“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)

I’m not gonna lie…this is one of my favorite weeks of the year: it’s FAIR WEEK! There are approximately 2000 County & State Fairs in the US. Some are huge, like the Texas State Fair that hosts the “Red River Rivalry” (They won’t let us call it the “Shoot Out” anymore!) and the “Best Deep Fried Food in the World”-they see over a million visitors each year! Fairs are held in nearly every state in America…but none make me happier than the Roosevelt County Fair!

I love seeing the booths go up in the Merchant’s Building! I love hearing the rides of the midway! I love seeing everyone dancing on the slab to local musicians and eating Coach J’s BBQ or Tasty Taters or that Corn on a Stick stuff…it’s always fun to me! Growing up here in Portales, I didn’t SHOW animals, but a lot of my friends did. And I saw all their hard work: grooming, training, cleaning the stalls, and hauling feed. I was always impressed with the amount of effort that went into this week…and the weeks that preceded and followed! “Fair Season” to a lot of folks is “YEAR ROUND”!

But it’s THIS picture that I want to discuss here…all these pickups/Suburbans with the hitches sticking out. For every animal that is shown, every teenager that gets that buckle, and every frustrated word said under your breath at that animal in the show ring…there are parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, Ag Teachers, Coaches, and friends that are there to SUPPORT those teens! Many of those parents showed animals themselves…and they are carrying on that tradition!
To every person here that supports our young people…THANK YOU! We have wonderful people like Wes Weems, Sheila Hays, Wayne McAlister, Brenda Hardin, Jeremy Berry, Mike Cone and others on the Fair Board-thank you for all you do! We have tons of support teams that are there to drive trailers and help out: Jeremy Berry, Shawn Burrows, Clint & Amber Hamilton, Culpeppers, Rippee’s, Kim & Kylee, and dozens of others that I’m overlooking! Then we have Band Members that are out there selling and parents supporting them: Dustin & Samantha, the Foremans, and tons of others! Ronny & Joni Miller are helping to run Special Needs Day at the RCFair this year…and that is VERY special to us!

But it even goes bigger than THAT! Many of our young people are into Fall Sports: Football, Volleyball, Soccer, Cheerleading and more! For every Ram, Bronco, Tiger, or Coyote that straps on a helmet or goes back to serve, there are parents and grandparents in the stands cheering them on and driving them to practice and games!

I’ve missed SOME parents names, you know that…but the point is this: EVERY PARENT MATTERS! Thank you for pouring into our kids, our County and our Future! This YEAR is a Divine Appointment and many are already stepping up! Let’s not stop! KEEP AT IT FOLKS…”Train them up in the way that they should go…” That is an investment that will ALWAYS pay off!
Now, if you’ll excuse me…there’s a deep-fried Turkey Leg with my name on it!! See you at the Fair!
Shalom, Don

ROOS. COUNTY FAIR – WORSHIP NIGHT!Come join the Praise Team from Central Christian Church on the Slab at the Roosevelt County Fair on Wed, Aug 23 from 6-8pm! It’s HALF-PRICE entry that night…and what a great way to start off Fair Week!Come visit the booths, the animals, the Midway, and even the Ministerial Alliance will have the Red Kettle up inside the Merchants Building!Because of all of this, we will NOT have Saturday night service on August 26!