Through my 9 years in 4-H the one thing I look forward to all summer was the 5 days in the end of July that I got to spend down at the County Fairgrounds. It wasn't nearly as popular or elaborate as State Fair by any means, but there were a few things that you could always count on during County Fair.
-Church Food Stands- This was the best bang for your buck on the entire fairgrounds. Giant pancakes, crispy bacon, and fresh toast to start your day and tasty beef burgers, cheese fries, walking tacos, root beer floats, and of course pie with ice cream to end the day. Morning, noon, and night you sat your butt down at their stand with your family and enjoyed a comfort food meal you couldn't get anywhere else. And you never spent more than $6 on an entire meal. Hard to find service like that anywhere else.
-Water/Mud fights- Usually this yearly tradition started as just a water fight at the wash racks after a long hot day between a flirty unofficial couple, but it soon found it's way into the horse arena and ended in a full out mud fight. The shower house was a complete disaster by the end of the night and everyone's shower was freezing cold, but the memories made up for it...even if you were finding mud in some unusual places for the next couple days.
-A loose calf- Never failed. At least once during fair someone's half-crazy steer or heifer in heat got loose and was rampaging through the barns. If you were that sucker who owned the calf, you got the title of "the kid with the crazy calves" for the rest of fair. Until next year when some other poor soul had a calf that managed to get free and take a cruise around the fair.
-Playing cards in the barns- Whether it was Egyptian Rat Screw, Poker, Spoons, or even just Slap Jack, you and your friends played it on coolers or sawdust bags for hours. Sometime the games got way too competitive and shouts could be heard throughout the rest of the barn, but no one else seemed to care. Your butt was sore after sitting on a bucket for an hour however it didn't stop you. To many city kids this seems like a sad form of entertainment, but you wouldn't have had it any other way.
-Over-competitive Dads- Even though it was just county fair, you still ended up fighting with your dad at least once a day throughout the entirety of fair. Usually it was over something stupid, like missing a spot when you washed or not feeding at the exact time they wanted you to. You wanted to do well at fair too, but it wasn't your ultimate goal. You just enjoyed spending time with your friends you only got to see at fair.
-Early mornings/late nights- Fair only came around once a year, so you tried to savor every minute of it. Dances, dodge ball tournaments, or even small name concerts were a must-do, even if it meant not returning to the camper until 11 at night. Of course the animals had to be fed by 7 in the morning, and your dad woke you up even earlier to avoid the rush at the wash racks, so sleeping in was never an option. The naps in the barn made up for the lost sleep though.
-Un-Godly hot/humid weather- It never failed. Every year fair seemed to fall on the hottest week of the year. You could hardly hear yourself talk over the buzz of the fans in the barn, and you made about 10 water runs a day to your pens to keep your animals cool. Fair was hot, plain and simple.
-Everyone and Anyone at the livestock shows- There really isn't a whole lot else to do, so naturally you went to every livestock show you weren't showing in. You learned a lot about judging livestock through being a spectator, and you were able to cheer on your friends as they paraded their summer projects around the arena. The shows made fair feel like a family atmosphere, where everyone supported each other.
-Fair Drama- It usually involved the livestock people not getting along with the horse people, but nevertheless it was usually petty and over something stupid. The hot weather, lack of sleep, and stress of competition pushed everyone to new limits, which ultimately led to a few blow-ups here and there. Usually it just led to the fairboard getting giant head-aches, but it was all forgotten by next year's fair....usually. The "fair couples" that seem to pop up and disintegrate within two weeks also fit this category.
-Ending the week feeling like it flew by- As a 4-H alumni now, I still find it hard to believe how my 9 years in the program and at fair just flew by. 5 days just didn't seem like enough time with my friends, even though I was exhausted and in desperate need of a walk through a car wash by the end of those 5 days. Fair tear down was some of the most depressing days of the year and they were the days that started the countdown to next year's fair.
My county fair was a very humble fair, but county fair is county fair, no matter what part of the country you are from. They were some of the most simple and plainest memories you may have, but they are also some of the best. County Fair stamped every summer of your childhood, and there's nothing you would exchange it for, but definitely something you could go back and do again if you could. To those of you still lucky enough to be a part of County Fair, savor the time you have and make as many memories as possible!
