Opening Day at the County Fair

What is more fun than a Day at the Fair, especially if you can see things through the eyes of your grandchildren. Yesterday we did just that. The Clark County fair and its constantly improving facilities opened for a 10 day run, and we were there by late morning. Color and sound was rampant; the crowd was large, spurred on by the free admission and the annual pancake feed.
(And yes, bashful is hiding behind her mother.)

Clearly there was much too much to see in a single trip so we first headed to see things fresh kids would enjoy. That meant animals.

Starting with a show featuring the local Police Dogs and their handlers, we soon moved over to the animal barns with their many critters. Cattle of every sort, sheeps, goats, rabbits and fowls, and the annual (enormous) nursing sow and a host of piglets all caught the girls eyes. So did the man sitting calmly inside a huge screened cage with an open beehive at his knees and a hundreds of honeybees in his hands. Eewehhh!! I always admire the finely groomed animals of the 4-H and FFA kids, and as usual, they were washing and combing their various project animals and trimming diligently for the upcoming judging sessions. Devotion!

Another thing I enjoy is the collection of old-time farm machinery always nicely displayed by the fellas who collect and restore such equipment. This cute little hay bailer is probably more for show than for field work as the bales I currently see around the county are easily ten times or more larger. Lunch was a crowded affair, but as so often happens, we met up with friends from church in the crush and enjoyed brief, hollered visits. If you go, remember that Fair food is extremely high priced but part of the experience.

My final explorations with the twins included the reptile and dinosaur exhibits and most of the commercial booths in the hugh new pavillion building where all the community entries were also on display. I may have to go back on my own 'cause there is a lot I did not get to see for myself.Art, canned goods, clothing, jewelry, photograpy, crafts, plants and flowers were all nicely on parade. Finally, with Uncle Geoffrey's help, each kids got to experience a carnival ride of choice: can you guess what each girl chose? - The Ring of Fire (a giant, hairy loop-de-loop), the (milder) Roller Coaster, or The (gentle) Merry-go-'Round? Which two did Uncle Geoffrey ride? And which one did Patty ride as chaperone?

(The answers in order: J+UG, B+UG, T+P)