At the Fair

Opening day at the County Fair! I love the giant pumpkins and everything in the Home Arts building (quilting, canning, knitting, pies, cupcakes), the exotic chickens with feathered feet, and the very large pig who just had a litter of roly-poly babies. There are vendors giving away free flashlights and water filters if you spin the magic wheel, and rows of food booths offering corn dogs and barbecue and popcorn and ice cream and cotton candy and icy drinks in colors that make your stomach ache.

My very favorite thing is the Collections Exhibit--it's just what it sounds like: people enter their collections of stuff. Stamps, dolls, action figures, tiny cars, plastic dinosaurs. A lot of entries are from children, but adults enter as well. This year's top 3 entries in my opinion: a bottle cap collection, a range of wooden yardsticks in many colors, and, my personal favorite: Small Metal Objects Found on the Sidewalk. The rules for acquisition are these: the item must be small, must look like it was a part of something bigger, and must be made of metal; exceptions are made for cool plastic things and jewelry. I was thrilled to see that the collector won a red ribbon for her efforts, although my all time favorite remains a collection of cat whiskers shed by family pets.

The small area of rides was still being assembled as we walked around. This cheery caterpillar was snug in his truck, waiting for the roller coaster track to be put together like a giant construction set. I'm surprised they didn't throw us out of the area, but we had great fun photographing all the structures.

Note: I have finally finished back-blipping from our trip to the mountains. Please check September 4 through 9 if you are interested.