The Big E: hootin’ tootin’ event for attendees

The Big E, also known as the Eastern States Exposition, is often said to be the greatest state fair in New England. It’s also the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard and the seventh-largest fair in the United States.

This fair has concerts, car shows, parades, amusement park-style rides and more. This year’s Big E was from September 14-30.

During the Big E, members of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) compete in various farm-related competitions. These competitions range from homemade granola to a King Arthur Flour baking contest in the food and beverages category; a range from judging llamas to goats in the livestock category, and much more. One of the activities was even making Christmas wreaths; an oddity considering the Winter Solstice is several months away. A few members of this organization are teachers and students from North Harford High School.

Animal science teacher, Amiee Densmore, has stated this year’s Big E to have gone extremely well for the FFA’s members from North Harford High. Its members won seventh place in prepared speaking and one team member even received the eighth place out of the 40 students that participated in horse judging. According to FFA member, Shannon Wolfe (Sophmore), horse judging is done via a written task being given to each FFA team, each member has an ID, and put different classes of horses into a special judging system along with giving reasons to the judges for their choices for the horses in 1st and last place. Wolfe has also stated that the student members practiced intensely for the public speaking competition.

Being the largest agricultural event on the eastern seaboard, the FFA members from North Harford High unsurprisingly met members from other states in the region. FFA member Lynn Thomas’ (Seinor) favorite part of the Big E was not just exploring the fair as a whole, but also being able to visit all the state houses at said fair that, “…show the uniqueness of each state.” Caitlynn Wolfe (Junior) pointed out that the FFA, as an organization, is far larger, is much more diverse, and in much more open to everyone than the average person thinks. Wolfe also talked to multiple kids at the Big E to find out that some of them who lived more of a city life didn’t find many of the country-centric aspects of the fair to be hip others make FFA out to be. The NHHS students also got their chance to compete with other fair visitors from outside Maryland in the various competitions.

North Harford High’s FFA members had an obvious sense of enjoyment at the Big E. Whether, it was judging various horses or public speaking, the students showed their skills well and felt great afterwards, regardless of what their final placements were. Densmore’s favorite part of the Big E, however, is simply being able to spend time with her students outside of school and simply, “…being proud of them for competing.”

MICHAEL BARERA