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I must confess that I haven’t always been a big county fair guy, but in recent years, as my kids have gotten older and come to appreciate it more, so have I.
I had to be at the fair throughout all four days taking photos, getting results of events and interviewing people, and I brought at least one of the kids with me at least part of each day.
My daughter was at summer camp the first few days of the fair, so my son and I got to spend some one-on-one time together enjoying all that the fair had to offer. We ate the greasy fair food including corn dogs and cheese curds as well as the goods offered by the local groups. He participated in the pedal pull, went on rides and played games in the midway, and played with friends while I visited with their parents and chatted with others passing by.
We also checked out the animals, including the newborn pigs. If you missed it, there was a huge litter born at the fair this year. When we first saw them, the sow was still in labor and my son had many questions about what was happening. Fortunately, there were people wiser than I there who could answer his questions.
It was fun to step back sometimes and watch my boy socializing like a big kid and let him stay up later than usual on a week night. It was dark by the time we left and we were both ready to call it a night.
The second night of the fair, my son came with again for a while and then went home with his mom.
On Friday, my daughter came home from camp and I figured she should be able to enjoy the fair too, so all three of us went and spent several hours enjoying the animals, rides and food. It was a jolly time, indeed, even if I spent more than I had planned.
By the time the final day of the fair rolled around, the kids were ready for more fun, but I told them no more money would be spent at this year’s fair. They found a way around that by hanging out with their mom and getting more ride tickets while I worked.
At the end of the day Saturday, we made our final trek to the fair for a couple more events. The kids didn’t want to follow me around while I took photos, so they hung out in the show arena with some other kids while I did what I had to do. When I came back for them, the other kids had left and they were sitting on the bleachers, right where I told them to stay, playing name that song. Good kids.
All of that is to say that the Kuphals made full use of the fair this year and did our part to support both the carnival workers and local organizations that were selling food and entertainment.
Much thanks to those who make it all happen each year. It’s a little exhausting covering the fair for the paper with so much going on, so I can only imagine what it’s like for those who put in the hard work to make it happen. Thanks to all of you for what you do and for a wonderful time.
