They Forgot to Mention the Random Jobs an Officer Does

    This summer has been a busy one with Area Officer responsibilities. It started in June with Area Officer Institute (AOI), to today while working at the Missouri State Fair. But I think someone forgot to warn us about some of the not-so-nice jobs that come along with the title.
    At AOI my officer team and I went down to the Lake of the Ozarks to Camp Rising Sun. While at the two day event the Area Vll Officer team bonded and focused on goals for the upcoming year. There we decided to connect to Area Vll FFA member by making the Area Vll Missouri FFA Association page, which you guys should go like! :)
    During the first part of July we helped with the second day of the District FFA Fair. We opened gates for contestants, gave awards to winners of the livestock shows, announced the classes and cleaned up afterwards. Nothing we weren't all used to, most of us live on or work on a farm and know how to shovel manure.

    Today we worked in the FFA Building at the Missouri State Fair. First we made sure all of the exhibits were in order and ready for the public to come in and look around. That included searching for rotten vegetables and tossing them in the trash. After that we started counting, sorting, and organizing fair ribbons. By the end of the day many of us could not think straight; there were at least over a thousand Grand Champion ribbons alone. While that was going on many of the team helped with games involving young kids at the Highway Patrol Garden. The games included a sack race and a stick horse race. Then two of the officers, Dakota and Cody, had a very special job today. If you have been to the State Fair you may be familiar with the hashtag #catchthecow. Well let's just say they got be caught by many people at the fair today!

    Though being an Area Officer is a real honor and is an enjoyable experience, it is a lot of work. The fairs and shows that members participate in could not happen without the dedication of its officers. And I am not just going on about the Area Officer teams. State Officers and National Officers put in a lot of time to make sure things run smoothly and on time. They do the jobs that are not-so-great to make sure you have a memorable experience. So whenever you are at a show or fair, thank the people putting it on.