

We are a rural community with strong agricultural roots and you’ll find many of our people in the show barns. You’ll also see them doing public speaking through 4-H, exhibiting their photography or sewing, and helping out at a family exhibit or church-run food venue. You’ll find a lot of Spartans on the ice rink, too.

I first got to know the state fair experience through 4-H forty years ago. Each summer for four years during college, I worked for West Virginia University Extension. I managed 4-H camps all over the state and finished the summer at the state fair in Lewisburg in August. The first summer I worked in the youth exhibit hall and at night I was assigned to sleep in the loft of the sheep barn to keep an eye on the 4-H and FFA boys who would be using those bunks. There was nothing between us and the sheep, and the general public, but chicken wire.

Those folks that live at the fair all week long are a special breed. You have to love it or you wouldn’t be there. I’m not sure what does it for me -the people, the reunions, the smell of the hay, the funnel cake. I always met girls at the fair. Maybe it was the oppressive heat, the dirt rings around my neck, the smell of manure or the limited opportunity to see to personal hygiene.

You can’t spend any time at the fair without developing some lifelong friends and lifetime memories. Back in my day, the favorite grandstand shows were acts like The Beach Boys, The Statler Brothers and Up With People. Some of my most indelible memories involve finding and reuniting families with lost children, getting knocked over (along with a table full of ribbons and trophies) by a couple of fighting boar hogs, showering through a garden hose next to a Holstein steer and being one of the first ones to walk the grounds as the sun came up on a brisk summer morning.

The Delaware State Fair belongs to everyone in Delaware and we are so lucky to have it right here in our front yard. Sure, it is great for the local economy, but, for the children who spend the week, it is even greater. They learn more about their interests and learn more about themselves than they would in any other environment.

They grow. They gain independence. They become leaders. They learn responsibility. They mature. They become better Spartans. They don’t know it, but they become better students because of the fair.

Guidance Counselors on the Road

We’re trying something new this summer.

The Lake Forest High School guidance department is making itself available to parents and students out there in the community. They especially want to see the incoming 9th graders. Why?

9th grade can be a difficult year. It can make or break a successful high school experience. Many students experience their first failing grade in 9th grade.
There are a variety of theories as to why this happens:

• Parents have a tendency to let go and monitor school less when kids start high school
• It often means moving to a new, larger environment where relationships with peers and teachers have to be rebuilt
• They are not adequately prepared for the greater academic demand
• High school teachers teach subjects not students

These theories all have merit, but none of them represent the issue totally. Perhaps to some degree, struggles in ninth grade may be due to fractions of any and/or all of the above.

We want to be sure that parents of 9th graders in Lake Forest know that we want you to stay involved. We want you to monitor your student’s progress. The best way to get started is to be sure you connect with the guidance department.

They are available at the Felton Fire Hall July 7 from 4-7pm; at the Frederica Fire Hall on July 12 from 8a.m. to 4p.m.; and at the Harrington Parks and Recreation Center on July 13 from 8-12 and 4-7. You don’t need an appointment, you can just drop in. If you have questions, please call the high school guidance office at 284-9291 ext.210.

We hope you’ll take advantage of this unique opportunity.