"She moved through the fair..."

[rivka]

This is probably a shocking confession coming from an American - especially one who lived in the midwest for five years - but until today I had never been to a state or county fair. I didn't grow up in a fair-going family, and I don't tend to like thrill rides, so I never really saw the point.

But, you know. We looked at the Maryland State Fair website, and it was impossible to deny that Alex would love it. Plus, it was on the light rail, so we wouldn't even have to drive. So we went for it. It turned out to be a great experience for all three of us.

Rides are expensive. We went on three rides, and it cost a total of $30. Alex rode the flying elephants with Michael (and loved it) and the carousel with me (mixed reaction - the carousel at the zoo is better). Then all three of us rode the 100-foot-high ferris wheel. I had never been on such an enormous ferris wheel before. It was amazing. Not only could you see the whole fair, you could also see a large portion of the surrounding countryside. Alex was technically five inches too short to ride, but fortunately the guy running the ferris wheel didn't give a damn.

The coolest stuff was happening in the Cow Palace, though. They had a Birthing Center set up in one corner. We were looking at chicks hatching in an incubator when a University of Maryland animal science student let me know that a cow was giving birth right then. So we made our way over to a large pen with bleacher seating surrounding it, and damned if there wasn't an animal tech narrating, "Okay, I can see the calf's nose..." We found seats, and ten or fifteen minutes later there was a wet, bedraggled calf lying on the straw. It was amazing. You could come up to within five feet of the mother and baby, and you could see everything. (I heard many hesitant conversations around me in which parents tried to explain the concept of "the afterbirth" to their kids. Because it was hanging out of the back end of the cow, that's why.) We watched the mother licking and licking the calf as it struggled to stand. Nearby were pens with an extremely pregnant cow and a day-old calf and its mother. I had never seen an animal giving birth before. What a neat experience!

Not far from the birthing center was a milking demonstration. For a dollar, Alex got to spend a couple of minutes hand-milking a Guernsey cow. A group of very kind, very elderly farmers ran the booth. They had one stool set up on each side, so two people at a time got to squirt some milk into a pail. We'd talked about "milk comes from cows" before, and the fact that all mammals make milk for their babies to drink, and then in the birthing center I showed her the cow's udder and explained that it was full of milk for the baby calf to drink. But still, until she pulled on the udder and actual milk that looks like what we actually drink came out, I think Alex had no real understanding of milk production. She was amazed.

On the way out, they gave her a frosty 8oz bottle of milk to drink. I thought that was a nice touch.

We spent a bunch of time by the horse ring, too. What I liked about the fair was the close-up immediacy of the animal areas. Animals at the fair are there to be shown, and the animal areas are set up for the convenience of the people showing animals. There was very little in the way of fences and barriers to keep the public at a distance. So when we wandered into the horse section, horses were ridden by just a couple feet away from us. We leaned up against the fence of the practice corral, watching the riders, for a while, and eventually sat down near the show ring and watched some teenaged girls jumping. It was a good time.

There were pig races. It was every bit as corny as it sounds, and yet kind of fun.

Also? There was a food booth run by the Maryland Watermen's Association, and so I had a soft-shell crab sandwich for lunch. Add your own lettuce-tomato-mayonnaise, and the tomatoes had obviously been grown on someone's farm rather than coming from the supermarket. They were INCREDIBLE. I put some on my sandwich and another pile next to my sandwich, and the lady running the booth just beamed at me and didn't say a word.

I just got a peek into the Home Arts building, because I was the only one in the family who was interested. If I'd had more time, I would have loved to look at all the needlework. I was surprised to see a cross-stitch that I recognized - it was the project I did before my current one. I had no idea that you could enter something you made from a kit, in a fair contest. I would've expected that they would require original designs, or something.

So: the fair was a great time. Consider me a convert.

Comments

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I *love* fairs. County fairs. State fairs. They smell of burnt sugar and cow manure and corn dogs and straw and it's always hot and they always have the best lemonade in the whole world.

[ckd]

You're making me miss the Puyallup Fair, since I haven't been in years.

[laurent-atl.livejournal.com]

no pictures?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Alas, no (http://rivka.livejournal.com/449589.html).

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you had a BLAST. What did Alex make of it all?

[rivka.livejournal.com]

She reported afterward that her favorite parts were the ferris wheel, the "upside down ferris wheel" (a thrill ride that was basically a single roller coaster loop-the-loop; it did a lot of hanging upside down. Needless to say, Alex didn't ride it, but she did like to watch it), and a really neat pirate-ship-shaped climbing structure that a playground equipment company had set up as a demo.

