The Great Randolph Fair

As luck would have it, the day I went to the fair, Senior Citizens Day, was hot and muggy, so I didn't get around to all the animal exhibits, like the really fairish kinds of  animals, like the sheep and the hogs and the cattle, the ones that smell  like farm barns. I did check out the goats, of course, and there were vary few Toggenbergs like Finbar. They are now breeding strange looking critters with no ears and lots of the pygmy ones and varied color Nubians. Nothing spectacular there. I spotted this senior citizen in one of the buildings. I'm not sure whether she was wearing her boyfriend's pajama top or plays for an unusual baseball team. I didn't want to use my camera, but I can vouch for the accuracy of this sketch.

I decided to have a look at the domestic exhibits: sewing, baking, and quilting. One of the women in my water aerobics class had entered a passel of cakes and pies, but I couldn't see the names on the entries. She told me later that her chocolate zucchini cake had won a blue ribbon. Good way to get rid of t all that zucchini, I guess. 

In the arts and crafts building I came across the usual unusual

offerings like this wooden cow (?). Several years ago, 

perhaps the very same woodworker, had made a sort of Rube Goldberg potty chair, all gaily painted with pretty pink flowers, complete with its own attached toilet paper holder. I reckon the recipient of that potty chair has grown and now has her own home in which to put this lovely cow (?).  

The needlework building was full of embroidered pillow cases and crocheted doilies as usual, but now there seem to be many more quilters than ever before. There were some really beautiful quilts, a few stunning antique quilts and a live quilting bee, which was fun to watch. 

I decided to have lunch at the dining hall before the crowd started pouring. Typical fair fare: chicken or meat loaf, with mashed potatoes and green beans with pie for dessert. Since I don't drive on a heavy stomach, I settled for a hot dog and the best French fries ever. I rarely eat fries, but these are so good, loaded with catsup, that they complete the fair experience. 

My last stop was the vegetable building to see the vegetable creations some of the 4-H kids 

make, like veggie villages and people. Some clever kid had his squash and bell pepper man wired for sound. The main attraction here are the giant pumpkins.

The winner weighed 675 pounds and the top three were all raised by the same family. They said they had an 800 pounder at home but didn't say why they didn't show it. Transport problems?

Since it was so hot, I didn't bother hanging around until the Ferris wheel got started up. It's  great place to take pictures from, and many years ago one of mine made it onto a calendar and also into a newspaper ad. Since nothing much has changed, I didn't need to take another one. 

The fair's over, and the neighborhood kids started school yesterday. There's still good corn and the tomatoes are perfect for BLTs, so summer's not over yet.