| County
Fair is this week
The Idaho County Fair kicked off earlier this week with judging of the 4-H Constructed Clothing and Making the Most of Me projects. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and most of the rest of the day was spent with entering and judging of exhibits. The Pigtail Contest is set for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in the Schmidt Building. The 4-H Fashion Show is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday evening. Thursday will have the Livestock Judging contest and the Fitting and Showing Livestock Judging. From 5 to 7 p.m. The Idaho/Lewis County Cattlemen will have their annual Beef Barbecue at the City Park. At 7 p.m. the 2-minute Talent Show will be held in the Schmidt Building. On Friday, August 20 the Quality Livestock judging will start at 8:30 a.m. At 2 p.m. is the 4-H Horse Fitting and Showing Contest and following all livestock judging will be the Round Robin Contest. From 4 to 7 p.m. the Prairie Booster Club will have their Potato Bar at the City Park. At 7 p.m. the Royalty Evening will start in the Schmidt (Arena) Building. At the conclusion will be the crowning of the 2011 Fair Royalty. Immediately following will be the Green Swing Dance sponsored by the 4-H Ambassadors. On Saturday, August 21 the Dutch Oven Cook-Off will take place at the City Park at 9 a.m. with judging set for noon. At 10 a.m. the Idaho County Fair Parade starts. At 11 a.m. the visiting royalty luncheon will be held in the Middle School Cafeteria. This is given by the Cottonwood Riding Club. At noon the 4-H awards will be given in the Vernon Agee Livestock Pavilion followed by the 4-H Market Livestock Sale at 1 p.m. The 4-H Bake-Off contest will be held in the Schmidt Building at 2 p.m. Hope everyone gets the chance to enjoy the Fair! Crabtree is Grand Marshal Idaho County Free Press “You could grow anything in the Northwest!” smiled Lauretta Crabtree. “My family was amazed!” 
Crabtree, who originally hailed from Nebraska at the age of 14, is the 2010 Idaho County Fair grand marshal. When her parents decided to move West, her mother told her father, “you cannot leave Lauretta’s horses behind — it would break her heart.” So her father built a special trailer that housed her spotted mare and colt in the middle and all their belongings around the horses and in the truck with she and and her two brothers and parents journeyed first to the Lewiston/Clarkston valley then to the Grande Ronde River and settled in Washington state. “The railroad company had sent out brochures to show the land out west and it looked so beautiful in those pictures,” she recalled. “We were not disappointed.” While her family had a difficult time dry-farming through drought and grasshopper infestations in Nebraska, they dove into the land along the river and grew a large garden, grain and ran cattle. “It was just about the perfect place to hunt and fish and grow things things to eat,” she said. “We picked all the fruit on the place and my mom canned everything. We’d never seen so much food!” Lauretta and her brothers all took their turns living in Clarkston, Wash., when it was time to attend school as the distance from their ranch was too far to commute. After high school she attended her first year of college in Lewiston then went on to LaGrande, Ore., to college for two years where she obtained her teaching certificate. Later she received her bachelor’s degree in Ellensburg. Her summer jobs during college were always an adventure, she recalled: Lauretta served as a Forest Service lookout, dispatcher and ranger station secretary in the Blue Mountains, drove a team in the hay fields in Wyoming and served as a riding counselor for 50 girls on a guest ranch in Montana. It was when she took a teaching job at a rural school in northern California that she met Gordon Crabtree. “He was a cowboy — there really is quite a history of cowboys and teachers marrying,” she said. The couple moved to Clarkston, then to Kooskia in 1961, then in 1967, with their three sons, Carl, Larry and Ray, moved to the home she still lives in on Battleridge. The Crabtree family raised Polled Hereford Cattle and horses. “But Gordon and I both had to work out to support our love, the ranch,” she said. He worked at the mill. “And our boys were all good, hard workers.” She obtained her master’s degree through the University of Idaho and she taught art at Clearwater Valley schools for 26 years, having taught 30 in all, retiring in 1989. “It was a wonderful job,” smiled Lauretta Crabtree of her teaching career. “I loved it. I hated to retire but my legs just could not take those concrete floors anymore.” Lauretta has taught art to adults, as well, through LCSC Outreach classes, and was an Idaho County 4-H leader for more than 25 years. Gordon died of cancer in 1999 and Lauretta continued to raise cattle until a few years