Scratchpad: Get out to the Fairgrounds (mind where you step)

Published 6:04 am Thursday, July 31, 2025

If, like me, you worry about the future of our world, look no further than a Clatsop County youngster to suggest things may not turn out too badly.

Meet Haddie VanBerkom, who is excited to have her artwork chosen to promote this year’s Clatsop County Fair.

“This is my fourth year in 4-H,” VanBerkom said. “Every year I take pigs, a turkey, sewing projects, art and horticulture. I am so thankful to this community for all the support that you offer kids like me.”

Her gratitude is apparent. As well as 4-H, she plays soccer and softball, and takes part in a youth group. “Each of these activities are only possible because of the people who take the time to pass their skills forward — and I hope someday to return the favor,” she said.

She fits the profile that fair board member John Kahermanes highlighted when he appealed for public support a while ago. “Our local groups rely on the Fairgrounds as a key fundraising venue, bolstering their essential community work,” he said. “Critically, our youth benefit immensely through 4H and FFA programs based here, developing invaluable skills and leadership. These aren’t just programs, they are investments in Clatsop County’s next generation.”

I had never heard of 4-H until I emigrated to the United States. I learned: head, heart, hands and health. My bride was a 4-H girl, and I realized those positive values I admired had been nurtured in that youth organization, as well as on the family farm. Her father, a county Extension Agent for Washington State University, was a fair dairy superintendent. Her mother served on the Washington State Fair Commission and traveled the state judging fairs for efficiency and quality. 

Everything stopped for fair week. Everything. Where else could you laugh at mutton busting, eat elephant ears, watch horses strut their stuff, immersed in a life that was different, remarkable and wholesome.

If you haven’t been to the Clatsop County Fair already, drop everything and go. The week of fun at the Fairgrounds concludes Aug. 2.