She had a whole bunch of questions about the birth of the cow and about milking, so those were apparently very educational experiences. I'm not sure how much she's drawing comparisons between the birth of the cow and the prospective birth of the Niblet. I did mention to her that I won't be giving birth in a pen of straw while a hundred people cheer me on.

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

now THAT would have been an interesting conversation. Your fair sounds like fun. I'm hoping to get into our one in Oct for free by volunteering to demonstrate Torchon lace with the lace group....doubt it though as I suspect I will be drowning under marking and final thesis prep.

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

K loved watching the bungied cage that launched into the air up around 40-50 feet. You could hear the screams for blocks (our Fair has a year-round fairgrounds done up like a basic grid of streets with vendors EVERYWHERE.)

And our playground sample was a pirate ship thing too!! They had binoculars on one end, rope climbing stuff and a horizontal tire swing under the platform, which seemed to be the place where the cool cooperative "older" girls hung out -- 4-8 year olds. K was all over that.

[richtermom.livejournal.com]

I take K to the Wisconsin State Fair every year. As a kid, my parents took me and my sister most years, but with K I make sure we see a bunch of the animal buildings, and we definitely check out the Big Slide. It's huge, and it's only like 2 bucks. They rearranged the fair a few years ago, so the entrance we use is on the opposite side of the midway now, so K never saw it. I'm a very bad mom, though, because she LOVES rides, I'm just generally flat broke, and if I had a choice between buying dinner and buying her rides, I went with food.

I wish we could see an animal give birth some time; it hasn't happened yet. She loves the goats, the sheep, the petting zoo, and yes, the big slide. She liked the slide so much this year that once she got to the bottom, she took off like a bullet to run UP the slide, and she was in the direct path of a grown up at full steam. Luckily a bouncer scooped her up and, well, "Say goodbye to the big slide until next year!"

There were a bzillion trade groups and retailers setting up booths all over. The wisconsin pork counsel had awesome sandwiches, and the honey people ROCKED, and the lamb people made awesome platters of food. The biggest food item at the fair is the CREAM PUFF which is HUGE AND LUCIOUS, but now that I have a mother in law who makes 'em homemade, they're not such a big deal to me anymore. One company had a sample playground set up, and many families took advantage of this to not have to spend money for half an hour while the kid burned off some energy. We actually stopped for 15 minutes the first time and half an hour later. And our Senator Kohl sponsors a Milk Bar where yoou can get milk flavored with chocolate, mocha, strawberry, cherry, and ROOT BEER, 25cents for about eight ounces. Tasty AND cheap!

I'd misplaced my camera for a couple months (DOH!) but I had the forethought to pick up a disposable and have them give me the prints with a CD, so we've documented this year -- every year I go crazy especially with her and different animals. This year's best picture is the one of her standing under the neck of a camel in the petting zoo, with the camel's "beard" covering her hair... I kept thinking of that M*A*S*H Klinger curse: may the fleas of 1000 camels....

ew.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

We had sample playground equipment set up too. Such a great thing. The outstanding star was a big wooden pirate ship ensemble. And even better - there was a double glider swing set up right next to it, where tired adults could wait. We spent a lot of time there.

[pbrim.livejournal.com]

I had no idea that you could enter something you made from a kit, in a fair contest. I would've expected that they would require original designs, or something.

At the Texas State Fair thry used to have a bunch of different categories by originality, but I have noticed that they seem to have given that up on counted cross stitch. Needlepoint categories still have separate groups for complete kits, just chart/painted canvas, and entirely original works, but all can compete within their category.

You might want to try entering next year. Check the rules, Texas will accept anything completed in the last 2 years. It's fun even if you don't win.

[eeyorerin]

Oh! Was there a butter sculpture? That's always one of my favorite parts.

[jenett]

I was at our State Fair today, and I do in fact have photos, and even photos of butter sculpture! It is late, but anticipate them in my journal in the next day or two.

(We had a *lovely* day, even with Marie having a scooter due to badly sprained and splinted/braced knee. Butter portraits, all you can drink milk, looking at agricultural exhibits, seed art, having lovely food, and then horse show.)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

There wasn't - not that I saw, anyway. There was a chainsaw sculpture demo, but we thought that Alex would be less interested in that than we would, so we gave it a pass.

[kiya]

My rock collection won grand prize in the county fair one year.

(Montgomery.)

