An estimated 600 kids of all ages stopped by the “Little Farm Hands” exhibit at the Sherburne County Fair over the past weekend, reports organizer Jean Johnson of Clear Lake. A great many people tried their hand at the mechanical milking machine, which is cunningly crafted to resemble a Holstein cow, complete with working udders.
Among those lending a hand were U.S. Marines from a nearby recruiting tent, and a pair of Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders who happened to be strolling through the fairgrounds at just the right time, Johnson said.
Kids got a real “hands-on” farming experience, with a special sand pit from which they could dig out and harvest potatoes, a tiny wooden orchard for apple picking and transporting to the “store”, and a corn bin. Kids could collect “coupons” for everything they had harvested, Johnson said, and they could trade those in for things on the shelves that they wanted.
The point of the experience is to teach kids and adults how food is grown, harvested and transported to market and, eventually to the store and to the table, Johnson said.
The exhibit also provided handouts on agricultural projects, and sold “Little Farm hands” T-shirts during the four-day run of the fair. They also collected donations for the “Farm Friends Barn” project that will one day see construction of a barn and exhibit hall on property near the Sherburne History Center in Becker.
Volunteers who donated private time to work with Johnson included Francine Larson and Bill Bronder.
