August 17, 2024 • 25 mins
Join us as we speak with Mallory and Anthony, standout members of the Junior Board at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. They share their journey of organizing pivotal events like the parade, complementing the efforts of the senior board, and reveal how the influence of 4-H shapes aspiring leaders. Discover the familial bonds and generational involvement that make this fair a cornerstone of community pride and continuity.
Abby Zimmerman, the newly crowned queen of the Montgomery County Ecological Fair, takes us behind the scenes of this vibrant event. Abby's family has long been entwined with the fair, and she brings a unique perspective on the educational and volunteer opportunities it offers. From workdays to leadership roles, Abby emphasizes the value of community participation, urging listeners to engage and contribute to this multifaceted celebration of agriculture and ecological awareness.
Suzanne Burton, a dedicated fair participant and mother to multiple fair queens, joins us to discuss the passion and dedication required to earn the crown at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair. She reflects on her family's extensive involvement and the joy of supporting her children's journeys to the royal court. As the fair approaches its 100-year jubilee, Suzanne shares her vision for balancing cherished traditions with modern technology, ensuring that the fair remains a beloved event for future generations. Tune in to be inspired by the commitment and community spirit that make this fair a lasting legacy.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cast from your award-winning government
television station, county Cable, montgomery.
Now here's your host, derekKinney.
Good day and welcome to what'sHappening, moco.
We're at the 2024 MontgomeryCounty Agricultural Fairground.
It's the 75th anniversary ofthe Jubilee and we're here with
Mallory and Anthony and they'rewith the junior board.
(00:22):
How's it going to the guys?
It's going great, alright,alright.
Now it seems like you guys arevery active here at the Ag Fair.
I see you running around, I seeyou behind the scenes, but a
lot of people may not know, meincluded.
What does the Junior Board do?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We do a lot of organization and preparation for
certain events the parade thatwas yesterday.
We do a lot of making sureeverybody is where they're
supposed to be.
We have all the floats oh wow,royalty.
It's just a lot of organizingand keeping everything flowing.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
So a lot of the events, the things that are kind
of complicated, have multipleparts and people involved.
You guys help provideleadership to that.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
That's correct.
So we do a lot of similaractivities to what the regular,
the senior board of directors aswe like to call it.
So we sort of shadow them in,almost in preparation to take
their place and to join theboard of directors, so we get
very involved in a lot ofactivities.
They do like how I set theparade and we do a bit of other
(01:30):
activities as well.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
What's the age range of the junior board?
How did you guys get involvedwith it so?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
it is 16 to 23.
So the idea behind it is as yougrow you learn more and more
about the fair, and it's alsokind of an avenue A lot of youth
around here also do the royalty, the fair royalty, and so fair
(01:56):
royalty ends at 18.
So the idea is they're donewith royalty and they can also
join Junior Board afterwards,right, so you can continue on
your service to the Ag Fair.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
The idea is they're done with royalty and they can
also join junior boardafterwards so you can continue
on your service to the Ag Fair.
How often are you active aspart of the junior board?
Is this an all year thing?
Is this something that'speriodic, or how does it work
for you in terms of yourschedule of support?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's an all year thing.
We have a meeting about everytwo months and then, during the
fair week, we are here all day,every day.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Just going through the motions.
Yeah, it's like a part time job.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
All right, all right, that's good.
Now, how did you get started?
You mentioned earlier thatoften people just wait in the
royal court first and then theymove on.
But how?
How?
A 16 year old perhaps?
How do you get started?
You got to apply.
You tell your mom, you tellsomeone of the Ag Fair, how do
you start?
Speaker 3 (02:54):
so there is an application process.
So in November we start oractually October we start
announcing and recruiting forthe junior board directors and
then in November, we interviewpotential members as an
application process and then, asthe current board will nominate
or make nominations and vote onwho we believe is best for the
(03:18):
positions we have open.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Now adding to what Anthony said.
So a lot of us who end up onthe junior board or the senior
board participated in 4-H beforedeciding to be on the junior
board or the senior board.
So at young ages we decided orour parents got us into it or a
family friend it's just.
However, you get connected intoit and doing 4-H and your
(03:42):
livestock animals and that's alot of how actually we just kind
of go into the next role.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Now I always I always try to ask this extra question,
because I've been around the AgFair for years and I'm familiar
with 4-H.
But when you mentioned 4-H, toa lot of people this means you
have 4-H's or 4D flow work.
But what does it actually mean?
What's the reason that it'ssignificant?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
So 4-H stands for the four H's head, heart, hands and
health and so these are valueswe hold dear throughout our
college or college, our 4-Hcareer, or college, our 4-H
career.
And so it's stuff we do likecommunity service, our
competition, our sportsmanshipin our competitions, and so it's
(04:31):
just holding those values dearand it's something we not only
use in 4-H but we carry on intothe other activities we do past
when we graduate from 4-H, likethe junior board, like royalty,
and even in our further academiccareers and in our jobs.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
It's one of those things where 4-H doesn't just,
it's not just a little box of acertain age and that's all you
can do with it.
During 4-H you learn aboutleadership, you learn about
speaking, public speaking.
There's a lot of differentavenues, and you carry these
into your next career orwhatever you end up doing.
(05:11):
It's something that isconstantly you've used
throughout your life now.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
I noticed also that it seems like families are very
involved in the field.
Are your families involved inthe fair and if so, how?
Because we're looking at the75th anniversary and a lot of
what we see is legacy.
What is your family'sinvolvement with the fair?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
There are a lot of generations in this fair.
I mean, I know personally whenI was younger I'm 23 now when I
was much younger doing 4-H.
