For Dargatz and many others, Wednesday at the 159th Annual Ingham County Fair was another day of sharing and imparting the agricultural knowledge that brought the community together.

“It’s our challenge to pass that torch and move it forward,” Dargatz said. “It’s a very community-based function. It lives and breathes in the community and the people around it. There are local families that have been around for hundreds of years who continue to show.”

Dansville FFA adviser Amanda Sturm and her FFA chapter manned the Circle of Life exhibit, greeting visitors and answering their questions. Sturm said she and other FFA chapter advisers met and planned on how to best create an exhibit dedicated to the cycle of birth and change that animals and food go through.

“For a lot of people in the county, it’s a first experience,” Sturm said. “We didn’t want the exhibit to be just another petting zoo. We wanted a learning experience.”

DeWitt, Mich., resident Sherry Jonckheere and her niece experienced their first Ingham County Fair together and shared memories.

“She’s a city kid so she doesn’t see animals like this,” Jonckheere said. “It’s nice to expose her to what we grew up with. I explained to her that these are like the animals grandpa and grandma used to show and it’s great to share in that.”

To 4-H goat superintendent Jan Kelly, the fair and 4-H are generation-spanning traditions invested in learning and inclusion.

“We’re in our third generation,” Kelly said. “My daughter showed and now she’s bringing her children to show. We just keep passing it down. If you own any kind of animal, 4-H has a place for it. If you want to learn a skill, we’ll find a leader to teach you.”

The traditions hold as strong as the gained relationships, Kelly added.

“There are people that we only see once a year,” she said. “The friends you make in 4-H are the friends you keep. Somehow it doesn’t matter if you haven’t seen them in a one year, two years.”

17-year-old Eaton Rapids, Mich., resident Taylor Saltman said she was put in 4-H by her mother on account of her shyness, but that’s changed.

“My 4-year-old brother will come into 4-H just as I age out, then I hope to become a leader,” she said.

These skills displayed through the fair are critical to children learning and maturing, Lansing resident Sarah Long said.

“They learn a lot about responsibility, work ethic and following through,” Long said. “They get to meet a lot of new people and learn skills they might not get in the classroom. They’re getting their hands dirty and learning practical skills.”