Fair Play

Four days of crowds, heat, and endless pitching of the business, and I am DONE IN.

Our fair, fondly known up here as the 'Frogjump' (registered trademark) was a moderate success as these things go for the county, rather a flat to loser event for many of the gypsy vendors who make this kind of thing into a full time living, and a GREAT success for our family business.

I even got to take the kids on a few rides.

This event is really three or four fairs going on parallel to each other. There's the livestock competitions...very serious and a lot of fun if you like kids and animals. And we have the rodeo events...sheep-riding children, bull-riding older children and adults, branding teams, and though I almost hit the floor when I first heard the sound, a rather fun horseback six-gun shooting competition. It sounded like murder, but it was just balloons... 

Later as a show closer we have the demolition derby; local team grudge matches all in great neighborly spirit...the WHOLE town shows up for the derby, even folks who want nothing to do with the rest of the fair. And of course throughout we have the frog-jumping competitions and a little carnival.

Being a reformed city-boy I was expecting the usual gangster mayhem and nonsense, and thankfully we had none of that, though in years past it seems there were some biker vs. cowboy incidents. This year at least we had a low-key event, that was safe for everyone.

Unless you happened to be a yellow balloon within sight of a gun-totin' cowboy or an old station wagon on Sunday night.

I love the smell of oil on a hot spring night...curly fries or 30 weight...they both burn good.