I remember looking up to theother 4-Hers who today, now I
see their kids doing it.
So it's kind of wild because itis generational and what's
(06:01):
awesome about it is you can youkeep getting it, you keep having
these generations come back anddo it.
It's still going.
So you don't always see that,but when you do it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yeah, it's families upon families that come together
, and the fun part is there'ssome families that have been
here, likeory said, forgenerations.
I know there's fifth and sixthgenerations showing today that
have been coming to the fairsince that first generation.
And then there's families thatthis might be their first fair,
(06:34):
and so the fun part about it isthat all these families come
together and create we call itour fair family, so we all
become one unit and all worktogether to make this fair
happen and make it a great andfun experience.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And also adding to what Anthony said.
It's also I mean, yesterday Iwas speaking to just a random
couple and their son because Iwas getting something to eat and
I sat down and they saw that Iwas junior board and I spent two
hours last night talking tothem about the junior board but
then they started asking about4-H and what we did and what it
meant.
So it and that was just arandom couple that I just
(07:15):
decided, okay, I'll talk to themand they were really engaged
and they were saying how I wouldhave had no idea that that's
what it's about.
Like these are the things youdo, like I wouldn't have known
how much this actually played arole into everything.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That's amazing.
So, this being the 75thanniversary of the Ag Fair, or
75th Jubilee, I plan to talk toa lot of older people because I
was thinking about people thathave been here many moons ago
and things that have happened.
But in speaking with you, justas important of the Ag Fair's
(07:49):
75th year is the future of theAg Fair.
In many ways, the Junior Boardis a deliberate incarnation of
what the future will bring.
What do you have to share assomeone that's going to be part
of the leadership of the Ag Fairfor years to come?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
for the 30th anniversary, I mean the 80th
anniversary, the 85thanniversary, the 90th
anniversary, so, really, what Ilook forward to as being on the
junior board, as aspiring to beon the senior board and growing
my impact on this fair is howcan we improve, how can we reach
out to more, how can we teachmore people about agriculture
(08:28):
and help them understand?
This is what we do, and notonly, you know, showing the
animals and the immediateaspects of the fair, but also
the inner connections that wemake here at the fair and all of
the work that goes in, becausethe youth that come here and
show it's not like they justbring an animal show.
They work with these animalsfor years and years.
(08:51):
So that is something I'veactually looked forward to in
the future is showing more andmore of the background of this
fair and just simply showing theupbringings.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Now, if you had one thing, that you want to share
with people that might hear andjust simply showing the
upbringings Incredible.
Now, if you had one thing thatyou want to share with people
that might hear this podcast orsee this podcast, or even find
and click on this somewhere onsocial media, what would you
want them to know about theMontgomery County Ecological
Fair?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I personally would want them to know that it isn't
just about the carnival.
I mean, we all love to go tothe carnival but, there is so
much more you can do, so much.
You can learn so manyopportunities, and all you
really have to do is reach outto someone.
You can see someone that has aname like Junior Board or senior
(09:43):
board and if you want to learnabout it, just come.
Come and come and learn.
Come and see what we do andwhat what it takes to make sure
this fair happens every year.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
It's, it's amazing and what I would say is if
you're coming to the fair andyou enjoy the fair, get involved
, because it has been the bestexperience of my life to not
only come to the fair as apatron, as someone who's just
walking around and enjoying theambiance, but to then go and
(10:18):
show and to participate in thefair and now that I'm actually
helping run the fair and helpingmake sure that this happens.
It is an amazing experience andI encourage anyone who enjoys
the fair and enjoys to come toget involved, become a volunteer
, see what it's about, see thebackground of it and get
involved and get involved in thecommunity.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Now you mentioned get involved.
What's the first step?
Is there a website?
Is there a phone number?
Is there an office?
What's the first step?
If a family is interested, achild is interested, an adult is
interested, Absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
before the fair starts, the first three
Saturdays prior to the fairstarting, we have workdays,
which is where all of ourvolunteers come and help put on
the fair.
So they help clean up the fair,paint, do the flower beds,
everything that goes into makingthis place look beautiful and
(11:14):
functional for the fair.
Come to any of those days.
They should be on the websiteon Montgomery County Fair
website.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Good day and welcome back to what's Happening.
Moco live at the agriculturalfairgrounds and we are in the
presence of royalty, the queen.
The queen she's been queen foralmost two or three days now.
Abby Zimmerman.
Abby, how are you today?
Speaker 5 (11:37):
I'm good.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Good, good, good.
I always enjoy talking to theking and queen each year.
It is such an honor because outof all the four acres that
started maybe many years ago,five years ago, ten years ago,
there's only going to be one AgFair, king and queen, each year.
What's it been like so far foryou as queen?
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Yeah, so far it's been extremely eye-opening.
I've seen different areas ofthe fair, different corners of
the fair that I normally don'tgo to, you know, like the the
big cheese, for example, likeI've always gone up there, get
one girl cheese a week but I'vereally got in to see, um, what's
behind the scenes.
They're all the differentvolunteers that come through the
community and everything.
They really come and help pullthe ag fair together, and same
(12:21):
with the heritage building.
You know I was up at senior dayearlier this morning and saw
all the volunteers that work,you know, behind the scenes to
create the Montgomery CountyAgricultural Fair, not just an
experience for the exhibitorsand the livestock holders but an
experience for everyone thatcomes through these gates.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Wow, wow.
And so now you're getting tosee able to see the fair as a
whole Exactly and see it from adifferent standpoint, and you
have a role in that.
So, as you're seeing thesedifferent areas, what is your
role as you go to, like thecheese or the the cake cuttings?
Is it different than it waspreviously?
