I have been to country fairs and, in the past, I have also been to large city exhibitions. I have no desire to ever visit a large exhibition again. I love country fairs! When it is your hometown country fair, it is even better.
There are many reasons for enjoying a country fair. When you are a child or the parents of young children, you gladly take advantage of the free pony rides, the bouncy castle and the play ground. The balloon lady there will even make you a balloon animal or a sword and dagger or a bouquet of balloon flowers! However, the midway is the big attraction. This may be the only time all year that you have a chance to ride on the merry-go-round, the ferris wheel, the scrambler or one of the scarier rides that has you screaming and maybe even feeling a little ill as the ride finishes. You may wish you had not eaten the cotton candy or the taffy apple. And you certainly do not want a “beaver tail”, even though that is another favourite part of the fair for many people.
In fact, food at a country fair is definitely a highlight. The smell of frying onions, french fries and burgers smothered in gravy is intoxicating but you know you must save room for the dinner served in the dining hall from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Where else can you find that delicious beef stew covered with biscuit topping and advertised as “seafood pie”, followed by your choice of homemade pie for dessert?
Homemade! That is what makes a country fair special. Except for the midway, the rented concessions and one or two special entertainment features from out-of-town, everything else has hometown flavour and connections. Local volunteers take shifts to man the food booth that raises money for expenses. The fair board itself is made up of local people who are proud to serve and, working as a team, make the fair a success. The dining hall not only has volunteers serving but the main course is cooked in the kitchen and the homemade pies are contributed by villagers.
You can even enjoy a hearty farmers-style breakfast at Saturday’s “Buck-a-roo Breakfast” starting at 7:30 near the Bavarian Gardens. You’ll meet many friends or want-to-be friends there and enjoy the smells and flavour of camp-style cooking! Later the Bavarian Gardens will be packed with people who want a cold drink. Later still will be music and a dance.
Let’s start our visit today at the exhibition hall where you are treated to a plethora of homemade items. You may even be one of the exhibitors and will be hoping for a few prizes. Flowers from village gardens and even arrangements from nature greet you as you enter. Straight ahead is the needlecraft section with a display of crocheting, knitting, sewing and quilting. The quilts are absolutely beautiful and showcase the talents of devoted local ladies. Awesome are the portraits, sketches and paintings in the Arts and Craft section. Commanding equal attention is the Photography and Scrapbooking division. People admire faces or local scenes that they recognize. As you move on to the Baking and Preserve display, you realize it is a good thing that wire cages prevent you trying a nibble from those winning cakes, squares and cookies.
Perhaps when you are viewing the entries from the local school students or reading the interesting Creative Writing entries, you may hear good, old-fashioned country music coming from the bandstand. It’s locals again, with guitars, violin, accordion and keyboard. If you hurry you can get a seat in the bandshell. You might even dance on the cement pad if the right person asks you!
As the music ends, you can probably get a seat at the nearby bingo where friends you know from the Order of the Orange Lodge are volunteering their time to collect your money and return it and more if you win a game!
It gets a little noisy during Smash-up Derby, the RAM Rodeo Wild West Show and the horse pull but each of these events has fans that wouldn’t miss a minute of it.
Your hometown country fair is a great place to have a visit with your neighbours, meet old friends and perhaps make new friends. Even if its not your hometown, there is so much to see and do at a country fair that you’ll probably be saying “:Let’s do it again next year!”
EDITOR’S NOTE: There are two more first place entries in creative writing, however, they were not emailed to whiteaternews.ca When they are, they will be published online.
