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| horse with stars and woman with hat |
LUCY BURDETTE: Are you a fan of country fairs? Every year when our daughter was a preteen and early teenager, she asked to be taken to the Durham fair with friends for her birthday in September. Their favorite parts of the day were the rides and the snacks. We haven’t been in ages, mostly because we don’t like to battle the crowds. (I think we've gotten lazy!)
However, on our trip to northern Scotland, we stumbled into a fair in Aithsetter, Shetland which was so wonderful and amazing that I must show you some of my favorite entries. I did not take a picture of the the domestic animal contest. This was located inside a tent and there were a bunch of rabbits and one disgruntled house cat in a cage facing away from visitors. I didn’t think he would appreciate an appearance on jungle red!
There were lots of farm animals on display--someone told me these sheep had been dyed for the occasion...
We spent most of our time in the vegetable and flower tent...
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| flower display in a book! |
Last year John grew a turnip the size of a small suitcase that might have given these a run for their money!
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| Her majesty the Queen |
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| Somebody ate half of one of the prizewinners |
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| the only entry in this category--photo by Susan |
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| photo by Susan Cerulean |
Actually, I loved that they weren't so politically correct that this category couldn't exist!
Once we were back home, my sister Susan Cerulean sent this note to our extended family: There was a moment at the fair that made me smile, as I looked over the baked good entries from the 8 to 10 year olds. A gang of the young boys passed by, and one said: "I'm so sad I didn't win ribbon, even though I didn't enter the contest." Doesn't that just about sum up life?! I believe we were all raised to live wide and deep by our patriarchs, and for that I'm grateful. We may not have won ribbons, but we entered the contest.
How about you Reds? Fans of fairs? What event would you want to enter?
Breaking news: Winners of Maddie Day's Murder in a Cape Cottage are Gillian B and Flora Church! Contact her at Edith at edithmaxwell dot com to claim your prize.
This looks like an amazing fair, Lucy . . . although, like you, we don't go often any more, I do enjoy fairs. I'd definitely enter the baking events!
ReplyDeleteYou'd be a star Joan!
Delete:)
DeleteThese photos are absolutely wonderful! What a fabulous inspirational event… So life-changing!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Indiana, and the annual Indiana state fair was a command performance. It smelled like horses, and fried dough, and lemonade, and cotton candy. We absolutely loved it! There were rides, and vegetables, and pies and cows, and and baton twirling, and it was absolutely memorable. There are no pictures extant, such were the times. But these are absolutely lovely, Roberta! Fabulous!
Thanks Hank. I can easily imagine you twirling a baton at the fair:)
DeleteHank, I have never been to Indiana, even though 4 generations (my father to his great grandfather) were born in Indiana. First generation was in Hamilton county (Clay township if it still exists). All other generations in the big city of Indianapolis.
DeleteDiana
I never made it to the Indiana State Fair, but my Grand Champion Jade plant did! Years of 4-H, so lots of time at the Porter County Fair. Went back about 5 years ago and got teary-eyed seeing the surnames on the entries that were the same as in my generation. Had to console myself with an elephant ear, which I’ve missed so much since moving to SoCal (far superior to a churro).
DeleteLisa in Long Beach
What great memories Lisa! Now I want an elephant ear...
DeleteOhhh...that is amazing, Lisa! Aww. That is so sweet. xxx
DeleteDiana, I am certain Clay Township still exists!
DeleteLucy, we will talk about this some day. :-)
DeleteSadly, fairs were not a part of my childhood in Connecticut. But as a fervent re-reader of CHARLOTTE'S WEB, I somehow FELT they were. Then when I was in college in 1981 I was able to attend the Common Ground Country Fair in Maine and all my expectations were met.
ReplyDeleteI love the caption on the first photo of the woman with the dapple grey pony: "horse with stars"! The dapples do look like stars. The dapples fade with age and the pony will eventually be white.
Absolutely on Charlotte's Web--the perfect fair! I had no idea the dapples would fade to white nor that this was a pony:). We thought it was a magical Shetland starred horse!
DeleteADK, once at a fair in Kentucky we saw a gloriously polka-dotted young horse. Our friend we were with told us that horse would also fade as it aged. I was so sad for the dressy coat to go away!
DeleteI'm so glad you mentioned Charlotte's Web. One of the great American Novels for kids and adults. He describes county fairs so perfectly.
