Do a quick search under “county fair” news and you will see that just about everywhere in the good ‘ole U.S. of A., there is a fair going on this time of the Summer.  And not just any fair, each fair is perhaps billed as “maybe not the oldest or the largest, but the best….”

When I think of the fair, I reminisce about simpler times with laughing crowds, dimes zinging across the tops of plates, plastic ducks floating in a kiddy pool, balloon breaking games and loud-mouthed carnies hawking their booths.  Then I remember the mud.  It always rained during fair season…..and we had to slog around in a big mud hole to get to the next fun ride.  But we did it anyway. 

The fair was full of every imaginable sight and sound! We saw (and smelled)  the livestock, oohed and aahed over the horticultural exhibits, and loved the shelves full of the latest canning and baking efforts.  We were amazed at the beauty of the quilts and crocheted baby blankets and little bitty clothes……I even have a few memories of ribbons won as a child.

Then there is the midway;  brightly lit carousels, Ferris wheels and all manner of way-too-fast rides that took your breath and your pocket change away.  It was no big deal to hang upside down on the “hammer,” or hang precariously from the “round-up,” being held there only by the centrifugal force.  And the biggest plus was the price of the ticket!

Now days the sights and sounds of the fair are different, although some things remain the same.  What is the difference?  The music played on the rides isn’t the fun, bouncy, clean tunes of yesteryear in lieu of less than merry  ear pounding noise.  Events such as “wrestling” are highlighted, and I don’t mean high school type sport wrestling.  You know what I mean.  The skulking carnies are the same, other than the matching mandatory Hawaiian shirts they wear.  The rides are expensive, but for a child who has never been on a midway, priceless.  The “first time joy” of flying through the air on a “paratrooper” ride is as much fun to watch as it is to be on, I think, once a Mom gets over her initial fears.

We have braved the heat, the mud, the crowds and the mosquitoes over the years to be a part of this great American pastime.  This year was no exception, although we may not have traveled the distance if we hadn’t entered our handiwork into the open competition!

4-H is a huge draw for sewing projects, arts and crafts, science and cooking contests.  We know homeschoolers who have done 4-H for years and have had their handiwork and their animals in the livestock competitions --- giving them ample experience for real-life farming and ranching skills that they can do right now!  No waiting necessary.  Homeschooling  happens at the county fair.

And this year, we too received some new skills and experience just by entering the fair competitions.  We learned that sometimes it takes a rocket scientist to decipher the entry rules.  (smile) And we learned you have to read the fine print on the forms.  We also learned that we don’t always see that we REALLY have talent, no matter how many  times our parents tell us.  It’s neat to be under someone else’s scrutiny for a change, and be acknowledged. 

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