Fair Schedule

Monday, July 9	8:00 a.m.	Swine Judging
	6:00 p.m.	Arts Hall Judging (Floriculture)
	7:00 p.m.	Truck and N.A. Tractor Pulls
Tuesday, July 10	8:30 a.m.	Sheep Judging
	9:00 a.m.	Arts Hall Judging
	1:00 p.m.	Harness Racing
	7:00 p.m.	C-Bar Rodeo (Bull Riding, Barrel Races, and Bareback Riding)
Wednesday, July 11	10:30 a.m.	Dairy Judging
	1:00 p.m.	Harness Racing
	7:00 p.m.	Flat Track Drag Racing & Lawn Mower Demo
Thursday, July 12	1:00 p.m.	Harness Racing – Great Midwest Trot & Pace
	7:00 p.m.	Barnyard Scramble – Entries Close at 4:00 p.m.
		$5 Gate Admission 2 and over – Free Grandstand
		Entries close at 4:00 p.m. in the Secretary’s office.
Friday, July 13	8:30 a.m.	Beef Judging
	1:00 p.m.	Thoroughbred Racing
	7:00 p.m.	Moto-Cross Racing
Saturday, July 14	8:00 a.m.	Run/Walk
	8:30 a.m.	Junior & Open Horse Shows
	9:00 a.m.	Antique Tractor Pull
	12:30 p.m.	Garden Tractor Pull
	7:00 p.m.	Demo Derby
		Fireworks immediately following the

Monday, July 9	8:00 a.m.	Swine Judging
	6:00 p.m.	Arts Hall Judging (Floriculture)
	7:00 p.m.	Truck and N.A. Tractor Pulls
Tuesday, July 10	8:30 a.m.	Sheep Judging
	9:00 a.m.	Arts Hall Judging
	1:00 p.m.	Harness Racing
	7:00 p.m.	C-Bar Rodeo (Bull Riding, Barrel Races, and Bareback Riding)
Wednesday, July 11	10:30 a.m.	Dairy Judging
	1:00 p.m.	Harness Racing
	7:00 p.m.	Flat Track Drag Racing & Lawn Mower Demo
Thursday, July 12	1:00 p.m.	Harness Racing – Great Midwest Trot & Pace
	7:00 p.m.	Barnyard Scramble – Entries Close at 4:00 p.m.
		$5 Gate Admission 2 and over – Free Grandstand
		Entries close at 4:00 p.m. in the Secretary’s office.
Friday, July 13	8:30 a.m.	Beef Judging
	1:00 p.m.	Thoroughbred Racing
	7:00 p.m.	Moto-Cross Racing
Saturday, July 14	8:00 a.m.	Run/Walk
	8:30 a.m.	Junior & Open Horse Shows
	9:00 a.m.	Antique Tractor Pull
	12:30 p.m.	Garden Tractor Pull
	7:00 p.m.	Demo Derby
		Fireworks immediately following the

Well, the rides are up, the vendors have their food stands ready and the horses are ready to hit the track at 1:00 today (maybe that starts tomorrow).  I am working Monday through Wednesday of this week...it will be hard to sit at work every day knowing all the excitement is going on!

First of all, each evening at 6:00 p.m. in the church tent, churches in the community will take a turn providing some sort of entertainment.  I think the Bible Church children will put on a play, or at least they usually do, and I think they perform on Tuesday.  Wednesday night is our church praise band...and they are awesome.  Other than that, I am not sure what each church is doing.  Later in the evenings in that same tent around 8:00 p.m. (if I have this right) will be some sort of free entertainment.  Maybe a local band or talent.  Tuesday and Wednesday evenings there will be a magician giving a couple free performances down along the midway.  He will also do some balloon art.

This morning at 8:00 is the Swine Judging.  We walked through the pig barn last night and saw some nice looking pigs.  I have learned (after last night) that if I had to like the looks of a pig, it would be a Duroc.  They are reddish-brown.  So, of course, this means that Jay is on the hunt for a Duroc gilt.  Yeah me.  Entries will be accepted into the Arts hall until noon today.  Of course, last night my kids worked on what they were taking.  We like to work right up to the last minute! 

At 7:00 p.m. tonight, the tractor and truck pulls will be in front of the grandstands.  I usually enjoy watching a little of the truck and tractor pulls.  It is loud, but entertaining.  The rides start tonight too, which means my kids could care less about what is going on in front of the grandstands.

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) is the Sheep judging beginning at 8:30, harness racing at 1:00 and then the C-Bar rodeo at 7:00 p.m. in front of the grandstands.  Wednesday morning beginning at 10:30 is the Dairy judging with harness racing again at 1:00 p.m.  Wednesday evening's entertainment is the flat track drags and lawnmower derby beginning at 7:00 p.m.

