One side benefit might be a trip to nearby Avery Island where they make the famous Tabasco brand sauces. They take this odd edible thistle to new heights by preparing it in both classic and new recipes. If you don' t really like artichokes, go anyway, in honor of American history. Marilyn Monroe was the first artichoke queen in the late 1940's. Held in Kit Carson Park, where they celebrate the wonders of wool.
Special demonstrations get children involved in hands-on work with wool fibers.
The idea of taking a summer break from school has a somewhat different connotation in the 1990's from the one it had 100 years ago. I grew up in rural Missouri, and although I was not a 4-H member, several of the young people I met were raising livestock, planting, sewing, and cooking to compete in exhibits. Our community fair had areas of buildings reserved just for their handiwork, and exhibit barns were full of the animals they had raised by hand. I still enjoy going to fairs and taking time to see what young people are doing. There is a lot of talk about today's youth being unruly and unappreciative.