DeleteMilkmaid, the Common Ground Fair is still around and bigger and better than ever. We haven't gone in years, but when the kids were young, we would camp out on the fairgrounds and do volunteer shifts (you get meals if you volunteer, which saved on having to bring anything other than cold breakfast stuff and snacks.) I've seen some of the most amazing sheep dog trials there.
DeleteIt's gotten a little TOO big for me - it expanded into its old campgrounds, and now you have to camp a couple miles away and hope you find parking when you drive in. But it's become a real destination trip for tourists, with several lovely old homes in the town of Unity becoming B&Bs to accommodate them.
I love those photos and vignettes, Roberta. How lucky to stumble across the fair!
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my small organic farm in the early nineties, I entered vegetable competitions in the Essex County Topsfield Fair several years in a row. My Sun Gold cherry tomatoes (I grew them before anybody knew about them and had to start them from seed) won a blue ribbon. I also won a big flashy blue ribbon for my family farm display, which included the big market basket I wove myself. I haven't been to Topsfield in years (crowds), but it's on now, and Friday night they awarded the Biggest Pumpkin prize to a monster gourd weighing something like 2800 pounds.
wow, that's one big pumpkin! You can't believe the size and number of butternut squash John grew this year. He's taken about 20 to the food pantry already.
DeleteSO fun! What's his secret?
Deleteof course we have no idea!
DeleteLove these photos. I love going to country fairs in England. It is different from going to a country fair in the States. I cannot put my finger on why, exactly. I remember when friends and I drove up to Glamis Castle in Scotland, we saw a horse and a rider. The person on the horse saw us as we drove by. I was in the backseat and I waved. The rider waved back! The rider looked like the lady in your photo.
ReplyDeleteDid you sample the custard creams?
And what do you mean by "politically correct"? Unless I missed something, I did not see anything that would offend anyone.
Curious about the term "politically correct". Does it mean language that would NOT offend someone from another religion / race / sex orientation / creed / politics ?
Sorry to get off the topic here.
Diana
Diana, I think it was because the category specifically says "by a gentleman", meaning made by men.
Deleteexactly Karen!
DeleteLovely pictures! I have to say I haven't been a county or state fair participant. One of my dear friends however has competed in the 'table setting' competition at the state fair. She and her partner in elegance even won a ribbon!
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of that category--so fun! PS Gillian, make sure you contact Edith/Maddie to claim your prize.
DeleteYes I will thanks! PS I just finished #2 in the Hayley Snow series, so fun!
Deletethanks Gillian!
DeleteFun photos, Lucy! And those pastries look yummy. As Edith said, we've got our very own fair just north of Boston going on last week and next. We once went -- remembering the chickens and the horse pulling competition. Also a ton of fried bread, chocolate covered bananas, and cotton candy. Was there food (my perennial question) at this fair, Lucy?
ReplyDeleteThere were food trucks but we'd just eaten lunch so did not want to brave the lines!
DeleteWhat a fun event to happen into! I'm loving the dyed sheep. Fun, but quirky.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, the county fairgrounds was right down the street. My girlfriends and I would walk over and flirt with boys all night, ride the rides, etc. Being city kids, the point of a county fair was lost on us, except for the social opportunities and the cotton candy. I don't think I even realized there were animals and other exhibits.
Fast forward to the 1990s, when I started judging local county fair entries to choose which sewing projects made it to the state. (And I also judged and helped advise on modeling for 4-H girls.) That was one of my most fun activities every summer, especially getting to see some of the same girls for a couple years and see how they improved and progressed. I worked three counties in Ohio, since we weren't supposed to judge the same group more than once in a row, but I got to know this one family pretty well. Two daughters, two years apart, who each won blue ribbons at the Ohio State Fair several times. More than once I sweltered at the county fair in business attire--fashion and modeling judges were supposed to look the part!
Our county fair isn't much; Cincinnati is so urban there aren't many farm animals, for instance. The emphasis seemed to be more on big truck races. But the Pendleton County Wool Festival, in the same county as our Kentucky farm, is fantastic, almost like a state fair. They have the usual animal exhibits, but also massive tents of crafts for sale, including one solely for wool and wool-adjacent products. In recent years, alpaca has taken over from the sheep that inspired the festival. I've seen sorghum-making, candlemaking, ironworking, sheep herding, sheep shearing, and soap making exhibits there, all done in the old ways of the hills. And I try to get a big ole turkey leg for my "meal". It's next weekend, y'all come!