Thursday is one of the biggest days for the fair.  At 1:00 p.m. the harness races begin with the Great Midwest Trot & Pace as the highlight.  Entries for the Scramble are accepted until 4:00 p.m. SHARP.  The grandstands are free and the Scramble begins at 7:00 p.m.  The Scramble draws an enormous crowd.  A couple years ago they started with the free grandstands, which allows families to come to the fair for a fun evening for $5 a person.  You cannot find a deal like that anywhere.  And the older kids have the chance to catch a pig or goat and earn money!!  (Thanks to our Scramble donors.)

Friday at 8:30 a.m. is the Beef judging and at 1:00 the Thoroughbreds get to race.  (Now those are my kind of races!)   At 7:00 p.m. in front of the grandstands is MotoCross Racing.  Saturday, bright and early, the day begins with some exercise and the 5k down at the Arts Hall.  This is something that I work with and causes me a great deal of stress.  Ha.  I know it sounds so petty, right?  I am not a runner and get all freaked out by those who take it seriously...because I hate to screw up their times, you know. 

Beginning at 8:30 over at the horse arena is the Junior and Open Horse Show.  We have a new horse arena thanks to a grant written by a couple people and it is very nice.  We are trying to put it to good use!  The antique tractor pull begins at 9:00 a.m. in front of the grandstands.  The Garden tractor pull is at 12:30.  The greatest spectacle of all begins at 7:00 p.m....the Demolition Derby.  Oh my, the grandstands will be absolutely packed and it is hilarious.  Following the derby will be the fireworks (as long as it is safe) which is an awesome way to end the week.

Come out and join the folks at the Martinsville Ag Fair this week.  The weather is looking awesome, minus our desperate need for rain.

It's almost fair time!

My favorite week of the year is almost here.  The Martinsville Agricultural Fair begins on Sunday.  As a child, the fair was sort of like our vacation and we soaked up every last minute of it.  Many on my dad's side of the family have always had ties to the fair and it's operation.  Currently my dad is serving as fair board president, but he has a very strong group of board members that pull this shindig together each year.

The board members and volunteers devote countless hours in preparation for this one week.  They began immediately after the conclusion of the fair to plan for the next year.  It never stops.  Obviously, the month or two before the fair is the busiest, but these folks are working all year long for this event. 

I have such wonderful memories of the fair...the midway and the carnival, the scramble, the taffy, the shake-ups, the porkburgers, french fries, nutty bars, the art's hall, horse races, the demo derby, the dirt and dust.  I could go on and on.  As I am discovering through parenthood and adulthood, all those wonderful things I got to do as a child like going to the fair, going camping, going to church camp, VBS, etc, are exhausting for the adults!  As I look forward with anticipation for next week, I am also already worrying about the exhaustion, not only for myself, but for my kids, family members and other friends and family.  It almost wipes a person out!!

The one thing that has stood the test of time, although a few things have changed, is that fair week begins on Sunday with the Lord's blessing.  In years past, all the churches cancelled their Sunday evening worship services and came to the fairgrounds for a community service.  In more recent times, there is a gospel sing, free-will donation.  There isn't a message per se, but we still begin the week giving praise and asking for a blanket of safety and blessing on the fairgrounds.  Many believe this is the key to the fair's success.  I tend to think it has a great deal to do with it.

When the Elevate concert came to town in 2010, the Elevate committee began, about a month before the concert and fair week, having a prayer meeting every Thursday evening at 7 at the fairgrounds.  I cannot begin to tell you what that weekly prayer means to me...yes, it takes about an hour out of my Thursday evening during the summer, but it brings such peace.  I love it that people gather right there on the grounds to pray for the concert, the fair, the fair board members (which include many of my family and church family) and everyone in attendance.  Most will never know how many prayers are sent up for them as they walk through those fair gates next week.  Countless prayers have been prayed for their safety. 

I may have posted about this before, but this one particular memory is such a testament to me about the blanket of safety and blessing that cover that fairgrounds.  I was sitting in the top row of the grandstands and a rain storm was on its way.  (There were a couple years there where our fair could not afford to have much rain, as many things would be cancelled and the crowds would stay away.)  And I remember sitting there just whispering prayers for that rain to stay away, please, just keep it away from us (hard to believe I could've said such a thing when we are in such need right now, huh?).  I looked over the railing of the grandstands to the south and just across the road it was raining.  It rained all around the fairgrounds that day.  I am serious as can be.  It was absolutely unbelievable.  Nothing was rained out, nothing cancelled, the crowds came.

As I watch many scramble around to get things done before Sunday, I worry about their health and well being especially with record-setting temperatures.  (Many people that I know do not know when to quit!)  The forecast predicts a major break in the heat on Monday.  I thank God in advance for such a blessing.  We are desperate for rain, and normally I would pray that the rain would stay away for fair week, but instead, I say bring on the rain, even if it is during fair week.  We will get through it. 

