The visual and word story were published online through the Buffalo Bulletin. The online gallery received first place for Best Online Photo Gallery in the 2020 National Newspaper Association contest.

Elsa Freise spent the month of July not only enjoying time with her family but also putting together the final preparations for her 10th and final county fair as a competitor. Beginning when she was 8, Elsa has spent the last decade in both the 4-H and FFA programs.

Elsa waited to be one of the last showmen into the ring for FFA showmanship - which she won - on July 26, the first day of horse showing. Elsa started with the horse project her first year in 4-H. Since then she has worked with a couple of different horses, including the two she has now - Jaz and Lassie.

After finishing FFA showmanship and darting to the trailer and back to change clothes and horses, Elsa laid rocks out on the ground so she could draw her 4-H pattern in the dirt. Both FFA and 4-H showmanship used different patterns for the competition. Since the seniors’ FFA and 4-H classes were back-to-back, they had to learn the second pattern quickly.

Elsa’s mom Michelle Freise checks the position of Elsa’s competitor number after pinning it onto her FFA jacket before pig showmanship on July 29, 2020. Freise showed one pig in both 4-H and FFA showmanship and both again in the afternoon for the market classes.

Trying to remove the honey from the frame, Elsa shows her brother Zack an easier way to use the uncapping fork to remove the honey. “We started because of COVID actually,” Elsa said, explaining the addition of the beekeeping project to her work this year. With more free time because of COVID, the Freises decided to try out the beekeeping project, helping the county to update its out-of-date hive and get new bees. Elsa checked the bees’ food supply and the health of the hive, while her mom and brother and the Farris family inventoried all the beekeeping supplies that were in extension storage. Zack, who also did beekeeping this year, plans on continuing the beekeeping project after his sister leaves.

Elsa clicks and waves her arms to help Grady Alger bring his horse up to a jog during his practice showmanship pattern on July 6, 2020. Elsa taught the showmanship section of the Monday night horse classes this year, teaching kids proper techniques, helping them learn new patterns and quizzing there with sample trivia the judge might ask. The day before horse showmanship, Elsa said she was not only nervous for herself but for everyone since she helped coach them all. During the award ceremony at fair, Elsa was recognized for her work and dedication to the horse project, specifically for her teaching at horse nights.

Showmanship and halter classes are largely focused on appearance, leading Elsa to spend the morning before the the two shows washing her two horses. Because white is especially difficult to get clean, she applied multiple coats of shampoo in a rinse and repeat cycle. After the shampoo, she used a toothbrush and toothpaste along the cornet band and tops of the hooves to remove more of the stuck-on dirt.

Just as horses are washed and have their hair trimmed, show hogs need to be clean and clipped as well. Using clippers with a few different guard lengths, Elsa spent a few hours on Tuesday afternoon of fair week getting her and her brother’s pigs trimmed and ready for a bath. As she trimmed the belly of one, the second nibbled on her hair while the third napped in the back corner.

After winning the FFA horse showmanship earlier in the week, Elsa qualified to compete in the round robin competition on July 31, 2020. During round robin, competitors show first the animal they won showmanship with, and then proceed to trade and show the other four species. Elsa’s extended family joined her parents and brother to watch her during the competition, gathering around the fence of the pig pen during her third of five total rotations.

Friday’s round robin competition marked the final competition for Elsa. After the show, the livestock awards and after taking care of her horses for the evening, Elsa left her stuff and the pig’s dinner in the truck to get herself some dinner from the Papa Bino’s food truck.

Elsa laughs and Elizabeth Farris laugh with the new Buffalo High School FFA advisor Taylor Rieniets, not pictured, during the beef show on July 30. The homemade lemonade stand is run by Buffalo’s FFA members and was open throughout the week for new cups or refills. Elsa worked the full shift with Elizabeth as a few other FFA members joined here and there. Joining Elsa in working at the stand was her cousin Addison Baird who was visiting the Freise’s for fair week.

Relaxing on one of the sheep stalls, Elsa talks with friend Olivia Wasinger at the end of the day on Friday, July 31. Beginning in the pig barn, the pair walked through the goat and sheep barns before returning to the pig barn to feed the pigs dinner.

With the sound of the fair opener concert in the background, Elsa spent the afternoon with Tera Boden and her horse practicing for the fair and clipping his bridal path, face and feet. Afterwards, Elsa spent time riding on her own. She warmed up and worked on some horsemanship patterns before finally calling it a day well after the sun disappeared. After enjoying a final county fair, Elsa is excited for the next stage in her life. She says that 4-H will always be a part of her, but she is ready to explore new things.