Speaker 5 (12:54):
yeah, most definitely so.
Now that I'm the queen andeverything I kind of serve as
like the face for theagricultural community, which
you know is something that I'm Iam very honored to serve.
You know, I have have a lot ofdeep family roots and a lot of
friends that are very heavilyinvolved in the agricultural
community, so to be able just totalk to the public about my
involvement in agriculture andhow agricultural is truly an
(13:14):
industry for everyone is trulysomething that's very honorable
to me.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Wow, and you spoke about your family, and this is
the 75th Jubilee of the Ag Fairand it's really driven by
families in some respects.
As well as volunteers, newfamilies, old families, families
that have been around for awhile let's talk about your
family.
What is your family like?
Are there other members of yourfamily that's involved, and
(13:38):
what is it?
What type of support, ofsupport do you guys provide to
the Ag Fair?
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Yeah, of course.
So many years ago mygrandfather.
He got involved in theMontgomery County Fair.
He moved up here with mygrandmother from Arkansas and he
actually worked for the FDA formany, many years.
And then over here.
He worked as a superintendentof the poultry barn, and so they
had four children, including mymother.
All four of them are fair kingsand queens.
(14:03):
Yeah, and then you know all oftheir grandchildren my aunt, her
family is in Virginia, sothey're not really heavily
involved.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
But with the exception of that, all of us are
very deep-rooted still.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
I mean even my Aunt Marla.
She's a couple years youngerthan the rest, but her two
little girls, hannah and Grace,they're so pickin'.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Yeah, all right.
So what was the moment like upthere on stage, you're a
princess, of course, and youwere a princess last year as
well, yeah, so did you feeldifferently this year leading up
to the announcement than youdid the previous year?
And then, once you heard yourname, what happened?
What was the feeling?
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Yeah, definitely so last year.
It was definitely.
Experience Last year was like,okay, well, I'm already princess
and you know I can be contentwith that because obviously once
you're a queen, you can't do itagain.
So I wanted to continue mycareer with royalty.
But I feel like this year, youknow, I felt really, really good
about my interview andeverything and going through the
process.
It was just like you know whatwill happen will happen.
(15:03):
And everybody on world courtthis year you know my court
members they are all incrediblepeople.
So any one of us who would havegotten king or queen I would
have been happy either way.
But yeah, I mean definitelyreceiving the title of queen was
really really astronomical tome, especially hearing my
sister's name be called evenseconds before I was first
princess.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And then my name being called for queen is very,
very special.
So how is it, among your family, to have not only the queen but
, also the first princess, sothere was a little doubt that
one of you, zimmerman, wouldhave been queen this year.
What goes into the applicationprocess or the preparation
process for you to compete andwin as queen of the Ag Fair?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Yeah, of course.
So around the time of March wefill out an application process
which includes a Google formwith the basic questions, and
then we complete a couple ofother practices and everything
just to kind of go over what welove about the fair and what our
passions are behind the fairand what our different ideas are
for certain things.
And then we come in and weobviously have an interview.
(16:05):
We interview with a panel ofthree judges, sometimes four,
and just talk to them againabout the fair, about our
projects and about ourinvolvement, and then from there
judges make a decision and wefigure out what it is at
Coronation Night.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
So now you are the queen.
You are now blazing the trailfor the next young lady that
wants to be queen, somewhere outthere with a little 4-H'er, or
someone that's not 4-H'er yetand say, one day, I want to wear
that tiara, I want to wear thatcrown.
What advice do you have formaybe one of the people that,
(16:38):
one of the queen's princessesthat didn't win, or one of the
future queens?
What advice do you have forthem in their journey towards
possibly becoming considered aqueen?
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Yeah, definitely.
So the biggest thing is justfinding what you love and
sticking with it.
You know, for me, I raiselivestock, I raise sheep and I
also sow, and you know, becomingvery, very involved in those
parts of the fair has been veryintricate into getting me more
involved with the fair.
You know, finding somethingthat you're really, really
passionate about and reallyputting 100% of your effort into
it Not 95, not 65, putting 100%of everything that you have
(17:11):
into it, and then really, youknow, from there things will
blossom for you because ifpeople can see that you're
dedicated, people can see thatyou care about why you're here,
people will see that and theywill recognize you for it.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
And that's what's happening.
Moco, we're here with royaltyAbby Zimmerman, very, very, very
real, very humble.
I had a chance to meet heryears ago and I will say there's
(17:43):
a lot, there's a lot of greateffort that goes into the
application process of becomingqueen.
Um, and just the thoughtfulness, um, and the care that it takes
in selecting the queen is atrue honor, and it's an honor to
have you here on the what'shappening local podcast.
Thanks for joining us andlooking forward to great things
from you in the future.
So thanks for being here ofcourse.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco.
We are here live at theMontgomery County Agricultural
Fairgrounds, experiencing the75th Jubilee at the Montgomery
County Agricultural Fair andwhat it means to some of the
people that have been supportingthe fair for so many years,
people like Suzanne Burton.
Suzanne, how are you today?
Speaker 4 (18:19):
I'm fine.
Thank you on this beautiful day.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
What does the fair mean to you?
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Well, there's a saying among fairgoers that the
fair is always the nine bestdays of the year.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
And that is literally true.
My family has always lookedforward to coming to the
Montgomery County Fair and we'vebeen coming for probably the
past close to 20 years.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Now there's something different about your family,
though, because not only do youcome to the Ag Cultural Fair
each year, you've actuallyparticipated in different ways.
What are some of the ways thatyour family has supported the Ag
Fair or participated in some ofthe other activities of the Ag
Fair over the years?
Speaker 4 (18:55):
That's true.
