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Getting Ready For The Big Event Addison County Field Days Is A Coming!

While dad Nathan calls it a “showcation”, mixing family time and showing cows, there is no doubt that for the Binghams it is special and it is time to get ready for Addison County Field Days.
photo provided
While dad Nathan calls it a “showcation”, mixing family time and showing cows, there is no doubt that for the Binghams it is special and it is time to get ready for Addison County Field Days.
Nathan Bingham Jr. and his cow crown will be seen in a lot of places coming up soon, for Nathan and Crown will be at Field Days and will also be on the cover of the Field Days program.
photo provided
Nathan Bingham Jr. and his cow crown will be seen in a lot of places coming up soon, for Nathan and Crown will be at Field Days and will also be on the cover of the Field Days program.
Six year old Marolin Bingham snuggles with her show cow by the same name. Both cow and owner are getting excited and getting ready for the local event of the year, Addison County Field Days!
photo provided
Six year old Marolin Bingham snuggles with her show cow by the same name. Both cow and owner are getting excited and getting ready for the local event of the year, Addison County Field Days!

Tuesday July 22, 2014

By Cookie Steponaitis

There are certain events in the lives of Addison County residents that can be depended on as surely as the Maple Syrup running and the four seasons that follow one another in often rapid succession. Winter holidays call for family gatherings, baking and lots of treats, Memorial Day calls for parades and cookouts and July 4th heralds the arrival of fireworks, hayfields to cut and the fact that summer is fleeting. Still, marked on the calendars and lodged in the hearts of literally thousands is another event, one with longevity, power and just plain people appeal. During one glorious week in August, Vermonters come to Addison County Farm & Field Days. Often seeing three generations of families present at the same time, Fields Days is famed for Tractor Pulls, Demolition Derby, Animal Competitions and Bracelet Night and seeing people who would often go months or years without finding the time to visit. In short, getting ready for Field Days families are steeped in tradition, fun and as the Bingham family explains it, “organized chaos.”
For Nathan and Bethany Binhgam and their children Nathan, Jr. (8) and Marolin (6), Field Days have been going on since the birth of the children and long before. “I married into a cow showing family,” shared Bethany. “We have gone to other places with our show cows and my husband even travels with other herds but Field Days is where we are always found as a family and doing it together. Showing registered Holsteins, the Bingham’s explain to the newcomer that while it is all about confirmation, breeding and genetics it is also the bond between the animals and their people. And you can bet that getting ready to go is almost as much fun as being there.
“Last year Nathan, Jr. showed a big cow and they did very well,” explained Bethany Bingham. “There is a lot of to do to get ready and there is lots and lots of practice that happens first.” Field Days is not simply an event for literally hundreds of families in the region but almost a way of life. Nate Bingham grew up farming and showing cattle with his parents and now generations two and three are on the land and in the life patterns of seasons, chores, animals and love of nature. “It is quite something to watch us getting ready,” remarked Bethany. “We start with a big list. It includes supplies, grain, feed and a lot of animal practice and prep. Our animals go out every day with us and we practice with them getting used to odd things, loud noises, people behind or around them and then they get pampered, kind of a Dairy Spa before the fair. They get baths, haircuts and even pedicures. They are groomed and shine.”
The Bingham children are excited this year for a number of reasons, but Nathan, Jr. is especially tickled that he and his cow Crown are on the cover of this year’s Field Days guide.
Field Days for the Binghams and many families like them is more than packing up the kids, the animals and going to the fair. It is a testimony to a way of life that is as much a part of life in Vermont as the trees, lake and summer sun. “Watching the children sleep with the cows in the barn at Field Days when they are all settled down and them being close to their pets is an image I will never tire of,” explained Bethany. “These are not production animals, they are family members.” While the Binghams will be found at the Demolition Derby, Tractor Pulls and of course bracelet night for the rides, they have an animal competition schedule that is busy at both ends of the week. The family is there the entire week and dad Nathan has a name for the annual event. “It is our Showcation,” he grinned. “It is a vacation from our job and a way for the whole family to be together doing what we love.”
So for those with family from out of town or just for the curious coming to witness this annual festival of fun, food, animals, friends and tractors, horses, cows and cars in all shapes and sizes, remind them that this is so much more than Vermont’s largest and longest running Agricultural Fair. It is a testimonial to a way of life. Bethany Bingham summed it up nicely before she ran off to help her children prep for Field Days when she concluded, “Addison County Field Days is Vermont in a little tiny area. It includes our agricultural history, our dedication to our animals, our work ethic and our love of having fun together.” Mark the calendar if you have not already because Field Days is a coming!


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