The Merced County Spring Fair came and went.  The fair opened on Tuesday, May 2 as the Pre-Fair events  and ended Sunday, May 7.

The May Day Spring Fair was a week where residents spent time with their families to go on rides, look at animals, eat delicious fair food, and watch fun events. Some events this year included concerts, performances, animal pig racing, tractor racing, and much more.

Although the fair was fun for the residents, for students of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program, it took a lot of preparation to get everything set up. Students are involved in showing animals which takes months of caring for the animal and training the animal to walk and set up correctly for judges, while other students build large projects in their Ag classes.

Some students build projects, such as trailers and barbecues throughout the year in woodshop or welding.  Mario Arellano (11) made a barbeque pit. He stated, “It was a long tedious process. There were lots of setting up since it was such a large piece. The barbecue pit was welded all around with metal sheet and is around 50- 60 pounds and five feet long with it also being around two feet wide.”

He said, ” It felt good to display my project. It took a long time to build something like this, and I’m glad people all over Merced County and Los Banos could see it and enjoy it.”

Many of the students involved in the fair missed the whole week of school. This can take a toll on students with only a few weeks of the year left.  Giana Trinidad (11)  stated, “It’s a lot for me sometimes; school work does get packed up, but when you are trying to make money off your animals it causes lots of sacrifice, and I’m willing to take the risk and go back to school and work my butt off to finish the year.”

She added, “There is a lot that goes into getting to the fair. Before my lamb was dropped off, I made sure to have her enclosure all set up so the lamb felt comfortable and safe. I made sure the number one thing I did was to make sure it’s fed well and stays hydrated and ready for the auction. It was a long process, but it’s all worth it at the end when money comes in.”

FFA is a very big deal at the spring fair and students can continue to attend other fairs offered throughout the next few months with new projects and animals.  For many students, this is a good income to have during their high school time.