In 2008 I was allowed to turn the Teller County Fair, PINK! I was so impressed by the 4H members, parents and Fair Board that I've been working with them to produce their Fair Book since then.
In 2009 we had a patriotic theme and this year, 2010 we are PoWEred by GREEN! 4-H is celebrating 100 years and has a huge representation at county and state fairs, so we are honoring this important youth organization, while promoting recycling and sustainability. Many of the volunteers working on the Fair planing have been influenced by 4-H, but the Fair is not affiliated with 4-H and money raised keeps the Fair as an annual event in our community. No funds benefit 4-H directly unless specifically posted. The dedicated volunteers of the Teller County Fair Board have always used their Head (ow, where's the tylenol?) Heart (we love Fair time!) Hands (sweat equity) and Health (positive attitude) in the planning and successful implementation of the Teller Fair. We applaud these volunteers and the many volunteers from 4-H who help. Click on picture of Fair Book to link to Fair web site!
Click on the map to go to the 2010 Fair Book online.
Page 11 is a full size map and page 3 has the full event schedule BUT please visit the Fair web site often for any changes to schedule!
Pictures: Day One, click here VIDEO:Hope Shines on ... in the kids! This is my favorite so far...includes candids of the little ones, family fun night with greased pig, catch a bunny, pie eating, mutton bustin', stick horse race, tater sack race, youngest ATV rodeo competitors ... click here VIDEO: dedicated to the "tough" girls! "Got PINK?" click here VIDEO: Never trust a rodeo clown...Fair Board President shakes the pink! click here
I collected "Got PINK!" rewards from local businesses that included: Walmart, Santa's Workshop, Dinosaur Resource Center, Charitable Treasures, Cowbelles, Sky Sox, Elitch Gardens, Starbucks, Cripple Creek & Victor Narrow Gage Railroad, IT'z Fun Center, Safeway Woodland Park, Ceyenne Mountain Zoo, Diggin' In the Dirt.... These were used to reward those who participated in "Got PINK?" at the Fair. I will post details soon.
Over the years I have been asked about the symbol for Breast Cancer, the pink ribbon.
In an effort to be informed and for my own piece of mind, I decided to look up the history of the pink ribbon.
History of the Pink Ribbon... The pink ribbon is the symbol for breast cancer awareness invented in 1991 by Evelyn H. Lauder, founder & president of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Alexandra Penney, then-editor of Self Magazine. Lauder says, "The ribbon stands for awareness. And it stands for the sisterhood that will help women survive - and conquer- this disease.”
As I pondered this definition, I thought to myself “Good, but not good enough...too gender specific” (women, sisterhood). I decided to make up my own definition. For 33 years I lived in a Black and White world...
- Logical - If I didn't know something, I looked it up - 2+2=4 (always) - Almost everything could be explained.
But that all changed that fateful day in July of ‘96 when I started to hear new words like: suspicious, mammogram, oncology, chemo, stem cell rescue, radiation - and the biggie: CANCER
Other survivors know what I'm talking about and they know or remember the whirlwind/roller coaster ride that follows those words.
Suddenly Black and white melted together and my world became gray - with so many unknowns. I thought this was bad, but at that time I didn't understand or even think about what the colors meant.
Black was obviously the negative, but what was the white? Was it the positive, the good things?
Then one day, as treatments were ending my world started changing colors. The black in the gray was still there but I had stopped focusing on it. And because I was focusing on the positive the black was being replaced by a new color. A vibrant RED, and I came to realize that this RED was ...
by definition:
- Burning desire - Passion - The will to survive and thrive - The will to LIVE!
And as I came to know and understand the RED, I also came to understand the white and I discovered the white is really:
- hope, faith, love, laughter, dreams, - friends, family, supporters, - angels among us, the MILK of human kindness...
... and the white is always there for us, just more apparent at times…especially when we need it most.
So the melting of black and white was actually a good thing. The white diluted and softened the black and provided the ability to cope as it created the gray world.
And when recovery and "moving on" became the name of the game, the red starting growing and taking over for the black,...and the white started to grow…and when the white grew, the red grew more… and even today if I focus on one the other responds accordingly.
Because, as I've learned, when mixed with the red, white does not dilute or stifle it....it strengthens it!
But they still melted together creating a very beautiful color that we all know so well as(anyone?)... pink.
Each day I am grateful to wake up each morning to this new world...this pink world.
So a PINK ribbon, by my definition, is very appropriate and like Breast Cancer it knows no gender, no race, no social status...just an attitude.
Next time someone asks you about the pink ribbon, you can borrow my definition OR better yet ... create your own.
Over the years I have been asked about the symbol for Breast Cancer, the pink ribbon. 