Musings On The Magie: How The Magie Makes Me Miss My Grandfather

My Grandpa Would Have Loved The Magie

My grandfather on my mother's side passed away in 2010, and walking around the Magie makes me realize just how much I miss him.

My grandfather, along with his brothers, had a cattle ranching operation. He was the one responsible for the buying and selling of cattle. Numerous weekends were spent with him in one sale barn or another.

My Grandpa Taught Me A Lot

That's not to say that's all he did; he had a hand in almost every step of what goes into having a successful cattle ranch. He also made sure all his grandkids understood the value of hard work as well.

One year for my birthday he gave me a calf to raise and care for. The next year it became two, then it was three. By the end I had five calves to care for each summer. He would give me the calves in the spring, and then in the fall we'd take them to auction. There was no way he would be outbid for those calves either.

The Magie Is A Tradition To Many People In Montana

I would love to get just one more day with him and walk around the Magie visiting all the exhibits. My grandfather might have been from South Dakota, but he would have made a handful of new friends in Montana within the hour.

Walking into the Magie, it's like being a kid in a candy shop seeing all the new equipment and advancements in agriculture. I've been coming to the Magie since 2000, and it's amazing to see the technological advancements in just these past two decades.

The Magie is the one time a year this former "farm kid" who ran away to the "big city" misses the days of chopping thistles and feeding cattle. Well, that's a lie; I don't think anyone ever misses chopping thistles.