Wonderful memories, Karen! I always find myself buying wool and alpaca products at fairs. I cannot resist those special craft items.
DeleteAlpaca socks are spendy, but they are the warmest socks ever! I usually try to buy a pair, for myself or as a gift, at the festival. Haven't been for three or four years, so it's time. Hope they have them this year.
Deletethat sounds amazing Karen, we're in!
DeleteLucy/Roberta, great photos!! What a wonderful experience!
ReplyDeleteI love the animal exhibits at fairs. We must have gone at some point when we were kids growing up in rural Connecticut. My father knew many farmers throughout the state but I don't have a clear memory of doing that.
When Jonathan was little we definitely went to fairs. In particular, we went to the Durham Fair because we'd meet our friends there. A dear friend and her family own a farm in Moosup with horses and cattle. She taught dressage and we watched riding events if there were any. I know that my son appreciates all the many adventures we had with that family! I think I'll call her today!
so funny, we may have crossed paths at the Durham fair!
DeleteI KNOW!!
DeleteROBERTA: I am glad you stumbled upon this fair in Scotland. It looks like you saw a lot of fun entries.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in urban Toronto, I only experienced the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) during the last two weeks of August, as well as the Royal Winter Fair in late fall. The Royal focused more on animals. We often went there on school trips.
I went to my first ever state fair when I was in Minneapolis on Labor Day. The Minnesota State Fair is the second largest in the US, and boy was it huge and crowded! I saw plenty of animals being judged (cows, horses, sheep, pigs). Only a few produce on display such as the largest state pumpkin, and apples. And of course there were plenty of rides and fair foods that I indulged in. Eating fried walleye and a nut ball were a first for me.
What in the world is a nut ball??
DeleteIt's a Midwest US sweet treat made with a nougat center surrounded by caramel and then topped with your choice of nuts, either salted peanuts or pecans.
DeleteYes, Grace, inquiring minds want to know!
DeleteThat “baked by a gentleman” tag cracked me up! My husband entered baked goods in our county fair for several years. We always have the hottest, most humid weather that weekend at the end of July he has the oven on practically 24/7 preparing his entries. It took a few years before the people taking in the entries figured out he was the baker and not just helping me carry in all the items from the car. (With the first name of Corky on the tags it was a toss up.)
ReplyDeleteAt our fair you put 3 items on a plate and by the time the public sees them, one is half gone from the judging. It is interesting to note that the items are judged on a point system and not against each other. So, for example, there could be two banana breads with the same color ribbon. The big “Best in Show” or “Grand Champion” ribbons are the ones competitors really covet. Corky had a large pile of ribbons and even some of those big ones!
Sadly the number of people entering items in the fair, and not just baked goods, has been dwindling. That took the fun out of it and other activities took precedence so my husband hasn’t entered in a while. We often wonder whatever happened to “Mrs. Richard Jones” as her items were always blue ribbon winners.
You may have seen Marjorie Johnson baking on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She still entered items at the Minnesota State Fair this year. She is 103 years old. She has a cookbook called Blue Ribbon Baking with Marjorie.
I love that story about your husband Brenda. So sad that people aren't entering. It never occurred to me. Maybe next year!
DeleteWhen I was a kid the county fair was held in early September. My grandfather had a huge garden and entered so many different varieties of squashes and pumpkins. At some point the fair changed to an August date when a lot of those things he would have entered were just not ready yet, so he stopped doing that. He still continued with the huge garden, though, growing and giving away so much produce.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in 4-H I entered a lot of baked goods and sewing projects and won many ribbons. Some things were even picked to go to the State Fair, which was a big deal for us. Years later I was even asked to be a judge for sewing projects.
Sadly, I haven't attended any fair in years, maybe even in decades so thank you for the pictures, Lucy!
Such fun to hear about your grandfather, and also your success Judi!
DeleteIt is amazing to me how these photos of a fair in Shetland could easily have been taken at our local fall fair in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. We never ever miss the fair.
ReplyDeleteThat's neat that they look similar. Even the captions?
DeleteUnfortunately, I have only been to a couple, a highlight for me was seeing the Budweiser Clydesdale horses
ReplyDeleteWe saw those horses in Key West of all places!
DeleteI don't have any experience with county fairs, but this post reminds me of one of my favourite movies "Calendar Girls" -- about the WI (women's institute) women who raise funds with their suggestive/creative calendar photos of themselves with traditional WI crafts. Based on a true story.
