By Dan Spalding
News Now Warsaw

WARSAW — Kosciusko County's Fair Board has embraced the sales of beer and wine at this year's fair but is limiting sales to after 6 p.m. to help create some distance from 4-H activities.

At the same time, 4-H leaders have erected signs that ban alcohol from certain areas.

Beer and wine sales began Monday and are available at an outdoor trailer near the grandstand entrance.

Fair officials said they chose the spot in part because its far from the hub of 4-H activities.

Those buying the beverages can take their drinks onto the midway and the grandstand.

[caption id="attachment_133522" align="alignright" width="370"] Amy Rumschlag, the 4-H educator for Kosciusko County is seen Wednesday inside the 4-H officed at the fairgrounds. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

Amy Rumschlag, the 4-H educator for Kosciusko County, was asked about the 4-H perspective.

“Fair Board makes that decision but 4-H really — our main goal is we want to focus more on our kids,” Rumschlag said Wednesday.

She added:

“We care about our kids and this is our awesome spotlight to promote the 4-H and promote what the kids are doing. Alcohol is not our foremost thing that we're paying attention to so we have tried really hard to focus on that on the kids and just having signs that we really don't want alcohol around the barns and around the livestock and any 4-H groups.”

The Kosciusko fair appears to be the only one in north central Indiana that has chosen to sell alcohol since the law changed July 1.

She said she believes other nearby county fairs are watching how is goes in Kosciusko County before considering whether to also begin sales.

Rumschlag is a Kosciusko County native who spent the last 18 years in Adams County with the 4-H program. This is her first year back in Kosciusko County.

“It has been great to reconnect with people and just, you know, see people, see some of their kids that we're in. You know, I went to school with some of these people and like their kids are in the program so it's been really cool to see that " she said. "And a lot of things have stayed the same but a lot of changes have happened too.”

4-H activities continue today with the Horse and Pony show at 9 a.m. and the annual Poss-Abilities show at noon.

In the grandstand, the 3-Par-J Rodeo starts at 7 p.m. 

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