If you are in the area, come out and spend at least one afternoon or evening at the Martinsville Agricultural Fair.  There is a $5 gate admission, but hey, you can ride all the rides you want all evening long!  You can't beat that.  If time permits, I will post more about the schedule of events, but just in case time gets away from me (as it often does), you can view the schedule of events by visiting http://www.martinsvilleagfair.com/.

Elevate 2012

I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  Psalm 63:4 (NIV)
In 2010, a small committee formed and pressed forward to fulfill what God had called them to do:  Put together a family-friendly, affordable, safe, Christian concert with awesome bands, all in the hopes of elevating our community and bringing folks closer to God.  The first year was a huge success.  NeedtoBreathe and Jars of Clay were the two main Christian bands.  It was unbelievable that those bands had agreed to come to little ole Martinsville, Illinois, yet they came.  And so did the people. 

In 2011, I was asked to join the committee and accepted the invitation.  I absolutely love Christian music and will travel many miles to hear a band I love.  I love our community and love Jesus.  So I was all about encouraging our community to love Jesus.  Last year Sanctus Real, Gungor & JJ Heller took the stage.  The weather threw a wrench in Sanctus Real's performance, but those that attended enjoyed the bands.  And thankfully, there were no injuries or incidents because of the storm that rolled through.  The right decisions were made and the timing was nearly perfect when the show was cut short.

So here we are in 2012, Elevate is tomorrow at the Martinsville, Illinois fairgrounds, beginning at 5:00 p.m.  Terrace Lake Worship will open the show, followed by For King and Country, Josh Wilson and Kutless.  It is another terrific line-up.  Last year we brought in bounce houses for the kids to enjoy while their parents watch the concert and it was a huge success...the bounce houses will be back again for the kids' pleasure.  We will have a prayer tent for those feeling the need to ask for special prayer or to be lead to the Lord.  Water tents will be situated near the crowd with the merchandise tent nearby.

Tickets for this concert are $15 per person, $5 for kids 3-10.  They will be available at the door.  We also have Elevate 2012 t-shirts that will be for sale in the merchandise tent.  Often, it is easy to forget about the behind-the-scenes work that has to be done to prepare for something like this.  Although I am part of the committee, I only participate in a fraction of the preparations compared to the others.  I thank them for their hard work and dedication.  I know how much time and effort they have put into the day.

There are many willing volunteers that will be helping out tomorrow with parking, working the gates, security on the track, merchandise tents, water tents, bounce houses, setting up the stage and tents, etc.  We are so thankful to all of them for giving up their time to help.  We are gracious to the fair board for allowing us to use the facility and attach it to the fair so that the grounds are in tip-top shape and the vendors are around to sell food and treats.

The purpose of this concert is to glorify God, not ourselves, not our fairgrounds or even the community.  It is simply to give him praise and hopefully share his goodness and salvation with others.  It may not be your thing, or at least you may think it isn't, but give it a try.  Come join us tomorrow afternoon and evening.  It may be a tad hot, but I was thinking the other day when I was sure that I was as hot as I have ever been...Hell will be worse, much worse.  Far beyond our wildest imagination.  We can do this.  Let many come, even in the scorching hot temperatures and praise the Lord...showing the Devil he is no match.   

July...aaaaahhhhh

That will be me when July is over.  I know that everyone is busy, busy, busy and it's always crazy in the summer.  This year, it seems, other than our vacation to Colorado, everything is crammed into the 31 days of July. 

Elevate, the Christian concert that kicks off our fair, is this Saturday...then a full week of all-you-can-take  Carnival, junk food, visiting, grandstand events, horse racing.  The annual Martinsville af"Fair 5k walk/run is on Saturday and I help organize that. 

Church camp, which is always the first full week of June, was moved to mid July...beginning the week after our fair, which has been the last full week of June for the past several years.   We come home on Friday from church camp and the 4-H fair begins on Saturday and runs through the next Wednesday.  The Friday and Saturday after that, Jay is an usher in his cousin's wedding.  Sunday, July 29, we are having a mini Vacation Bible School after church.

Madolyn has volleyball camp to squeeze in during the 4-H fair.  We should be done with baseball after this Friday night.  The 4th of July is tomorrow, which thankfully I have off.  Jay has worked every day or night since we came home from Colorado and should be off this Friday for two weeks, so that he can rest enjoy all the fun stuff too.

I am thankful to be alive.  Thankful that my kids and husband (and I) are healthy and able to enjoy summer.  I am thankful for jobs that allow for vacation time.  I am thankful for my parents and in-laws who help with the kids' stuff in the summer.  I am thankful for a small community that can be so much fun.  I am thankful that everyday I am reminded of how blessed I am.  (Note to self, read the last paragraph again on August 1.)  Happy Fourth of July!!!