In fact, this morning I was upin the big cheese booth, which
has been around for over 60years.
They pride themselves onselling more than 10,000 grilled
cheese sandwiches every year,so I was one of the grillers
this morning for four and a halfhours.
So make sure to stop at BigCheese when you're there.
But my family I have fourchildren and parents do what
(19:19):
their children do, of course.
So we started volunteering atthe fair when our children were
involved in 4-H, and 4-H is acommunity program focusing on
development of youth in allthroughout the country and
specifically here in MontgomeryCounty.
So that led us to volunteeringhere at the fair.
(19:41):
So other places that we'vevolunteered are there's an
old-timers building which is upat the very top of the fair
where you have some history ofthe fair and some people that
really started the fair helpedto actually build these
buildings and they have theirown like antiques and sort of
(20:02):
from there that are there.
Um also today's senior day, sothat's a big deal where we
invite our seniors in thecommunity come, and there's a
lot of vendors here that supportsenior activities or doing free
giveaways.
There's a vip day on mondaywhere um people with some
special needs are paired withvolunteers to take them around
(20:23):
the fair.
We have multiple animal showsthroughout the fair.
Animals are a big deal here atour fair.
In fact, many people come fromother states specifically to the
Montgomery County Fair to showtheir animals.
As we in Montgomery County arethe largest fair on the eastern
seaboard.
Little people know that, thatwe're bigger than the state fair
, wonderful, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
One of the things that we find special at the
montgomery county agriculturalfair is that you actually have a
royal court and you have kingsand you have queens and things
of that nature, and in the pastwe've talked to the kings and
queens but we haven't talked tothe moms oh god so what's how
many you?
you're a mom to not only onequeen, but two queens.
Talk number one your daughters.
(21:05):
And which years they werequeens, sure, but then what it
was like supporting them andhelping them through the process
of becoming queens of the RoyalCourt.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
I am really blessed to have children that want to
support the fair and be involvedin the fair, and I have a son
who was a prince in 2010, adaughter that was a queen in
2012, and another daughter thatwas queen in 2017.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Well, let's share their names so that we can
immortalize them on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Oh sure, my son's name is Tuck Burton, my daughter
for 2012 is Mary Therese Burtonand my daughter from 2017 that
was queen is named Mindy Burton.
All right.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Getting them ready.
They look so official, so royal, so regal.
The clothes are all togetherthe dresses and the sashes.
How much work is it behind thescenes for the mom to make those
things happen?
Speaker 4 (21:59):
Well, the moms are always the support for the kids
right.
We're the ones that drive themaround whenever they can't drive
, that help them to make surethey have all of their materials
ready, go shopping with themfor their clothes.
But honestly, as much as we'rethere to support and encourage
our children in everything thatthey do, it's really the
children that have the drive,the motivation, the energy, the
(22:21):
service commitment and theinvolvement in the fair.
Everybody that's on fairroyalty, whether they're
first-year prince or whetherit's their fifth year and their
queen, they have devoted so muchtime to their activities on the
fair, whether it's raising andshowing animals, whether it's
volunteering in one of the craftbuildings.
It's also building entries thatthey can share with the public.
(22:43):
Public speaking, my childrenalways did demonstrations on
things that they had learnedthroughout the years, specialty
things, for example.
One of my daughter's favoriteis what is the difference
between hay and straw?
Because my daughter leaseddairy goods and we were big into
agriculture as well ascommunity.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
What is the difference between hay and straw
?
Is there a difference?
What is the difference?
Speaker 4 (23:04):
Yeah, one is used as a feed for animals, versus one
is a bedding.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
And they're different in their structure.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
But so there are topics.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
Maybe something new.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Yeah, all kinds of topics, and you can use any type
of educational product that youdo in school also.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
So that's another way for kids in the community that
are school age they can bringtheir entries to the fair and
win awards for school also.
So that's another way for kidsin the community that are school
age.
They can bring their entries tothe fair and win awards for
school projects.
Fantastic, fantastic.
If you could give one tip to aparent that's looking to get
their child involved in the AgFair, what would be that tip and
what would be the startingpoint for that child?
Speaker 4 (23:39):
I would have two tips , if that's okay.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Okay, that's fine.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
I have to plug the Big Cheese too, too, because
Shannon Sullivan runs the BigCheese and every year there are
more and more volunteers in theBig Cheese and right now there's
probably 20 middle schoolers upthere helping out in the Big
Cheese.
That's a great way to start inthe fair, to have a job at the
fair and also to learnexperience and learn where else
(24:02):
you can contribute job at thefair and also to learn
experience and learn where elseyou can contribute.
The second suggestion I wouldhave is reaching out to the
Montgomery County 4-H.
4-h is a year-long organization.
You participate throughout theyear and there are community
clubs for people that like tobake or sew or want to do
service in the community, andthen there are animal clubs if
(24:23):
you own animals or if you wantto lease service in the
community.
And then there are animal clubsif you own animals or if you
want to lease animals and you'rean urban child that doesn't
have a farm.
That's what my kids did weleased goats and we showed goats
for probably close to 10 years.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Oh, wow.
Well, thank you so much forbeing here, thanks for being so
generous with your time andthank you to you and your family
for continuing to support theag fair through all the years
and moving forward.
What do you want to see in thefuture?
What do you imagine the fair tobe like in um 25 years from now
, when it's a hundred yearjubilee?
Speaker 4 (24:53):
well, one of the things that's changed so much is
technology, and the fair hassort of moved along with
technology.
We still have the traditionsfrom the past, but we're moving
forward, just like you with yourpodcast, with more and more
technology to make it accessibleto more people.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Wonderful, and that's what's happening in MoCo.
