BY ANDY TAYLOR

INDEPENDENCE — When the Montgomery County 4-H Fair takes place each July, the area surrounding Riverside Park’s livestock barns almost has the look of a big RV park.

Amid the diesel pickup trucks pulling livestock trailers are dozens of pop-up campers, tents and makeshift camping sites — all habited by 4-H’ers and their families.

And, for many of the 4-H families, having a impromptu campsite at Riverside Park makes for an easy home away from home.

“It makes the fair experience more enjoyable,” said Jay O’Brien, a member of the Peppy Progressive 4-H Club, who, at the age of 19, was completing his final year at the 4-H fair.

The O’Brien family — including parents Ron and Stella and sons Jay, Aaron and Cody — have been camping at the Cherryvale Youth Fair and Montgomery County 4-H Fair for years. In recent years, they have combined their camping efforts with several other 4-H families to form a virtual compound of camping trailers. The ancient stone fence of Mount Hope Cemetery serves as one of the camping area’s four walls as other camper vehicles form the other sides of the camp. A couple of picnic tables and a charcoal grill sit in the middle of the camping area — making it Checkpoint Central for all 4-H fair relaxation.

“This is where we hangout during the fair,” said Erin King, a member of the Happy Hustlers 4-H Club. “We formed a group called ‘The Rat Pack,’ simply because we move around the fair area like a pack of rats.”

Next door to the The Rat Pack is a group of campers that includes the Evans, Gartrells, and Clubine families from Bolton and Havana.

“Where else can you send your family for a full week, knowing that your kids are in good hands and with other friends,” asked Nancy Evans, mother of two 4-H youths. “This camping experience makes the 4-H fair more worthwhile.”

Anita Clubine, who is a leader in the Flying Frontiers 4-H Club, said this year’s fair was the 15th consecutive for her family to camp at Riverside Park. The Clubines have never owned a camper. Instead, they use their livestock trailer and spread a large sheet of vinyl over PVC pipes to serve as a tent.

“We call our trailer the ‘Bonanza Inn’,” Anita said laughingly.

Clubine said that she had noticed more 4-H youths migrating to family camp sites during times when daily chores are finished and when competitions are completed.

“The kids really seem to enjoy it,” she said. “It builds friendships between the families.”

Another cluster of campers on the east side of the Riverside Park livestock barns belongs to the Simmons families. Stephanie Simmons said she relished the times she camped at the 4-H fair during her youth years. Now, she is sharing the experience with her kids.

“This is part of our summer vacation,” she said. “It makes it convenient for us to stay here during the fair rather than run back and forth between our house and the fair several times a day.”

Simmons said the camping sites and family-centered events have almost become as part of the fair tradition as the fair events themselves.