A Fairly Good Time =)

I love this time of year. We're beginning to see the fruits of our labor in the garden patch and my flowers are finally all in bloom. Girls' camp will soon be behind me.(We leave tomorrow for that adventure.)The huckleberries are almost ripe and ready for picking. And next week is the traditional county fair!

I love this tradition, a delightful aspect of our rural culture. I love wandering through the buildings full of produce and seeing all of the 4-H projects. I like observing the animals in the barns and patting a furry nose here and there. My favorite thing to look at would be the artwork and photography exhibits. Sometimes I even enter a photo or two of my own.

I enjoy meandering through the craft booths, and each year I savor the infamous "Hansen Hoagie," filled with freshly grilled onions. True, I have heartburn for a week after this event, but it is so worth it.

Carameled apples, live bands, rodeos, demolitions derbies, magic acts, and the annual talent competition all spring to mind when I think about going to the fair.

The carnival rides have never appealed to me---I tend to have a bit of motion sickness. Here's an interesting story. On one of the first dates with my future husband, we drove through a local canyon to enjoy Preston's county fair. It was a double-date; one of Kennon's friends had asked a sweet young thing to accompany him, and we were set. We arrived, ate the traditional fair burgers, and the boys showed off with a couple of the carnival games. When they didn't win any prizes, we girls sympathized, stressing that we were certain the games had been rigged. Then we enjoyed the rodeo.

Luckily, we ended up sitting across the arena from where one of the bulls jumped into the audience. I had never seen anything like that before in my life. Kind of scary, but the only injury was a broken arm as I recall. I think that's the fastest I've ever seen an audience scatter. ;)

After the rodeo excitement, we decided to enjoy some of the carnival rides. We tried a couple of the tamer rides, then decided to experience one similar to a "Tilt-a-Whirl." When Kennon and I sat in one of the compartments, the carnival worker grinned and spun us around, telling us it would make for a better ride. I did not concur. It made it far worse. By the end of that ride, I could barely walk a straight line. Kennon was in the same shape, but since we didn't know each other very well, we didn't want to let on that we were suffering . . . a lot. But when it became apparent that we were both staggering, Kennon led me to a nearby grassy spot and we sat down, trying to get our heads to quit spinning.

Already nauseated, we weren't looking forward to the ride home. Kennon's friend had driven us down to Preston and he liked speed. Picture if you will, Kennon and I, slightly green in color, sitting in the backseat of a sports car as it was driven at breakneck speeds on a winding mountain road. Not a good match. =)By the time we arrived in Montpelier, we were both in rough shape. But somehow, we refrained from losing the contents of our stomach in front of each other. Uncool dating etiquette. ;)

I'm looking forward to the fair next week. It will be a welcome adventure. And through it all, the following set of lyrics will probably be going through my mind:

"A Veritable Smorgasbord"

(From the original Charlotte's Web Movie)

Lyrics & Music by: Robert Sherman & Richard Sherman

A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord orgasbord
After the crowds have ceased
Each night when the lights go out
It can be found on the ground all around
Oh, what a ratly feast!

Melon rinds and bits of hotdogs
Cookie crumbs and rotton cotton candy
Melted ice cream, mustard dripplings
Moldy goodies everywhere
Lots of popcorn, apple cores
Bananna peels and soggy sandwiches
And gobs of gorgeous gook to gobble at the fair

A fair is a veritable smorgasbord orgasbord orgasbord
After the gates are shut
Each night when the lights go out
It can be found on the ground all around
That's where a rat can glut, glut, glut, glut!

What are some of your favorite fair time memories?

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