Performing community service, showing cows

LADYSMITH, Wis. — Exhibiting at the county fair is a rite of passage for many farm kids. Each year, show boxes are packed, trailers loaded and families head off to their home away from home for the duration.

Part of that rite of passage is problem solving, which is what members of the Rusk County Junior Ayrshire Association did to improve the showers in the new bathroom facilities built at the Rusk County Fairgrounds in Ladysmith in 2025.

Exhibitors were excited by the prospect of having a facility to wash away the dirt and grime that come from a day spent at the fair. However, many noted a few amenities were missing from the new showers.

Janet Hetke, who milks a herd of registered Ayrshire cows with her husband, Paul, is a leader for the RCJAA, and during last year’s fair, Hetke and other club leaders and members discussed the shower room issue and came up with a plan to solve it.

“It’s a beautiful facility and a great improvement from what was there before,” Hetke said. “But, it wasn’t perfect. There was no place to put your towel or clean clothes, up off the floor, except trying to set it on the sink or the back of the toilet. It was kind of the talk of the fair last year.”

The club decided to create benches for each of the shower rooms.

Where others saw a problem, Hetke saw a teaching opportunity.

“I thought this could become a way for the kids to learn about being good citizens,” Hetke said. “First, we saw a problem, and we could find a way to solve it. They could learn about working with community businesses, and they could take pride in working together to make something that would benefit their fellow fair exhibitors for years to come.”

The group was chartered and approved by the county as an educational organization in 2017. Today, their membership numbers 21 youth from nine families. Five club members — Shawn, Abigail and Clarence Lechleitner and Elsie and Keaton Doro — exhibited calves at this year’s fair.

As soon as last year’s fair wrapped up, Hetke set the club’s plan in motion, contacting fair treasurer and fairgrounds coordinator, Charmaine Riddle.

Hetke proposed that the RCJAA gather donations from local businesses to make eight benches.

The RCJAA’s proposal was approved, and the group and the community stepped up to support the venture. The wood was provided by Ladysmith Lampert Lumber and Clover Belt Lumber and Feed Company in Conrath. Hardware was sourced from Ladysmith Ace Hardware.

The Hetkes hosted a bonfire at their farm on a Friday evening, inviting their club families to gather. Everyone brought tools, and the group worked together to build the benches they had planned and designed.

One volunteer engraved the benches with the name of the club along with those of the sponsors. The benches were put in place last fall, giving other organizations that made use of the facility outside of the fair the opportunity to benefit.

“It was a fun and educational project for the kids,” Hetke said. “It showed them how communities can work together and how they can impact others.”

Creating opportunities for youth to learn and work together, while experiencing the excitement of exhibiting at the county fair, is the goal of the RCJAA.

Abigail, 11, a member of the RCJAA, has been showing at the Rusk County Fair for five years, in both the open and junior shows. Helping build the benches gave her a sense of community.

“It’s fun to show other people what you can do,” Abigail said. “We built the benches because we care about the other people that are here. It feels good to do something that helps everyone.”

Keaton was excited to show his calf, Hay Hay, at the fair for the first time.

“She’s a lot of fun,” Keaton said. “I combed her every day until I lost the comb. She’s a good girl. She did a good job today.”

As Hetke watched her club members compete with their animals, running back and forth to the barn to make sure everyone made it to their class on time, she smiled and reflected on the purpose of the club.

“It’s really important for us to teach our kids how to be good and kind adults,” Hetke said. “The world we live in sometimes doesn’t make it easy to teach those lessons, but we can teach compassion and responsibility through the animals. Little projects like the benches can go a long way in giving them a sense of ownership in their community; that will stay with them a long time, and they will eventually see how they can have a big impact in their world by just doing the small things.”