The fair began with a bang this year as Elise won Junior Miss County Fair and Amelia was the runner up! The girls answered their questions with sincerity, personality, and eloquence. I knew Elise was a front runner when she answered the question, "What is your long term 4H goals?" with the joke, "World peace for the children...through bunnies!"And I loved when Amelia exclaimed, "You can show your animals all year long!"
The rest of the week was filled with the best of fair: demolition derby night, frozen turtle pie on a stick, bunny dress up, circus acts, and carnival rides. We spent our days hanging out in the bunny barn, and on the best days, we stayed until past the evening entertainment to close up the barn. There is something so exciting about the morning setup - watching vendors organize their stalls, seeing the animals be fed, being one of the first people on the fairground. And nothing is quite as magical as the lights of ferris wheel at night or the cheers from the crowd during the nighttime bull ride.
There were a few NEW highlights to our week. Grandma and Poppy came for a visit and shared a day-at-the-fair with us! Elise participated in the hypnosis show. And Madi participated in her first Round Robin competition.
To me, fair IS summer and summer IS fair. Summer is just not complete without our fair week. It is the culminating fun after a year of meetings, preparation, and work. I love working at the ice cream shack with the kids for that wonderful "free scoop." I love our frenzied baking day and entering cakes into the fair. I love the thrill of auction night, with the 4H kids wearing their freshly-pressed, button-down shirts. I love how by the end of the week, I knew some of the vendors by name, and they knew me. I love the way the cowboys kneel during the prayer before the rodeo. I love waving to the kids while they ride the rides with their friends.
Only 11 months, and we get to do it all over again. I can hardly wait.
