Fun And Frolic At The County Fair

 

Things have changed little at county fairs since Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote Farmer Boy.  Almanzo and his family of course went to the fair with a horse and buggy but similar to what would happen today, Almanzo took a milk fed pumpkin while his sisters, Eliza Jane and Alice, took preserves and wool work all to be shown and judged.

While his mother and sisters worked in the church kitchen on the fair grounds to get dinner ready for fair goers, Almanzo and his father looked at the animals.  They also watched a man in "a tail coat and tall shining hat who put a pea under a shell and then paid money to any man who would tell him where the pea was."  A man from the crowd who was sure he knew which shell covered the pea, put $5 down but the better was wrong and the guy running the game put the money in his pocket.  When Almanzo questioned how the man did it with the pea, his father said, "I don't know, Almanzo, but he knows.  It's his game.  Never bet your money on another man's game."

Every county fair to this day has a shell game although in new and brighter colors.  Yet there are still the animals, the exhibits that are judged, the rides, the food, the games and the grand stand.  Horse races are still part of the fair as they were in Almanzo's time.  Almanzo's father said it was O.K. to bet on the horse races. 

The fair can be a wonderful place for children. It was with that in mind that we took our three grandchildren, who live just down the road, to the fair one hot afternoon.

The first stop was the animal barn.  Kids were standing outside with their cows and horses waiting to show their animals before the judges.  But the stalls were also full of animals that weren't being shown.  These animals had been brushed and combed and were at their best.  There were ribbons hanging from stalls and colorful signs to indicate the name of the animal and who it belonged to as well as the name of the 4-H group. 

Carter stopped to pet some baby pigs.  He told me he would like a pig to show at the fair.  However there is a big difference between baby pigs and the huge sows.  Nothing cuddly about those animals.  The rabbits were a favorite with the kids and I liked the sheep and goats, especially the babies.




Grandkids and grandpa look through the slats at a horse.

 

Next we went to the tractor display and Grandpa looked them over carefully.  He is looking for a new model, but doesn't want to spend the money, so for now

the fun is in the looking.

 

 

 

The children were anxious to get to the rides. I bought them wristbands so they could go on any ride as many times as they wanted.  Jay met some of his 6th grade friends and he rode some rides with them.  Carter and Avery rode the tilt-a-whirl together and didn't get sick.  All three went on the bumper cars, but it wasn't exciting enough for them. 

They washed the hot afternoon down with pop and fresh squeezed lemonade.  After riding for over an hour they got sno cones.  We topped the afternoon off with taffy and cotton candy.  Nothing can beat the taffy they make at the Oceana County Fair. 

While Grandpa took Jay, Avery and Carter to another corner of the fair for different rides, I slipped into the exhibit building to see who had won blue ribbons and for what.  My Grandma Vaneps often displayed her woven rugs and crochet work at the fair and I never appreciated those hand crafted items enough when she was alive. 

I looked at the vegetables, quilts, canned goods, flowers and displays set up by various organizations.  It was colorful and everything had just been judged.  The huge Best of Show ribbons were dramatic.  The 4-H building was full of items made by kids.  That took me back to my 4-H days when each summer I displayed the article of clothing I had sewn for the year.  My daughter displayed an embroidered piece she did when she was in 4-H at about the age of ten.



 

 

 

 

 

The fair is a wonderful place for kids in the county to show off what it often takes them a year to accomplish.  There was a bustle and excitement around the animal barns and kids everywhere.  Our three grandchildren left the fair with sticky hands, sweaty bodies and a glow from an afternoon of just pure fun.  I left with memories of what the fair had been like for me as a kid growing up in Oceana County.   My father told me that once as a boy, he could see the lights from the fair, but he had no way to get there.  No matter what the era, that shouldn't happen to any child.  The fair is for kids and the adults who haven't forgotten what it means to be one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Click on pictures to enlarge.