-Church Food Stands- This was the best bang for your buck on the entire fairgrounds. Giant pancakes, crispy bacon, and fresh toast to start your day and tasty beef burgers, cheese fries, walking tacos, root beer floats, and of course pie with ice cream to end the day. Morning, noon, and night you sat your butt down at their stand with your family and enjoyed a comfort food meal you couldn't get anywhere else. And you never spent more than $6 on an entire meal. Hard to find service like that anywhere else.
-Water/Mud fights- Usually this yearly tradition started as just a water fight at the wash racks after a long hot day between a flirty unofficial couple, but it soon found it's way into the horse arena and ended in a full out mud fight. The shower house was a complete disaster by the end of the night and everyone's shower was freezing cold, but the memories made up for it...even if you were finding mud in some unusual places for the next couple days.
-A loose calf- Never failed. At least once during fair someone's half-crazy steer or heifer in heat got loose and was rampaging through the barns. If you were that sucker who owned the calf, you got the title of "the kid with the crazy calves" for the rest of fair. Until next year when some other poor soul had a calf that managed to get free and take a cruise around the fair.
-Playing cards in the barns- Whether it was Egyptian Rat Screw, Poker, Spoons, or even just Slap Jack, you and your friends played it on coolers or sawdust bags for hours. Sometime the games got way too competitive and shouts could be heard throughout the rest of the barn, but no one else seemed to care. Your butt was sore after sitting on a bucket for an hour however it didn't stop you. To many city kids this seems like a sad form of entertainment, but you wouldn't have had it any other way.
-Over-competitive Dads- Even though it was just county fair, you still ended up fighting with your dad at least once a day throughout the entirety of fair. Usually it was over something stupid, like missing a spot when you washed or not feeding at the exact time they wanted you to. You wanted to do well at fair too, but it wasn't your ultimate goal. You just enjoyed spending time with your friends you only got to see at fair.
-Early mornings/late nights- Fair only came around once a year, so you tried to savor every minute of it. Dances, dodge ball tournaments, or even small name concerts were a must-do, even if it meant not returning to the camper until 11 at night. Of course the animals had to be fed by 7 in the morning, and your dad woke you up even earlier to avoid the rush at the wash racks, so sleeping in was never an option. The naps in the barn made up for the lost sleep though.
-Un-Godly hot/humid weather- It never failed. Every year fair seemed to fall on the hottest week of the year. You could hardly hear yourself talk over the buzz of the fans in the barn, and you made about 10 water runs a day to your pens to keep your animals cool. Fair was hot, plain and simple.
-Everyone and Anyone at the livestock shows- There really isn't a whole lot else to do, so naturally you went to every livestock show you weren't showing in. You learned a lot about judging livestock through being a spectator, and you were able to cheer on your friends as they paraded their summer projects around the arena. The shows made fair feel like a family atmosphere, where everyone supported each other.
-Fair Drama- It usually involved the livestock people not getting along with the horse people, but nevertheless it was usually petty and over something stupid. The hot weather, lack of sleep, and stress of competition pushed everyone to new limits, which ultimately led to a few blow-ups here and there. Usually it just led to the fairboard getting giant head-aches, but it was all forgotten by next year's fair....usually. The "fair couples" that seem to pop up and disintegrate within two weeks also fit this category.
-Ending the week feeling like it flew by- As a 4-H alumni now, I still find it hard to believe how my 9 years in the program and at fair just flew by. 5 days just didn't seem like enough time with my friends, even though I was exhausted and in desperate need of a walk through a car wash by the end of those 5 days. Fair tear down was some of the most depressing days of the year and they were the days that started the countdown to next year's fair.
My county fair was a very humble fair, but county fair is county fair, no matter what part of the country you are from. They were some of the most simple and plainest memories you may have, but they are also some of the best. County Fair stamped every summer of your childhood, and there's nothing you would exchange it for, but definitely something you could go back and do again if you could. To those of you still lucky enough to be a part of County Fair, savor the time you have and make as many memories as possible!