Growing up I’d heard of “The Fair” but mom and dad never took me to one. I’d seen old time movies like the Waltons, where there would be some fierce rivalry at the fair. I thought they were something people did before there were things like cars and TV. I’m happy to report that I finally went to a real fair. There were no carnival rides, bright lights, long lines, pushing and shoving, or loud rock’n’roll music. Just a lot of people who came to see the efforts of a lot of other people from the area. The fair was a highlight of this boy’s summer.
Some examples of what I got to see for the first time in my life:
FOOD CATEGORY – The food category was vast with all kinds of goodies. Here are two of my favorites. There’s the “Vegetable” category where you enter your best veggie to show off your skills in farming. And the “Cake Decorating” contest. There were some great entries that clearly showed a lot of talent (and patience) in this County.
LIVESTOCK CATEORY – As you’ll see in these three shots, some folks take this very seriously. Observe the general dress code of the folks walking their goats, the ribbons and decorations in, on and around the rabbit cages that were sure to sway the judges, and finally the pajamas on the sheep!
It should also be noted that while there were hundreds of animals, large and small, there were hardly any evidence of the smell of livestock. The cows, pigs, goats etc, were cleaned up after so well you’d think they were house trained.
HUNTING CATEGORY – In a day when a 13 year old recently was suspended from school for drawing a sketch of a gun, I’m happy to see that this category has, and hopefully will survive. I’ve never lived in another place where it is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, to enter posters entitled “The Shooting Positions” or “The Kill Zone”.
