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Learning, eating, at the fair

Ag ed center offers hands-on exhibits, while chicken and biscuits fuels Kossuth County crowds

-Messenger photo by Dawn Bliss Taylor Parsons, of Bancroft, studies eggs in an incubator in the Kossuth County Agriculture Education Center Thursday during the Kossuth County Fair in Algona. Parsons was waiting to see if a chick would hatch.

ALGONA — People drifted in and out of the Kossuth County Agriculture Learning Center Thursday afternoon as they waited to hear word of the next new arrival at this year’s county fair.

The buzz of activity centered around a live farrowing station and chick hatching incubator set up at the center to give the public the opportunity to witness the birthing process for different farm animals.

“I like the pigs,” said Zane Vaske, of Bancroft. “I like to come over here and check on them.”

He runs over to the center whenever he gets a chance, said his sister, Lexi Vaske. They were at the fair to show bucket calves and were kept pretty busy caring for their own animals. Still, she said, they made sure to drop in regularly to check if a new litter of piglets had been born. One sow had already birthed 15 piglets with more sows ready to farrow at any time.

“You know kids and baby animals,” Lexi Vaske said. “We love little animals.”

-Messenger photos by Dawn Bliss Lexi Vaske, left, and her brother, Levi Vaske, of Bancroft, dig through a box of soybeans that is part of an exhibit on grains in the Kossuth County Agriculture Education Center.

However, her other brother, Levi Vaske, likes the big animals. The big boar to be exact.

“He’s huge,” Levi Vaske said.

The boar was one of several animals resting in pens set up in the building to allow for up-close interaction. His temporary neighbors included a goat, golden pheasants, a duck and her two ducklings, as well as a mare and her colt, a small herd of miniature donkeys, and two miniature horses. In addition to the animal attractions, the center also offered boxes of grains to dig through and an iPad station where children and adults could log on and play ag-related games.

“The idea is for children and people who maybe didn’t grow up on a farm to come here, see the animals, play on the iPads and hopefully learn a little about agriculture,” said Tom Thilges, of Titonka.

A senior at Algona High School, Thilges was manning the table where people could enter their best guess of the boar’s weight for a prize. The teenager grew up raising and showing cattle at the fair and in the process learned a few valid life lessons, he said.

-Messenger photos by Dawn Bliss Janet Wiltgen, left, Sharon Kelch, center, and Marcia Zittritsch, all of Algona, smile Thursday holding some of the more than 200 homemade pies the St. Ceceilia Catholic Church lunch counter expects to serve during the Kossuth County Fair.

“When you’re herding cattle and don’t get them moving right away, don’t push them,” Thilges said. “Give them a chance to figure it out.”

The same can be said for interacting with people and building relationships, he added.

Patience was a skill Taylor Parsons, of Bancroft, was also learning by caring for animals. She had stopped at the education center Thursday before showing her ducks in the open Clover Kid poultry class to watch for signs of eggs ready to hatch in the incubator.

“Our ducks hatched from eggs too,” she said.

No peeping chicks yet, though. She’d have to check back later.

Newborn animals weren’t the only draw to the fair on Thursday. People also came for the food, much of which was deep-fried, foot-long and stuck on a stick.

For Derek Koppen, of Lakota, the fair is a chance to indulge a bit.

“I try to look for something new each year,” he said. “You know, things that are bad for me and should probably only try once a year anyway.”

Coffee and pie at the St. Cecelia’s Catholic Church lunch counter isn’t a new treat, but it is a good one, Koppen added. He especially liked the rhubarb pie, but he said his favorite fair food is the ribeye sandwich offered by the Kossuth County Beef Producers.

Also able to draw a crowd is the chicken and biscuits at St. Cecelia’s counter.

“It’s different than a hamburger,” said Monte Pearson, of Algona. “You can get a hamburger anywhere, but we’re the only ones with chicken and biscuits and people know it. I’ve been stopped on the street downtown and asked about our chicken and biscuits.”

Members of the church cut up 1,252 pounds of chicken this year, said Marcia Zittritsch, of Algona. The meat was cubed and added to broth that is then ladled over baking powder biscuits. As for their other calling card, homemade pies, volunteers made and donated more than 200 pies to be served up during the week of the fair.

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