Fathom Williamson hugs a child while wearing a Rosie the Ribbiter frog costume during the 2023 Frog Jump Parade in Angels Camp. File photo/Calaveras Enterprise
The Calaveras Junior Fairboard is readying itself for another edition of the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee. This year’s fair will be held May 16-19.
Typically consisting of juniors and seniors from Bret Harte and Calaveras high schools, the board occasionally adds younger members from those schools.
Membership is limited to 16 participants, and members work behind the scenes and during fair activities, and play roles in helping ensure that the fair is a success during each of this event’s four days. This year’s board has 13 members – 10 Calaveras High School students and three Bret Harte High School students.
These members were selected from those who submitted applications by this year’s deadline of March 1.
Each member signed a code of conduct and committed to working a minimum of 20 hours.
Junior Fairboard coordinator Luke Andahl told the Enterprise that the board members who are high school seniors have additional motivation to be a part of this board.
Calaveras Junior Fairboard members hold drawings of brands at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds on Saturday, March 30. Courtesy photo/Calaveras Junior Fairboard
“Two kids every year receive a $500 scholarship; the seniors do,” he said.
Andahl, who is a cousin of Calaveras County Board of Supervisors District 2 candidate Autumn Andahl, mentioned that to help the junior board members get used to working with each other, they have two pre-fair meetings.
“It just helps the kids get to know each other better,” he said. “So, hopefully, they run smoother together, which this year, it seems like (they operate) very smoothly together.”
The first of the meetings is a session for the board members to get to know each other, while the second meeting is a workday.
The workday includes activities such as planting flowers and painting the fairgrounds’ frog sculptures to get them ready for the fair.
Andahl shared details about this year’s frog sculpture painting activity, which was held on Saturday, April 20.
“This year, the theme is ‘Gold Pans and Cattle Brands,’ so we repainted the frogs, painted some rocks to make them look like gold nuggets and put them out throughout the ground for the theme,” he said.
Andahl spoke about activities that these junior board members assist with during the fair.
“The Miss Calaveras competition (on May 16) is one where we have the kids open and help with the curtain, setup, cleanup,” he said. “(They help) with that going on, and (with) their coordinators, or the junior horse show, which they help hand out ribbons, help the kids help the judges, make sure everything runs smoothly.
“And there’s a lot of things that they just do and help with that just helps with the fundamentals of the fair and help it run smoother. It’s a program for them to learn what actually goes on at the fair more, and how we operate here.”
He added that these board members will additionally assist with the steer show in the fairground’s arena on May 17.
They will also help with the Western horse events on May 18.
The evening before the Miss Calaveras pageant, the Junior Fairboard members will assist with a rehearsal of that event to prepare for the actual event.
Providing his own testimonial of the positive impact that being a member of the Junior Fairboard can have on a young person, Andahl recalled the three years he spent on that board.
“It was a great opportunity,” he said. “(There were) a lot of different things I didn’t realize went on throughout the fair at the time. I didn’t realize how much went on with the junior horse show, which is (held) prior to fair, and how much went on with that. And our junior fellow board members will help with that.
“I showed livestock (at the fair). And so, after I was done with livestock, you just kind of sit around at (the) fair. So, (the Junior Fairboard) gave me more things to do, (kept) me busy, not just sitting around at a trailer.”
This year’s junior horse show will be held on Saturday, May 4.
Andahl, a 2021 graduate of Calaveras High School, said that he also appreciated the opportunity he had getting to know Bret Harte High School students who were also members of the Junior Fairboard.
He expressed disappointment that there are few Bret Harte students who are current members of the board.
Andahl shared a story about a current board member who gained a lot of self-confidence through her experience as a Junior Fairbboard member.
“She was a little more shy and not open (when she joined the board), and now she’s starting to become very open, talkative,” he said. “She’s now on the Junior Fairboard and doing Miss Calaveras, which is awesome for her. So, I’m very happy that she’s doing that.”
He also mentioned that it is not uncommon for Junior Fairboard members to gain confidence through this program, and he noted that some former Junior Fairboard members have advanced to joining the main fair board.
Andahl said that two of those people are Kathy Campbell and Darrin Mills.
Overall, the Junior Fairboard members appear to be having a lot of fun this year, Andahl noted.
“They seem like they have a blast and they work together really well,” he said. “And it looks like they have a great time together.”
Fathom Williamson, a current Junior Fairboard member, shared details about her experiences with this program.
“This is my third year on the Fairboard,” she said. “I usually wear the Rosie the Ribbiter costume, which is absolutely my favorite thing to do, and interact with all the little kids. I really feel like I get to bring them the magic of the fair. This year, I have to split my duties, because I’m also running as a Miss Calaveras contestant.”
Andahl noted that he is very excited about this year’s Junior Fairboard.
“They’re a great group of kids,” he said. “They’re all great people and they all seem to work very well together. So, I’m very excited to see how they do out on their own (at the fair) with everything going on. And most of them are juniors, so I’m (also) very excited to see how they do next year.”
INFO. BOX
2024 Calaveras Junior Fairboard members
Gillian Bauerson, junior, Calaveras High School
Nathan Cameron, junior,
Calaveras High School
Abigail Carter, junior, Calaveras High School
Troy Dragomanovich, senior, Bret Harte High School
Hannah Emerson, junior, Calaveras High School
Kandilyn Galli, senior, Calaveras High School
Lizzie Gates, junior, Calaveras High School
Chance Herndon, senior, Bret Harte High School
Josh Manzo, senior, Calaveras High School
Chloe Martz, junior, Calaveras High School
Breanna Petersen, freshman, Calaveras High School
Lillian Valentine, junior, Calaveras High School
Fathom Williamson, junior, Bret Harte High School