[jinian.livejournal.com]

The collections are so much fun. I suppose a little kid wouldn't be impressed, but every year when marzipan_pig and I go the Puyallup Fair we spend a lot of time looking at them. There's always a collection of something I've never even heard of, like the huge array of engraved (with depressing messages) metal lighters from soldiers in Vietnam, and something totally bizarre but wonderful, like the kitchen utensils with green handles. It's a fascinating exhibit, balancing creativity with media whoredom with OCD tendencies.

[txobserver.livejournal.com]

At our county fair if you submit something to one of the contests (embroidery, art, pickles, etc.) you get a free admission. so our scout troops would often do a project and all submit, then all could get into the fair for free. (Of course you still have to pay for food or rides, but there is a lot to see without rides.)

[writingortyping.livejournal.com]

Our little county fair in NH was always a blast for me. The animals weren't much of a novelty to me (we had horses and chickens and we had neighbors who were sheep farmers who generally had a cow or two around - we were country types), but the rest of the experience was always so much fun. The horse pulls were amazing. I won some ribbons for stuffed animals I had made (from a kit) - but they may have had different rules for kids. I remember some amazing quilts and crewel work.

Last time we went to the Montgomery County fair there was handspun yarn (which my husband turned to me and said, "Yours looks better than that." Bless.)

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

The boys LOVED the (county) fair last year. The highlight was the pony rides. I think we'll have to take them on at least one real ride this year.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

The Big E in West Springfield was like a state fair for several New England states at once. Butter sculpture! Cows! Sheep! [Okay, let's not try to name all the animals here.] Rides! Carny food! We should find something to go to up here, I guess. I took Sarah to Sea Breeze, the 4th-oldest amusement park in the US, this week. I should write about that.

I used to like going to the Larimer Country Fair and Rodeo in the 60s, trying to figure out how best to waste my paltry allotment (good for one or two rides, or I could throw it away on a game of skill -- which I usually did). The best part was the rodeo, because the store Dad had his studio in would put a theater organ up in the top of the stands, and Dad would sit at it and provide live accompaniment to the action in the arena.

[mariann]

My family and I spent about four hours at the fair this weekend. We opted for the unlimited band for the seven year old and a strip of 20 tickets for the grown-ups. My son's paid for itself within in the first fifteen minutes -- he went down the Super Slide five times in a row, for example. I don't know how he kept his energy up.

We also like visiting the animals, though we missed the pig races. Last year, I milked the cow, but my son did not want to try. This year, he was willing, and then he was eager to hold a baby chick. As we were leaving, a little boy, perhaps 5-6 years old, was brushing his young cow and invited Nemo to pet the animal. Such a simple pleasure to see two kids with a farm animal.

it's Fair time here too

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

The little lovey had his first Fair visit on Thursday, and he really loved seeing all the animals. He got to touch cows, rabbits, pigs, sheep, admire a horse, stare at a huge pond of game fish, and pine dramatically for the Go-Karts. I hope to take him back for "Kidway" rides that are more suitable for him and for the children's farming exhibit. He's very keen on farmers just now, though doesn't seem to grok why all the farmers he has met aren't men wearing bib over-alls and a straw hat. So it is when one is two.

K. [yes, that's the new math]

Re: it's Fair time here too

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Did he get any deep-fried stuff-onna-stick? I showed a St. Paul friend the picture with B holding him while he's wearing tie-dye pants and she still mentions it.

Re: it's Fair time here too

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I bet that was a pic of B. holding buttonfish. On LJ, I say "the little lovey" to refer to the firstborn offspring of my darling daughter. #2 is coming up in just seven or eight weeks, and I do not yet know how I shall refer to her.

K.

Re: it's Fair time here too

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Ah, wrong baby!

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Care to opine to my doctors that I need an electric wheelchair so I can go to ours? Hey, it'd be more socialization, too!

I have a friend who got fourth in knitting at the Minnesota State Fair and she reported that there were more than a thousand categories in the Home part. You should check the rules; there's probably a lot of categories in Maryland's, too.

[pbrim.livejournal.com]

Check with te fair as to what's available. Many offer electric chairs for a modest fee.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

Our fair parking is on gravel, so I'd never get to wherever they have the wheelchairs. :)

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Our Fair has electric wheelchairs for rent. They're even pretty close to a couple of the gates.

K.

[mjlayman.livejournal.com]

I'll have to check, then. But I'd like an electric wheelchair so I can go to museums and galleries and move outside and things like that, too. I'll have another go at the rheumatologist tomorrow. The doctors say that if I have a wheelchair I'll stop walking, and that's not true. Walking is a lot easier in many places. I just can't walk very far. I'd like to go to big places again.