Sonora, California Mother Lode Fair 2019 Agmechanics exhibitsmark return to fair By ALEX MacLEAN The Union Democrat Wednesday, July 3 2019 — 11
Agricultural mechanics is a category that’s making a comeback in the still exhibits at the 82nd annual Mother Lode Fair thanks largely to two new Tuolumne County high school teachers. There will be about 85 entries in the category this year after being absent from the past few fairs. It features projects in woodworking, welding, plumbing, electrical, laser engraving and 3D printing. “For some kids, this is the only recognition they ever get,” saidMe- lissa Stegall, who started teaching ag mechanics at Sonora High School over the past school year. “This is one of those ways to showcase just how awesome these kids are and how good their projects can be.” Stegall required all of the students in her class to do a project they could enter in the still exhibits at the fair as part of their final grade. The class produced a total of 49 entries, including individual and group projects that range from cornhole boards to small hydro- ponics systems. “They not only had to create the project, but also had to do the paperwork and figure out what they needed to do to enter it in the fair,” Stegall said. Ag mechanics classes allow stu- dents to dabble in a wide variety of trades they could pursue after they graduate. Stegall was born and raised in Sonora and went to the fair every year growing up to show livestock with 4-H and Future Farmers of America. She graduated from Sonora High School and earned a masters degree in education from Califor- nia Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Students who took ag mechanics at Don Pedro High School over the past year will also be showcasing their work at the fair. Shaun Laing, the school’s ag mechanics instructor, said seven or eight of his 13 students produced a total of 70 entries for the fair this year, which includes both livestock and still exhibits.
Courtesy photo / Melissa Stegall Vincent Sherwin, a recent graduate of Sonora High School, works on a smoker that he entered in the still exhibits competition at the 82nd annual Mother Lode Fair. Sherwin’s project will be among about 85 entries in the category, which has been absent from the fair for the past few years.
Don Pedro sophomore Emma Castillo, who is Laing’s stepdaugh- ter, will account for 25 entries by herself. “We’re pumping them out for as little as we are,” Laing said. Some of the projects in the still exhibits include grooming and milking stands for livestock, truck hitches, and horseshoe art. Laing started working for the school over the past year to help revitalize its agriculture program with its FFA advisor. He said the skills learned in ag mechanics can be put to use by students immedi- ately after they graduate. “We have a lot of kids up here who most likely aren’t going to college, so we want to give them all of the hands-on experience we can,” he said. There are a total of 686 entries in the still exhibits at this year’s fair, including the ag mechanics ones. Other categories represented
include quilting, photography, arts and crafts, commercial wine, pre- served foods, baked foods, floral ar- rangements, and garden projects. Most entries, including ag mechanics, will be displayed in
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