ReplyDeleteI remember that movie Amanda, lots of fun
DeleteLove the autumnally colored (or given where they are, coloured) sheep.
ReplyDelete"Somebody ate half of one of the prizewinners" Of course. How else are you supposed to judge the entries?
True Libby, but the others hadn't been nibbled:)
DeleteHaven't been to many country fairs, but I definitely am interested in that chocolate chili cake!
ReplyDeleteMe too cake, doesn't that sound divine?
DeleteI want the horsewoman's vest/waistcoat! It looks so smart and so WARM.
ReplyDeleteI love agricultural fairs, which are still going strong here in Maine, where farming is actually expanding instead of shrinking, thanks to the demand for organic produce and meat. My first fair was the Washington County Fair in upstate NY, a highlight of the year for me and my friends. Everyone went and we got to wander around in gangs of middle-schoolers without having to stick to our parents. I loved it so much I put it in my last book, HID FROM OUR EYES! (Which makes me wonder how many fictional murders have taken place at county fairs. Passions do run high...)
oh yes, I remember that now that you mention it Julia. Brilliant!
DeleteThe horse! The sheep! The cauliflower Queen! Oh, I do love a country fair. Thanks for sharing, Lucy! Delightful!
ReplyDeleteYou know it was all my pleasure Jenn!
DeleteThat looks like so much fun, Lucy. You got a real taste (pun intended) of the local life. County fairs are such great places to talk to local people, as the atmosphere just naturally encourages interaction.
ReplyDeleteI did go to the county fair when I was growing up, with the last time probably being right past my high school days. I may have attended while in from college during summer break. The big items at our fair were the horse shows and other animal showings and the beauty contest. Miss Germantown Fair would go on to state to compete for Miss Kentucky. I never entered a beauty contest, but I did get to present the winning ribbon to one of the horses once. Oh, and there was the Baby contests, boy and girl categories, and I think there were different ages. The main arena was originally a wooden circular structure with seats going up many rows. The seats were whitewashed, so you needed to take something to sit on, or the white would come off on your clothes. That structure became unusable when I was a young child, and the fair changed locations. I know there were 4-H exhibits, but since I went to the city schools, I wasn't involved in that. Anyway, the fair was something people in my small community looked forward to every August. It's interesting (to me) that I've never gone to the one where I have now lived for 45 years.
we should all promise to go to our local fairs next year Kathy!
DeleteLucy, I love your Scottish fair!! Especially the cauliflower queen! Of course I grew up going to the State Fair of Texas every year--Big Tex! It opened on Friday and we have, unusually, glorious Fair weather here. Ask anyone from Dallas and they will tell you what Fair weather is, and how seldom we actually have it. When I was growing up going to the fair was a big part of every autumn, but I have to admit I haven't made it in years. The big thing is the food competition, and the winner is usually the most disgusting fried food imaginable. https://bigtex.com/state-fair-of-texas-announces-2022-big-tex-choice-awards-food-competition-semi-finalists/
ReplyDeleteJust for fun, more on this year's foods! https://www.dallasnews.com/food/restaurant-news/2022/09/30/ranked-best-and-worst-new-state-fair-of-texas-food-and-drink-in-2022/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WeekendRoundup_10022022&utm_term=Weekend%20Roundup
DeleteWhat a lovely fair! Dyed sheep! I had NO idea.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Minnesota State Fair in the '70s, and practiced driving on the empty fairground streets off-season. It was great fun! Thanks for the reminder to rewatch CALENDAR GIRLS. ;-)
Mary, at first I thought the sheep grew that color wool LOL, until it was explained
DeleteI love state and county fairs! So cool. The last one I went to was the Fayette County fair in LaGrange, Texas. Looking at all the categories for entries I wished I were a resident so I could enter something. My last state fair was Minnesota, but I've been to Texas and Ohio state fairs in the past. I'm the one who is always looking for the booth giving away yard sticks. This is Pat D.
ReplyDeleteYardsticks! that sounds like a story Pat...
DeleteYes! The only place to get yardsticks!
DeleteLisa in Long Beach
I remember enjoying a county or state fair when I was much younger (it might have been in North Carolina, but I'm not sure) that included a wonderful quilting competition, with one terrific entry after another. Does anyone know if that's common in the US?
ReplyDeleteI was looking at CT state fairs online yesterday and did see some quilting
Delete