A Fair Tale

 Kris commented on my last post that it was nice that my community fair was open to everyone. Well, that's the first thing that attracted me to it. 

My first ribbon

The little town I grew up in had a big festival every fall. It was big enough that we got out of school a day for it. It had a carnival, parades, food, music, and a band festival. Along with those were exhibits of things people made and won ribbons for. They were standard country fair-type things with big pumpkins, baked goods, quilting, etc. However, the only kids who could enter things were those in 4-H. That wasn't me. I was a Girl Scout. I was always envious of my friends who got to enter their projects at the festival for all to see.

Jump ahead 30 years, when we moved to Maryland, I discovered that our community had a fair every fall, and everyone was allowed to enter. I was excited about the possibilities and the fact that I would finally realize a childhood dream. That year, I entered a cross-stitch piece and got a blue ribbon. I was hooked. 

The exhibit hall

As time passed, I realized that the fair organizers encouraged you to enter as many things as you wanted, even giving prizes for the most entries for various ages. So I started entering more things, not worrying much about whether they were winners. It was a way to support the organization. The fair was also generous with ribbons; you would probably get one if you entered more than a few things. The rewards for winning a ribbon are just a token, with currently, a first-place ribbon winning $2. We usually take our winnings and go out for ice cream after we pick up our entries.

Lucky and Lucy won ribbons for Best Groomed
and Sweetest Face, among other things.

When the kids were younger, they entered things, too. They entered art projects from school, something they built at home or in scouts. One year, they did the pet show with our cats, Lucky and Lucy. Ward has entered some of his woodworking projects, and we all took turns entering vegetables from the garden and flowers from the yard. I don't remember everything I've entered, but some entries have been flowers, veggies, photos, jewelry, knitting, cross-stitch, cookies, and canning. 

Black Walnuts from our backyard that Theo entered.

I have a tradition, of sorts, with the fair. Entries are accepted Thursday night and then open to the public on Friday afternoon after the judging is finished. I meet one of my sisters Friday afternoon, and we have a hotdog lunch from the fire department auxiliary group. They grill the hot dogs outside, and you get to pick the one you want from the grill. You used to be able to get a hot dog, potato chips, and a drink for $2.50. Well, inflation has hit here as well, and now the price has doubled- which is still cheaper than any fast food around (and it's for a good cause). Then we go inside to see if we won any ribbons. I not only get excited when I see one of my things with a ribbon on it, but I also get excited when I see that someone who I stood with in the entry line has one, too. 

The tractor playground is always a hit with the younger crowd.

The fair is definitely a feel-good experience for me and reminds me of the small town I grew up in. (Although my town's festival was larger than this fair.) For the last two years, I have even done storytimes about our fair, talking about things the kids would see there. Some people were unaware of the fair and have come back and told me how much they enjoyed the fair after learning about it during storytime.

Next time, I'll tell you about this year's experience at the fair.

Until then...