We're here with Suzanne Burton,who's the proud mother of
royalty.
Thank you, two queens and aprince.
Thanks for listening and pleasesubscribe MoCo, and please
subscribe.
Cast from your award-winning government
television station, county Cable, montgomery.
Now here's your host, derekKinney.
Good day and welcome to what'sHappening, moco.
We're at the 2024 MontgomeryCounty Agricultural Fairground.
It's the 75th anniversary ofthe Jubilee and we're here with
Mallory and Anthony and they'rewith the junior board.
(00:22):
How's it going to the guys?
It's going great, alright,alright.
Now it seems like you guys arevery active here at the Ag Fair.
I see you running around, I seeyou behind the scenes, but a
lot of people may not know, meincluded.
What does the Junior Board do?
Speaker 2 (00:39):
We do a lot of organization and preparation for
certain events the parade thatwas yesterday.
We do a lot of making sureeverybody is where they're
supposed to be.
We have all the floats oh wow,royalty.
It's just a lot of organizingand keeping everything flowing.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
So a lot of the events, the things that are kind
of complicated, have multipleparts and people involved.
You guys help provideleadership to that.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
That's correct.
So we do a lot of similaractivities to what the regular,
the senior board of directors aswe like to call it.
So we sort of shadow them in,almost in preparation to take
their place and to join theboard of directors, so we get
very involved in a lot ofactivities.
They do like how I set theparade and we do a bit of other
(01:30):
activities as well.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
What's the age range of the junior board?
How did you guys get involvedwith it so?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
it is 16 to 23.
So the idea behind it is as yougrow you learn more and more
about the fair, and it's alsokind of an avenue A lot of youth
around here also do the royalty, the fair royalty, and so fair
(01:56):
royalty ends at 18.
So the idea is they're donewith royalty and they can also
join Junior Board afterwards,right, so you can continue on
your service to the Ag Fair.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
The idea is they're done with royalty and they can
also join junior boardafterwards so you can continue
on your service to the Ag Fair.
How often are you active aspart of the junior board?
Is this an all year thing?
Is this something that'speriodic, or how does it work
for you in terms of yourschedule of support?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
It's an all year thing.
We have a meeting about everytwo months and then, during the
fair week, we are here all day,every day.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
Just going through the motions.
Yeah, it's like a part time job.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
All right, all right, that's good.
Now, how did you get started?
You mentioned earlier thatoften people just wait in the
royal court first and then theymove on.
But how?
How?
A 16 year old perhaps?
How do you get started?
You got to apply.
You tell your mom, you tellsomeone of the Ag Fair, how do
you start?
Speaker 3 (02:54):
so there is an application process.
So in November we start oractually October we start
announcing and recruiting forthe junior board directors and
then in November, we interviewpotential members as an
application process and then, asthe current board will nominate
or make nominations and vote onwho we believe is best for the
(03:18):
positions we have open.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Now adding to what Anthony said.
So a lot of us who end up onthe junior board or the senior
board participated in 4-H beforedeciding to be on the junior
board or the senior board.
So at young ages we decided orour parents got us into it or a
family friend it's just.
However, you get connected intoit and doing 4-H and your
(03:42):
livestock animals and that's alot of how actually we just kind
of go into the next role.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Now I always I always try to ask this extra question,
because I've been around the AgFair for years and I'm familiar
with 4-H.
But when you mentioned 4-H, toa lot of people this means you
have 4-H's or 4D flow work.
But what does it actually mean?
What's the reason that it'ssignificant?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
So 4-H stands for the four H's head, heart, hands and
health and so these are valueswe hold dear throughout our
college or college, our 4-Hcareer, or college, our 4-H
career.
And so it's stuff we do likecommunity service, our
competition, our sportsmanshipin our competitions, and so it's
(04:31):
just holding those values dearand it's something we not only
use in 4-H but we carry on intothe other activities we do past
when we graduate from 4-H, likethe junior board, like royalty,
and even in our further academiccareers and in our jobs.
Speaker 2 (04:48):
It's one of those things where 4-H doesn't just,
it's not just a little box of acertain age and that's all you
can do with it.
During 4-H you learn aboutleadership, you learn about
speaking, public speaking.
There's a lot of differentavenues, and you carry these
into your next career orwhatever you end up doing.
(05:11):
It's something that isconstantly you've used
throughout your life now.
Speaker 1 (05:17):
I noticed also that it seems like families are very
involved in the field.
Are your families involved inthe fair and if so, how?
Because we're looking at the75th anniversary and a lot of
what we see is legacy.
What is your family'sinvolvement with the fair?
Speaker 2 (05:37):
There are a lot of generations in this fair.
I mean, I know personally whenI was younger I'm 23 now when I
was much younger doing 4-H.
I remember looking up to theother 4-Hers who today, now I
see their kids doing it.
So it's kind of wild because itis generational and what's
(06:01):
awesome about it is you can youkeep getting it, you keep having
these generations come back anddo it.
It's still going.
So you don't always see that,but when you do it's amazing.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Yeah, it's families upon families that come together
, and the fun part is there'ssome families that have been
here, likeory said, forgenerations.
I know there's fifth and sixthgenerations showing today that
have been coming to the fairsince that first generation.
And then there's families thatthis might be their first fair,
(06:34):
and so the fun part about it isthat all these families come
together and create we call itour fair family, so we all
become one unit and all worktogether to make this fair
happen and make it a great andfun experience.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
And also adding to what Anthony said.
It's also I mean, yesterday Iwas speaking to just a random
couple and their son because Iwas getting something to eat and
I sat down and they saw that Iwas junior board and I spent two
hours last night talking tothem about the junior board but
then they started asking about4-H and what we did and what it
meant.