ago. She now has two horses and continues to ride, and she has her Sheltie companion. Lauretta does not sit with idle hands — she keeps busy on the ranch as well as with the Idaho-Lewis County Cattle Association, Retired Teachers Association of Kamiah-Kooskia, Kooskia Saddliers and Backcountry Horsemen. She is also a member of the local Mt. Dew-ers Square and Round Dancing Club. “I love to dance, and the round dancing is my favorite,” she said. “I go to Kooskia to dance about twice a week.” Though her home isn’t filled anymore with the sounds of her four boys — husband and sons — she said she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “I want to be right her in this house until I die,” Lauretta emphasized. “This is the best place to be.” Even with the rattlesnakes that occasionally show up outside her door. “Yes,” she laughed. “My poor dog got bit and I was out here with a light in one hand and the rifle in the other — what a sight.” “But I have a good family, friends and neighbors, and I’ve had good experiences,” she said. “I’m content.” Queen Sheyenne Stewart 
Royalty Profiles By Lorie Palmer Idaho County Free Press Stewart will be a junior at Grangeville High School this fall. She is the daughter of Daniel and Laurie Stewart and has two brothers: Zackery, 24, and David, 18. Stewart plays volleyball and basketball at GHS and competes on the track team. She is a member of Family, Career and Community Leaders of America and is also a member of the Fenn Livestock 4-H Club. Stewart said being a part of the fair royalty court is “an awesome experience.” “I’ve learned a lot about yourself and it has taught me to be responsible and dedicated.” she emphasized. “It is really fun and I have made a lot of friends and have also gotten better at public speaking.” Stewart said she has also learned the importance of communication and hard work. “I am thankful for having been given this opportunity,” she said. Stewart thinks it’s funny when “we stop in parades,” she smiled. “It’s a balancing act and only a matter of time before gravity finally gets the best of me.” When asked about things the general public might not know about her, Stewart responded: “I am scared of porta potties and aliens,” Stewart added. “They are both extremely creepy.” Following high school graduation in 2012, Stewart plans to attend college and study in the medical field. Currently her goals include getting good grades in high school. Stewart is sponsored by C&R Construction. First Princess Jill Brouwer  Brouwer graduated this year from Grangeville High School. She plans to attend Lewis-Clark State College this fall and go into the natural science field. While in high school, Brouwer was involved in track and field and cross country. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and served as a senior class officer. She has been employed at Ernie’s Steakhouse. Brouwer, the daughter of Jim and Bonnie Brouwer and the granddaughter of Bert Arends, all of Grangeville, has one brother, Paul, 19. She has been entering artwork and crafts projects in the fair for years. “Being fair royalty has meant a lot to me,” Brouwer said. “I have loved going around to the small towns and community parades being able to represent Idaho County. It has also meant a lot to me to be a role model for other girls.” Brouwer said it has been an interesting challenge to try to find places to change into dresses prior to parades. “We’ve used everything from grocery store bathrooms to baseball dugouts,” she laughed. Brouwer enjoys hunting and riding dirt bikes. As far as little-known information about her, she said she has been hit by a dolphin and had a tree fall on top of the camper while she was in it. She is sponsored by Gregory FitzMaurice, Attorney at Law. Second Princess Kristin Hill  Hill is the only child and daughter of Bill and Therese Hill of Cottonwood. She recently graduated from Prairie High School. In the fall she plans to attend cosmetology school and also go into massage therapy and cake decorating. Hill has been involved in cheerleading, track and drama at PHS. Something not everyone knows about her, Hill said, is the fact she has never been to Disneyland or Disney World. “Being royally offers an experience to meet new people you might not normally talk to and is a great opportunity to blossom,” she emphasized. “Try out! It will be the best experience.” Hill said when the fair royalty dresses arrived she went to fill up her car with gas before heading to Grangeville to meet with Sheyenne Stewart (queen). “I forgot the gas nozzle was still hooked onto my tank and I drove forward with it still connected,” she recalled. “Hearing a thud, I stopped and looked outside my car and there it was, nozzle and hose, in my gas tank, disconnected from the pump.” Hill is sponsored by B&R Sales and Service. |
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