Lisa and Brian Wallace with daughters Nicole and Morgan are Boulder County Fair Family of the Year for 2012.  Lisa works in the 4-H office in addition to being a 4-H leader for 15 years.  She is the Boulder County Dance Team organizational leader taking her group of junior, intermediate and seniors to county Challenge Day and the ultimate event the Colorado State Fair held in Pueblo over Labor Day Weekend.   Lisa tirelessly manages 40 to 60 4-Hers and their parents getting them to practice weekly, ordering dance costumes and preparing them for showmanship.  She believes every individual contributes to the dance routine and works with them to achieve their personal best.  Lisa doesn’t loose momentum there but has supported her two daughters taking them to club meetings and shooting sports practices.  She even signed on to the horse project supporting clinics and shows. 

Brian travels the country to help fairs and rodeos market themselves, then brings the best ideas back home through his business, Image Masters.  He is a huge support to his daughters and their 4-H endeavors encouraging them to be competitors.  Brian has even gone so far as build hog pens and a horse barn to accommodate his daughters involvement in agriculture.

That Nicole enjoyed 4-H so much that she is a current 4-H leader and superintendent.  According to Nicole, “I’ve loved seeing the kids grow as much as I did.” She then adds “sometimes I get jealous.  I wish I was still in it.  But they are lots of fun.”  It doesn’t matter whether it is a field day, meeting, dance practice or competition, Nicole is always there supporting the 4-Her and leading them to be effective adults.

Morgan, a sophomore at Mead High School, is very active in 4-H honing her dance skills on the dance team and practicing to attend the National 4-H shoots each year.  She has followed her mother and sister for so many years that it is great that she excels in her competitions receiving numerous awards throughout the year.  Morgan even branched out learning equine husbandry and riding.

Boulder County is very lucky and honored to have the Wallace family involved in the County fair.

Tom, Nancy and twins Corrina and Travis are 2012 Boulder County Fair Family of the Year.  Their involvement with the fair started with the kids 4-H activities.  Tom started both of them in archery where he is currently the State 4-H archery superintendent.  He also volunteers his time with the record book and project boards for the county.  “Kids listen to kids,” Tom said.  “The more we can teach kids to teach other kids, then 4-H’ll be around forever.  And they’ll have fun doing it. …  When you help a kid realize their dream of shooting a perfect score, or just hitting the target for the first time, and they turn to you with a smile on their face – that’s what it’s about.  When they achieve, we achieve.”  Tom is very supportive in the activities of his own kids and attends the functions with them always willing to lend a helping hand.

Nancy’s inquisitive mind has led her to be the Boulder County horse council president and the treasurer on Boulder County Fair Board.  She attended functions with her kids and wanted to contribute to making the activities a success for those involved.  Nancy laughingly says that her and Tom’s date nights are going to have to be to meetings.  She listens to members, questions why, and proposes alternative ways of doing things which are instrumental in changing some of our traditional ways of doing things to fit a changing society.  Nancy is very active taking her teenagers to the various functions necessary to raising them.

Corrina counts off her various 4-H projects of horse, dog, rabbit, shooting sports, photography and scrapbooking as the variety of interests that she has held.  Her horse remains to be forthright in her mind and after competing at a performance level, she likes the adrenaline rush of barrel racing these days.  Travis, on the other hand, finds baking, dogs and robotics his favorite activities.  He has been very helpful to his mother in many activities.  Both kids attend Berthoud High School and will be driving very soon.

Boulder County has a great fair family that his very helpful at the multitude of events.