So it and that was just arandom couple that I just
(07:15):
decided, okay, I'll talk to themand they were really engaged
and they were saying how I wouldhave had no idea that that's
what it's about.
Like these are the things youdo, like I wouldn't have known
how much this actually played arole into everything.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That's amazing.
So, this being the 75thanniversary of the Ag Fair, or
75th Jubilee, I plan to talk toa lot of older people because I
was thinking about people thathave been here many moons ago
and things that have happened.
But in speaking with you, justas important of the Ag Fair's
(07:49):
75th year is the future of theAg Fair.
In many ways, the Junior Boardis a deliberate incarnation of
what the future will bring.
What do you have to share assomeone that's going to be part
of the leadership of the Ag Fairfor years to come?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
for the 30th anniversary, I mean the 80th
anniversary, the 85thanniversary, the 90th
anniversary, so, really, what Ilook forward to as being on the
junior board, as aspiring to beon the senior board and growing
my impact on this fair is howcan we improve, how can we reach
out to more, how can we teachmore people about agriculture
(08:28):
and help them understand?
This is what we do, and notonly, you know, showing the
animals and the immediateaspects of the fair, but also
the inner connections that wemake here at the fair and all of
the work that goes in, becausethe youth that come here and
show it's not like they justbring an animal show.
They work with these animalsfor years and years.
(08:51):
So that is something I'veactually looked forward to in
the future is showing more andmore of the background of this
fair and just simply showing theupbringings.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Now, if you had one thing, that you want to share
with people that might hear andjust simply showing the
upbringings Incredible.
Now, if you had one thing thatyou want to share with people
that might hear this podcast orsee this podcast, or even find
and click on this somewhere onsocial media, what would you
want them to know about theMontgomery County Ecological
Fair?
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I personally would want them to know that it isn't
just about the carnival.
I mean, we all love to go tothe carnival but, there is so
much more you can do, so much.
You can learn so manyopportunities, and all you
really have to do is reach outto someone.
You can see someone that has aname like Junior Board or senior
(09:43):
board and if you want to learnabout it, just come.
Come and come and learn.
Come and see what we do andwhat what it takes to make sure
this fair happens every year.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
It's, it's amazing and what I would say is if
you're coming to the fair andyou enjoy the fair, get involved
, because it has been the bestexperience of my life to not
only come to the fair as apatron, as someone who's just
walking around and enjoying theambiance, but to then go and
(10:18):
show and to participate in thefair and now that I'm actually
helping run the fair and helpingmake sure that this happens.
It is an amazing experience andI encourage anyone who enjoys
the fair and enjoys to come toget involved, become a volunteer
, see what it's about, see thebackground of it and get
involved and get involved in thecommunity.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Now you mentioned get involved.
What's the first step?
Is there a website?
Is there a phone number?
Is there an office?
What's the first step?
If a family is interested, achild is interested, an adult is
interested, Absolutely so.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
before the fair starts, the first three
Saturdays prior to the fairstarting, we have workdays,
which is where all of ourvolunteers come and help put on
the fair.
So they help clean up the fair,paint, do the flower beds,
everything that goes into makingthis place look beautiful and
(11:14):
functional for the fair.
Come to any of those days.
They should be on the websiteon Montgomery County Fair
website.
Speaker 1 (11:21):
Good day and welcome back to what's Happening.
Moco live at the agriculturalfairgrounds and we are in the
presence of royalty, the queen.
The queen she's been queen foralmost two or three days now.
Abby Zimmerman.
Abby, how are you today?
Speaker 5 (11:37):
I'm good.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (11:38):
Good, good, good.
I always enjoy talking to theking and queen each year.
It is such an honor because outof all the four acres that
started maybe many years ago,five years ago, ten years ago,
there's only going to be one AgFair, king and queen, each year.
What's it been like so far foryou as queen?
Speaker 5 (11:59):
Yeah, so far it's been extremely eye-opening.
I've seen different areas ofthe fair, different corners of
the fair that I normally don'tgo to, you know, like the the
big cheese, for example, likeI've always gone up there, get
one girl cheese a week but I'vereally got in to see, um, what's
behind the scenes.
They're all the differentvolunteers that come through the
community and everything.
They really come and help pullthe ag fair together, and same
(12:21):
with the heritage building.
You know I was up at senior dayearlier this morning and saw
all the volunteers that work,you know, behind the scenes to
create the Montgomery CountyAgricultural Fair, not just an
experience for the exhibitorsand the livestock holders but an
experience for everyone thatcomes through these gates.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Wow, wow.
And so now you're getting tosee able to see the fair as a
whole Exactly and see it from adifferent standpoint, and you
have a role in that.
So, as you're seeing thesedifferent areas, what is your
role as you go to, like thecheese or the the cake cuttings?
Is it different than it waspreviously?
Speaker 5 (12:54):
yeah, most definitely so.
Now that I'm the queen andeverything I kind of serve as
like the face for theagricultural community, which
you know is something that I'm Iam very honored to serve.
You know, I have have a lot ofdeep family roots and a lot of
friends that are very heavilyinvolved in the agricultural
community, so to be able just totalk to the public about my
involvement in agriculture andhow agricultural is truly an
(13:14):
industry for everyone is trulysomething that's very honorable
to me.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Wow, and you spoke about your family, and this is
the 75th Jubilee of the Ag Fairand it's really driven by
families in some respects.
As well as volunteers, newfamilies, old families, families
that have been around for awhile let's talk about your
family.
What is your family like?
Are there other members of yourfamily that's involved, and
(13:38):
what is it?
