Editor’s Note: This column is a part of a series called “I’m hyperfocusing on…”.

I’m sure at least some of us have heard the phrase “Blood is thicker than water” in regards to the importance of family. This week was my local county fair, an event that might not mean much to some but that means the world to my family.

I grew up heavily active in 4-H. I started in Clover Kids at the age of four years old, and as I got older, I only became more involved. The Harrison County Fair has always held a special place in my heart, and I’m sure that as I continue to grow older, it will continue to do so. With the pandemic happening last summer, I didn’t attend the fair other than to see the coronation of fair royalty, but this year, everything was back in full swing.

Unlike past years, I have a job, classes and animals to take care of, so I wasn’t at the fair for every single hour of the entire week, but I made the half-hour drive for every free moment I could get. I couldn’t participate in all the things I used to now that I’m an alumna to the 4-H program. But that didn’t matter to me; it wasn’t about the activities but the people at the fair.

The phrase I mentioned earlier is actually misinterpreted from its original intention. The proverb has been shortened down in a way that actually implies the opposite of what it originally meant. “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” With the full proverb, the “covenant” is in reference to blood oaths made amongst people in ancient times, which would result in the partakers, known as “blood brothers,” to be even closer than biological brothers.

At the Harrison County Fair, I get to see and spend time with some of my closest friends from childhood. I never had close friendships within my school, but I’d spend all year looking forward to the fair when I’d get a full week to see my friends. Although we’ve each grown up, we’re still quite close. I do keep in touch with some more than others, but when it comes to the fair, we coordinate our plans to ensure we can spend as much time together as possible, catching up on the events of the year and what our plans are moving forward.

This particular year, I witnessed the coronation of two of my friends as fair royalty while another won the talent show and gets to represent our county at the Iowa State Fair. I’m so incredibly proud of what they’ve each been able to accomplish this year, and I can’t wait to see where this next year takes them. I also made some new friends along the way, and I’m excited to cheer them on as they find their dreams.

We have a few names for our ragtag group of friends. Most of them are inside jokes, but whenever we refer to the group while talking to others, we use the same term. This is my fair family, and I love each and every one of them. We might not be connected by the water of the womb, but I’d bleed for any of them.