Out here, dreams grow in garden plots and 4-H pens

By Ken Polehn | Thoughts from the Tractor Seat

Ken Polehn

The Wasco County Fairgrounds are buzzing again, and this year’s theme says it all: “Blue Jeans and Country Dreams.”

You don’t need a fancy suit to make a difference out here. Just a good pair of boots, a well-worn hat, and a pair of blue jeans that have seen early mornings, late nights, and everything in between. For folks like us, blue jeans aren’t just clothing—they’re a symbol. Of hard work. Of faith. Of family. And of the dreams we build from the dirt up.

I’ve been walking these fairgrounds most of my life. First as a barefoot kid with a pocketknife and a red rooster in a cage. Then as an FFA member in a blue corduroy jacket, shaking hands and soaking in the lessons of leadership and livestock. Later, I watched my own kids take their turn in the show ring. Now, it’s new kids, with the same sparkle in their eyes and a little more denim on their knees.

Every year, the county fair reminds us where we come from. It’s more than ferris wheels and funnel cakes. It’s where we learn to show up and take pride in what we raise, build, bake, or grow. It’s late nights in the barn and early mornings in the wash rack. It’s kids learning that blue ribbons are earned—but blue jeans are lived in.

“Blue Jeans and Country Dreams” hits home because dreams don’t just live in bank accounts or boardrooms. Out here, dreams grow in garden plots and 4-H pens. They show up in the grit of a project, the patience of sewing straight seams, the determination of a kid who worked all year to get one moment in front of a judge.

At the fair, the lines between work and joy blur. You’ll find the same hands that haul hay giving high fives after the livestock auction. You’ll see moms with show clothes and dads calming nerves, grandparents clapping loud for someone else’s grandkid. It’s where we gather—not just to compete, but to connect.

It’s easy to think the world has passed places like this by. But I promise you, the heartbeat of rural America still pounds strong in every barn aisle and midway. And this time of year, when the community shows up in boots and Wranglers, we remember we’re part of something lasting. Something that matters.

So here’s to the blue jeans, the belt buckles, the blisters, and the dances. Here’s to the kids chasing country dreams—and the parents and mentors who never stop believing in them.

Blue Jeans are county Dreams.

I’ll be at the fair. Hope to see you there.

The Wasco County Fair runs Aug. 14 -17. Click here for all the information.

About the Author

I was born in 1961 into a second-generation farm family in The Dalles. I grew up on a tractor seat, moving irrigation pipe with my sisters before school, and spent my summers picking cherries alongside the children of migrant families who returned year after year. My wife, children, and parents have all worked the same land. I’ve served as county Farm Bureau president, sat on the county fair board, and continue to support 4-H and FFA. I’ve seen firsthand what happens when farmers are squeezed out—not just of business, but of the conversation.