What type of support, ofsupport do you guys provide to
the Ag Fair?
Speaker 5 (13:42):
Yeah, of course.
So many years ago mygrandfather.
He got involved in theMontgomery County Fair.
He moved up here with mygrandmother from Arkansas and he
actually worked for the FDA formany, many years.
And then over here.
He worked as a superintendentof the poultry barn, and so they
had four children, including mymother.
All four of them are fair kingsand queens.
(14:03):
Yeah, and then you know all oftheir grandchildren my aunt, her
family is in Virginia, sothey're not really heavily
involved.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
But with the exception of that, all of us are
very deep-rooted still.
Speaker 5 (14:14):
I mean even my Aunt Marla.
She's a couple years youngerthan the rest, but her two
little girls, hannah and Grace,they're so pickin'.
Speaker 1 (14:20):
Yeah, all right.
So what was the moment like upthere on stage, you're a
princess, of course, and youwere a princess last year as
well, yeah, so did you feeldifferently this year leading up
to the announcement than youdid the previous year?
And then, once you heard yourname, what happened?
What was the feeling?
Speaker 5 (14:41):
Yeah, definitely so last year.
It was definitely.
Experience Last year was like,okay, well, I'm already princess
and you know I can be contentwith that because obviously once
you're a queen, you can't do itagain.
So I wanted to continue mycareer with royalty.
But I feel like this year, youknow, I felt really, really good
about my interview andeverything and going through the
process.
It was just like you know whatwill happen will happen.
(15:03):
And everybody on world courtthis year you know my court
members they are all incrediblepeople.
So any one of us who would havegotten king or queen I would
have been happy either way.
But yeah, I mean definitelyreceiving the title of queen was
really really astronomical tome, especially hearing my
sister's name be called evenseconds before I was first
princess.
Speaker 1 (15:22):
And then my name being called for queen is very,
very special.
So how is it, among your family, to have not only the queen but
, also the first princess, sothere was a little doubt that
one of you, zimmerman, wouldhave been queen this year.
What goes into the applicationprocess or the preparation
process for you to compete andwin as queen of the Ag Fair?
Speaker 5 (15:44):
Yeah, of course.
So around the time of March wefill out an application process
which includes a Google formwith the basic questions, and
then we complete a couple ofother practices and everything
just to kind of go over what welove about the fair and what our
passions are behind the fairand what our different ideas are
for certain things.
And then we come in and weobviously have an interview.
(16:05):
We interview with a panel ofthree judges, sometimes four,
and just talk to them againabout the fair, about our
projects and about ourinvolvement, and then from there
judges make a decision and wefigure out what it is at
Coronation Night.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Oh, wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
So now you are the queen.
You are now blazing the trailfor the next young lady that
wants to be queen, somewhere outthere with a little 4-H'er, or
someone that's not 4-H'er yetand say, one day, I want to wear
that tiara, I want to wear thatcrown.
What advice do you have formaybe one of the people that,
(16:38):
one of the queen's princessesthat didn't win, or one of the
future queens?
What advice do you have forthem in their journey towards
possibly becoming considered aqueen?
Speaker 5 (16:48):
Yeah, definitely.
So the biggest thing is justfinding what you love and
sticking with it.
You know, for me, I raiselivestock, I raise sheep and I
also sow, and you know, becomingvery, very involved in those
parts of the fair has been veryintricate into getting me more
involved with the fair.
You know, finding somethingthat you're really, really
passionate about and reallyputting 100% of your effort into
it Not 95, not 65, putting 100%of everything that you have
(17:11):
into it, and then really, youknow, from there things will
blossom for you because ifpeople can see that you're
dedicated, people can see thatyou care about why you're here,
people will see that and theywill recognize you for it.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
And that's what's happening.
Moco, we're here with royaltyAbby Zimmerman, very, very, very
real, very humble.
I had a chance to meet heryears ago and I will say there's
(17:43):
a lot, there's a lot of greateffort that goes into the
application process of becomingqueen.
Um, and just the thoughtfulness, um, and the care that it takes
in selecting the queen is atrue honor, and it's an honor to
have you here on the what'shappening local podcast.
Thanks for joining us andlooking forward to great things
from you in the future.
So thanks for being here ofcourse.
Speaker 5 (17:57):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Good day and welcome to what's Happening, moco.
We are here live at theMontgomery County Agricultural
Fairgrounds, experiencing the75th Jubilee at the Montgomery
County Agricultural Fair andwhat it means to some of the
people that have been supportingthe fair for so many years,
people like Suzanne Burton.
Suzanne, how are you today?
Speaker 4 (18:19):
I'm fine.
Thank you on this beautiful day.
Speaker 1 (18:22):
What does the fair mean to you?
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Well, there's a saying among fairgoers that the
fair is always the nine bestdays of the year.
Speaker 1 (18:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (18:31):
And that is literally true.
My family has always lookedforward to coming to the
Montgomery County Fair and we'vebeen coming for probably the
past close to 20 years.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Now there's something different about your family,
though, because not only do youcome to the Ag Cultural Fair
each year, you've actuallyparticipated in different ways.
What are some of the ways thatyour family has supported the Ag
Fair or participated in some ofthe other activities of the Ag
Fair over the years?
Speaker 4 (18:55):
That's true.
In fact, this morning I was upin the big cheese booth, which
has been around for over 60years.
They pride themselves onselling more than 10,000 grilled
cheese sandwiches every year,so I was one of the grillers
this morning for four and a halfhours.
So make sure to stop at BigCheese when you're there.
But my family I have fourchildren and parents do what
(19:19):
their children do, of course.
