DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — Denver7 is committed to listening to the stories and issues that matter most to your community.
On Thursday, Denver7's Douglas County Reporter Tyler Melito and members of the D7 team were out at the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo listening to residents about what they love about DougCo, and their concerns going forward as part of Denver7's Your Voice series.
▶️ Denver7 | Your Voice at the Douglas County Fair
Many of those who spoke with Denver7 expressed concerns about growth in Douglas County, including the impact of more houses on road infrastructure and water. Denver7's Melito intends to follow through on these concerns in the future.
Over at the 4-H area of the fair, some participants expressed their concern about the growth and what it means for the county's agriculture industry.
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"Agriculture has to stay part of Douglas County," said Colleen Potton of Franktown. "We have to continue to have this fair. I think that it's really important to take away that there's multiple different parts of every community, and that even though that's what you might see in your community, there's other parts, and this is like the livestock industry, and this is how this is where your food comes from."
Colleen's daughter, Makenzie participates a lot in 4-H and shared with Melito how agriculture and 4-H in DougCo doesn't always get the attention, as there is so much happening in the community.
"It's important to spread to the community, it's not very widespread, and it's really important to spread to the community about the show industry and livestock in general," Makenzie said.
Colleen said it is rewarding to provide for their community with their livestock after they are sold.
"We we are so proud that we are feeding six families for an entire year, all of their pork with our three pigs, and that brings us such great joy as a family," Colleen said.
Brother and sister Cason and Braelyn Candelaria from Larkspur shared how much work goes into agriculture in Douglas County, saying many kids their age might not understand the level of effort it takes.
"It takes up a lot of time, and it's nice to have friends here that understand it," Braelyn said. "4-H is the most learning, fun, time management you can have. I have learned so much in 4-H that I could not have learned doing any other sport."
"4-H really honestly teaches you more than what school ever would," Cason added.
It's what Miss Rodeo Colorado Lindsey Fancher-Rule says makes county fairs like DougCo's so special for everyone.
"I think the fair, I call it edutainment," Fancher-Rule said. "So you're going to get educated and you're going to get entertained at the fair. To see how we produce our food with beef, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs — all of that going on with adorable little kids who are raising money for their futures. There's no better place to have fun, make family memories, but also experience the future of agriculture."
Make sure to stay tuned to future coverage as Denver7 follows up on what he heard from people like you. If you couldn't make it out to the fair on Thursday to meet Tyler, you can get in touch at the contact form below or by emailing him at Tyler.Melito@denver7.com.
In these Denver7 | Your Voice stories, we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea or want to share your thoughts? Fill out the contact form below.
