FAIRFIELD — The Greater Jefferson County Fair gives young people a chance to show off projects they’ve been working on for several months, whether it be making a craft for a 4-H/FFA exhibit, or raising an animal to show for competition.

4-H’er Grace Hellweg, going into seventh grade, was at the fairgrounds Thursday to show her sheep. Apart from showing two sheep on Thursday, she also planned to show her two cattle during Saturday’s beef show.

Grace has an older brother, Konrad, and a younger sister, Hope, who also show animals at the fair, though each one shows a different combination. Konrad shows cattle and hogs, while Hope shows sheep, cattle and hogs. She said it’s nice to raise animals with her siblings because everybody helps each other with chores.

She said that raising animals to show at the fair takes work, and the youth who put in the most work will receive the greatest rewards. That means putting in the effort with months of chores before competition day.

“You’ve got to be determined,” she said. “If you just want to show, it will be hard. The hardest part about raising cattle is training them to lead. If you don’t work on your calves, it’s going to be hard.”

Grace remarked that showing her animals is her favorite part of the fair, because it’s her chance to show off her hard work.

When she’s not preparing for a competition, Grace has to water her animals and clean their pens. In the evenings, she relaxes with her friends by going on carnival rides and purchasing food from vendors. Her favorite of the fair foods are the funnel cakes.

Grace said she enjoys raising animals so much that she thinks she’ll do it as a career, and wants to have her own farm or help her mother Kendra on her farm.

The fair welcomed Miller’s Petting Zoo for the first time in its history. The zoo is run by Dennis and Kelly Rushing, who raise the animals on their farm near Geneseo, Illinois. The petting zoo, which was free, included baby goats, lambs, calves, pigs, ducks, geese, a Flemish giant rabbit and a donkey that the Rushings named “Pedro.” Dennis said Pedro is the oldest member of the group at 26 years.

Dennis said the petting zoo is a full-time job for him and Kelly, and that they show the animals during the spring, summer and fall, and in the winter the animals breed so that another crop of youngsters is ready to show the following year. Dennis said the petting zoo does six or seven fairs per year, mostly in Iowa and Illinois.

On the hot days at the fair, guests could cool off in the activities building with an ice cream cone. While there, they had the chance to peruse the 4-H and FFA exhibits that ranged from photography to paintings to educational posters. Even non-4-H members have the opportunity to submit exhibits to the shown in the fair through Jefferson County Open Class.

Just like its name implies, the Open Class is open to everyone no matter their age. Sandy Nelson of the Open Class remarked that entries this year came from people ranging in age from 4 to 90.

Cathy Giberson, the group’s treasurer, was the winning bidder for the Open Class quilt. Every year, Open Class auctions off a quilt with blocks that have been made by different people, who make their own designs while sharing the same fabrics and theme. Once all the blocks are made, a group of quilters gathers at the home of Joyce Stanley to sew the blocks together.

Giberson said she entered the bidding war when she saw the highest bid, and didn’t feel it was high enough.

“I know this is going to kids in Jefferson County, so I bid it up because I want 4-H and FFA to thrive,” she said, speaking about the beneficiaries of the auction.

This past year, Jefferson County 4-H used the money from the quilt sale to pay for a speaker at their recognition banquet.

Next year, Jefferson County Open Class will auction off a patriotic-themed quilt, the blocks for which were on display in the activities building. Giberson said those blocks will be made into three lap quilts, one of which will be up for auction, while the other two will be donated to local veterans or members of the armed services.