Whenever I travel outside of the state and someone hears I’m from Idaho, the first question I always get asked is, “So do you grow potatoes?” Although I have never grown a potato myself, I was able to visit Idaho’s potato country, aka Bingham County, thanks to the Bingham County Farm Bureau!
As soon as I got into Blackfoot, I met my new family for the couple next days, the Dalleys! Joyce, Ralph, all their children and grandchildren were so wonderful with welcoming me right into their home and family right away! They even had the Boise State game on when I got there, and gave me one of the best home cooked dinners I’ve had in quite some time. :)
The next morning, I began my day by having breakfast at the local auction yard, meeting many of the Bingham County Farm Bureau members and leaders for breakfast. It was so much fun to see some familiar as well as new faces and hear about everything they do as a county Farm Bureau. Bingham County Farm Bureau Rocks! After the breakfast, my two drivers/escorts/tour guides/body guards/comic relief, Kendall Keller and Chris Dalley, drove me to the first school on our schedule- Ridgecrest Elementary. They had an entire school assembly of grades kindergarten-5th grade! After their student body elections, I was able to speak to them for a little bit about all the different things we produce in Idaho. The students were a blast, and afterward I handed out Ag in the Classroom pencils (thanks to Rick Waitley and Idaho Ag in the Classroom) and signed autographs. From there, we went to many, many more schools: Snake River Middle School, Rockford Elementary, Riverside Elementary, Aberdeen High (Pep Assembly!), Aberdeen Elementary and Aberdeen Middle School. It was a phenomenal experience being able to share the passion for my platform, Modern Agriculture: Supporting and Sustaining Society, and the diversity of Idaho agriculture with all of these students. I love speaking and working with students of all ages about where our food comes from and how important it is to support American agriculture and the American farmer. Like I tell all the students-whenever you eat, drink, or even put on your favorite pair of jeans, don’t forget to thank a farmer! :) Thank you so much Kimmel for arranging all of the school visits- it was seriously awesome!
Jason Moulten, Chris Dalley, me and Kendall Keller! These guys were awesome, but could still afford a couple more lessons at fending off 8 year old girls! :)
After the school visits, we made a short stop at the Pocatello Idaho Farm Bureau office, which is quite snazzy. I was able to meet all the employees, discuss some of the funny stories of the day, and I even got a very cool pink Idaho Farm Bureau hat! I will be definitely be sporting it at Miss America! Later that evening, I went to the Bingham County Young Farmers and Ranchers BBQ. It was so much fun to hang out and eat some awesome food (Thanks Jason!). I definitely was initiated into the kids’ gang, and had a bunch of fun listening to all of the kids’ favorite stories, playing badminton in the dark, and watching all of them play the Wii projected onto the wall of a barn. It was an awesome night!
All the girls at the BBQ and me!
The next morning, I rode in the Eastern Idaho State Fair Parade on the Bingham County Farm Bureau float. The other featured guest on the float (in addition to all the cute kids whose parents are involved in FB) was Joyce Dalley, my new “Blackfoot Mom” and Bingham County Farm Bureau Woman of the Year! It was a lot of fun to see the entire town of Blackfoot come out to start the fair with a bang! Afterward, we headed straight to the Eastern Idaho State Fair, which is very impressive! I spent the rest of the day in the Ag in the Classroom booth, passing out “I’m a Fan of Farmers” fans, signing autographs, and having a blast with Kimmel and Kelly!
The two cutest little kids ever- Sadie and Piers, with me on the float before the Parade!
That evening, I had to drive back to Boise. Although I was happy to go home, I was very sad to leave my new Blackfoot family. This was hands down one of my favorite appearances yet, and I won’t forget all the hospitality, kindness and friendship everyone in Blackfoot gave to me! Thanks for an incredible time!
I’ll leave you with a quote I have come to love the past couple of months: “I’d rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed.” –Robert Schuller
God Bless!
3 comments:
We enjoyed spending time with you! Come back and vist any time. Just know you have a fan club in South East Idaho (even if Tyler didn't want his picture taken with you ;) ).
Cat
We love you more!!! Come back and visit anytime, we even will put you on a horse! Loved having you and the kids are ALL still talking about you. I have had many compliments and big thanks coming from teachers and staff from all the schools that you visited. You really made an impression and a difference, continue all the hard work. And feel free to call if you EVER need anything. Kimmel
Hi, Kara, this is Stasie, another Dalley sister. I'm the one in the pictures with the 80's hair. Let's just say I'm the 80's sister, not the older or bigger sister:) Thanks for blogging about your weekend in Blackfoot. I feel cheated that I missed it. My family has strict instructions to not talk about anything fun or do anything fun without me. But they are obviously not doing that. I'm glad you had a good time. Please know that your Blackfoot family extends to Provo, Utah, and you are always welcome here. We would love to have you anytime and I'm serious about the offer. Good luck with your reign and all that comes with it. You have fans here in Provo, too. Stasie Rose
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