Fair Days

Do you love your local fair? We do. It is such a hometown kind of thing. Sort of like parades. Lots of anticipation, people and fun. But, our fair is not small, like you would expect a hometown fair to be. Actually it is the "Biggest Little Fair Anywhere", so I guess that it isn't small at all. But, there are so many community members, friends and neighbors involved at every level that is seems small and hometown-ish.

We have all of the usual suspects:
pigs, sheep and Cattleman of the Year,
corn dogs, candied apples and simply amazing mops,
the DARE police car, the Marines and a hypnotist
balloons, glow-in-the-dark bracelets and toe rings
musical groups, rowdy young people and WAY to much booze for sale.
BTW, when exactly did alcohol take over the fair?? Remember when there used to only be 1 place to buy beer? That was it, just beer, nothing stronger. And you had to drink it inside the place where they sold it. And there were lots of security guards around there to make sure you followed the rules and didn't get to rowdy. Now it is hard liquor in flashing glasses being carried all over the place and consumed in massive quantities by people who look too young to drink. But I digress.....

I have a few photos to share with you of some of this year's favorites. But, let's start with my least favorite.
This is The Barn. In years past it has had ag-type stuff and shops in it. But this year it was the Reptile Barn. Yuck. Among other things, one could see hissing cockroaches, skinks, legless lizards (isn't that a snake?), alligators and poisonous frogs. Yuck. I do not heart reptiles. I think it must be the dry-scaley sometimes wet and slimely skin, the flickering tongues, the feet with the long sharp claws, the weird eyeballs and the poison thing that I don't like. Yeah, if it wasn't for that I think I might like reptiles.......

I waited on this bench and did a little people watching while my family went inside.

Ok, the Home Arts Building. There was a lot of great stuff in there this year. How about these quilts:

This was the Best of show winner. A lot of work went into this quilt. And, the photo that it was made from was amazing.

I was so moved when I saw it. The photographer captured such an authentic moment in time. Just amazing. I met the mother of the person who made the quilt. She told me that a few years back her daughter had made the same kind of art quilt about George Bush. And she sent it to him as a gift. Can you imagine, just deciding to do something like that. It would never occur to me!

Fabulous.

This one was made by a friend.

So was this one.

I love pumpkin quilts.

Isn't this cake fun!

And this one is so pretty.

And 2 beautiful sweaters.

I will show you some more stuff tomorrow.
TTFN