This weekend marked the conclusion of the Kentucky State Fair, where students had the chance to attend during school hours thanks to a special provision. This opportunity to go to the State Fair during the school day has been available to students since 2016.
The Kentucky Revised Statute (KRS) 159.035(4) is responsible for allowing students across the state to have the option to visit the State Fair during school hours with an excused absence. This law was put in place state-wide due to scheduling conflicts, with many Kentucky schools starting earlier than they had before, impacting the Fair.
Gayl Learned and Jessica Benge-Reynolds are Independent Living Specialists from the Kentucky Resources for Independence Success & Empowerment. They manned one of the many Team Kentucky booths found at the Kentucky State Fair.
“We’re here because we want to connect with the community, and you never know where you’re going to make a good connection, and where there can be a collaborative work that makes a difference,” Learned said.
Through the fair, students have the opportunity to interact and meet with a multitude of people and organizations face to face, that they might not have previously known.
“You’ve got a lot of different cultures here and community stuff for one thing, different counties here, you’ve got the livestock and the farmland of Kentucky,” Benge-Reynolds said. “I think it’d be good just to see the different careers here.”
A short walk away from the Team Kentucky booths laid the Vietnam War exhibit, which featured many historical artifacts and mock-ups of the time. Mannequins held the positions of medics, wounded soldiers and radio broadcasters. Uniforms and other relics were on display with informational plaques all around. The staging created an authentic atmosphere for fairgoers.
This exhibit was a collection of joint efforts from a multitude of veteran organizations and figures, including the Kilroy Chapter, Heather French Henry, Veterans of Foreign War, the First Cavalry Association and many more. Vietnam veteran Staff Sgt. Mike King was tending to a booth at the Vietnam War exhibit, in remembrance of fallen soldiers and veterans.
“This year is Vietnam. In previous years, they do a different war,” Sgt. King said. “Last year was Korea. Before that, World War II, then World War I. So I volunteered for each year that they do this.”
Poppies have been used to signify remembrance since World War I, and acted as a symbol to raise awareness of the war and remember those who served. At the State Fair, Sgt. King handed out paper poppies with Velcro, and encouraged people, both young and old, to write down the names of veterans they know or are related to onto the petals, and stick them onto the many Velcro walls found at the exhibit.
“We’ve talked to a lot of kids who… a lot of them had never heard of Vietnam. It’s nice for them to come by and even if they don’t understand war, it’s nice for them to know about their uncles, their grandpa, their dad, that was in the military and what they went through, and that war is not good – not a fun experience,” Sgt. King said. “So hopefully it teaches the kids that maybe there’s other alternatives than actually going to war.“
While KRS 159.035 does take students out of the classroom, it allows for the opportunity for students to learn about a large variety of topics. Students can choose to visit any section of the State Fair and talk with representatives from organizations all over the country, or individuals that are participating in competitions – students themselves can even participate in competitions, like the Student Photography Contest, or the many Art Contests. The Fair can be a great learning experience.
“There’s a lot that you can learn here. You’ll learn more here one day walking around than you’ll ever imagine. I’m a city boy, so I’ll walk around the animals and I see a blue sheep – and I didn’t even know they existed! I learned about all sorts of animals,” Sgt. King said.
Sgt. King has volunteered at this exhibit over the past six years, but as a Louisville native, he’s been coming to the fair since his early childhood.
“I grew up in the West End, Louisville,” Sgt. King said. “To us a wild animal is a dog and a squirrel, you know, and to see livestock and other stuff, this is real education. I remember mom and dad brought me out here when I was five or six, seeing my first live cow, and it really made it heartfelt so yeah, I would say get the kids out here.”
Experiences like these highlight the importance of allowing students the opportunity to miss out on a single day of school, and see new things and interact with people from all 120 counties, both rural and urban.
“This is educational– in fact, I think the kids should be required to come here for a day and just walk around and look at things. So yeah, I’m all for that statute and giving them a day off to come here… and it’s fun too,” Sgt. King said. “I would say that everybody, all the kids [should] come out to the fair and go look at the blue sheep and all the stuff like that.”