So we started volunteering atthe fair when our children were
involved in 4-H, and 4-H is acommunity program focusing on
development of youth in allthroughout the country and
specifically here in MontgomeryCounty.
So that led us to volunteeringhere at the fair.
(19:41):
So other places that we'vevolunteered are there's an
old-timers building which is upat the very top of the fair
where you have some history ofthe fair and some people that
really started the fair helpedto actually build these
buildings and they have theirown like antiques and sort of
(20:02):
from there that are there.
Um also today's senior day, sothat's a big deal where we
invite our seniors in thecommunity come, and there's a
lot of vendors here that supportsenior activities or doing free
giveaways.
There's a vip day on mondaywhere um people with some
special needs are paired withvolunteers to take them around
(20:23):
the fair.
We have multiple animal showsthroughout the fair.
Animals are a big deal here atour fair.
In fact, many people come fromother states specifically to the
Montgomery County Fair to showtheir animals.
As we in Montgomery County arethe largest fair on the eastern
seaboard.
Little people know that, thatwe're bigger than the state fair
, wonderful, wonderful.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
One of the things that we find special at the
montgomery county agriculturalfair is that you actually have a
royal court and you have kingsand you have queens and things
of that nature, and in the pastwe've talked to the kings and
queens but we haven't talked tothe moms oh god so what's how
many you?
you're a mom to not only onequeen, but two queens.
Talk number one your daughters.
(21:05):
And which years they werequeens, sure, but then what it
was like supporting them andhelping them through the process
of becoming queens of the RoyalCourt.
Speaker 4 (21:13):
I am really blessed to have children that want to
support the fair and be involvedin the fair, and I have a son
who was a prince in 2010, adaughter that was a queen in
2012, and another daughter thatwas queen in 2017.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Well, let's share their names so that we can
immortalize them on the podcast.
Speaker 4 (21:32):
Oh sure, my son's name is Tuck Burton, my daughter
for 2012 is Mary Therese Burtonand my daughter from 2017 that
was queen is named Mindy Burton.
All right.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Getting them ready.
They look so official, so royal, so regal.
The clothes are all togetherthe dresses and the sashes.
How much work is it behind thescenes for the mom to make those
things happen?
Speaker 4 (21:59):
Well, the moms are always the support for the kids
right.
We're the ones that drive themaround whenever they can't drive
, that help them to make surethey have all of their materials
ready, go shopping with themfor their clothes.
But honestly, as much as we'rethere to support and encourage
our children in everything thatthey do, it's really the
children that have the drive,the motivation, the energy, the
(22:21):
service commitment and theinvolvement in the fair.
Everybody that's on fairroyalty, whether they're
first-year prince or whetherit's their fifth year and their
queen, they have devoted so muchtime to their activities on the
fair, whether it's raising andshowing animals, whether it's
volunteering in one of the craftbuildings.
It's also building entries thatthey can share with the public.
(22:43):
Public speaking, my childrenalways did demonstrations on
things that they had learnedthroughout the years, specialty
things, for example.
One of my daughter's favoriteis what is the difference
between hay and straw?
Because my daughter leaseddairy goods and we were big into
agriculture as well ascommunity.
Speaker 1 (22:59):
What is the difference between hay and straw
?
Is there a difference?
What is the difference?
Speaker 4 (23:04):
Yeah, one is used as a feed for animals, versus one
is a bedding.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
And they're different in their structure.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
But so there are topics.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
Maybe something new.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
Yeah, all kinds of topics, and you can use any type
of educational product that youdo in school also.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
So that's another way for kids in the community that
are school age they can bringtheir entries to the fair and
win awards for school also.
So that's another way for kidsin the community that are school
age.
They can bring their entries tothe fair and win awards for
school projects.
Fantastic, fantastic.
If you could give one tip to aparent that's looking to get
their child involved in the AgFair, what would be that tip and
what would be the startingpoint for that child?
Speaker 4 (23:39):
I would have two tips , if that's okay.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Okay, that's fine.
Speaker 4 (23:42):
I have to plug the Big Cheese too, too, because
Shannon Sullivan runs the BigCheese and every year there are
more and more volunteers in theBig Cheese and right now there's
probably 20 middle schoolers upthere helping out in the Big
Cheese.
That's a great way to start inthe fair, to have a job at the
fair and also to learnexperience and learn where else
(24:02):
you can contribute job at thefair and also to learn
experience and learn where elseyou can contribute.
The second suggestion I wouldhave is reaching out to the
Montgomery County 4-H.
4-h is a year-long organization.
You participate throughout theyear and there are community
clubs for people that like tobake or sew or want to do
service in the community, andthen there are animal clubs if
(24:23):
you own animals or if you wantto lease service in the
community.
And then there are animal clubsif you own animals or if you
want to lease animals and you'rean urban child that doesn't
have a farm.
That's what my kids did weleased goats and we showed goats
for probably close to 10 years.
Speaker 1 (24:36):
Oh, wow.
Well, thank you so much forbeing here, thanks for being so
generous with your time andthank you to you and your family
for continuing to support theag fair through all the years
and moving forward.
What do you want to see in thefuture?
What do you imagine the fair tobe like in um 25 years from now
, when it's a hundred yearjubilee?
Speaker 4 (24:53):
well, one of the things that's changed so much is
technology, and the fair hassort of moved along with
technology.
We still have the traditionsfrom the past, but we're moving
forward, just like you with yourpodcast, with more and more
technology to make it accessibleto more people.
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Wonderful, and that's what's happening in MoCo.
We're here with Suzanne Burton,who's the proud mother of
royalty.
Thank you, two queens and aprince.
Thanks for listening and pleasesubscribe MoCo, and please
subscribe.
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