County Fair Talk?

[sageadvice]

Manny's thread about the "olden days" of our youth and rememberances of the time touched a nerve with me about how important an event the County Fair was to us, our family, way back in those days gone by.

Not saying it has to be the old days, but to some families, for a certain amount of time every year, it's Fair Time.

How's about you? Did you raise animals to show in 4-H or FFA?
or maybe there was the Horse Races, what's the trick in picking a winner? Let's talk about the Fair!

Joey

 

[Boskee]

County Fair... Let me see cotton candy for the girls a ride on the ferris wheel, throwing a few and winning a stuffed toy, missing a few more and getting razzed. Shooting the moving targets with a .22 pump and riding a few more rides. I remember happy smiling faces and lots of laughter and fun. You're right Sage we looked forward to it every year and we always had a great time and there was always plenty to see and do. Plenty of pretty young gals to catch your eye and great place for a date. Good times Sage...... thanks

 

[nickman]

I couldn't say for sure, but easily 7 years in a row, I got to stay at the County Fair with my steers for the entire week!

It was always in the summer and school wasn't an issue.

The coach made those of us in the FFA, who were missing "2adays" run 3 laps at the racetrack......it was way bigger than the one at school.

When I was in 4H, we were pretty tame. FFA was another story.....sort of traded carnival rides for carnal rides....if you get my drift.

Funny thing, at my age, I grin at the memories of the fair.....the girl stuff, the beer, pumping a hog with extra water to help it make weight, the girl stuff, the beer; stuff like that.

But the most lingering memory I have, is strawberry shortcake from the ladies at the Grange booth. That was special Chit, right there!

LIFE WAS GOOD!!!!!!!!!!Do they still do that?

 

[TripleK]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-17-09 AT 11:45PM (MST)[p]We STILL love the fair! We go to the county fair every year. My boy shows hogs. We stay at the fairgrounds in our camper for the whole week and take in the concerts, rodeo, demo-derby and exhibits and activities, fish in the river, and just take it easy. Fair time is great!

When I was younger I showed sheep, Roy showed steers. Good times! We used to race horses and were track bums as well. Man, I loved the races. We raced quarter horses and grandpa had a thoroughbred or two as well. We didn't have family vacations when I was a kid. We went camping, hunting, to baseball All-Star tournaments, and horse racing. So much fun!

Here's last year's hog. This hog took 1st in his class and was the #13 hog overall at the fair. If only he were about 40 lbs heavier....the judge loved him, but he just wasn't heavy enough. He probably would've been grand champion if he'd have looked like that only 40 lbs heavier.

The judge really looked him over and I was so proud of my son. He did an excellent job of handling him. That hog was a jerk....he got tired and fought with every pig in the ring during the star round. It was kind of embarrassing!

Doing a little celebration when he was named 1st in his class....lol

This is the other one we raised...the one on the left, tall girl showing him. He went #15 overall. He barely made weight, too. Gotta put more weight on them this year.

I like a smooth topline, big butt and good strong shoulders. That black and white pig had it all, he just wasn't big enough. Our hog for this year looks AWFUL so far though. And, the one we were going to show in June won't make weight for that so I'm just hoping we can have him ready for a different show this summer. Definitely don't think we're in the top end this year. Bummer.

 

[nickman]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-18-09 AT 00:36AM (MST)[p]Very cool! I'm glad to see it still means something to people.

I didn't do hogs, lot's of friends did.

I appreciate a good looking Berky as much as anyone, but they just simply produce some nasty byproduct. Pig crap is beyond my sensitivity level. I'll step in a good ol' cow pie everytime.

Weight has ALWAYS been an issue with fair hogs, I guess.

 

[Gator]

The county Fair was great But the State Fair was king,Staying at the fairgrounds for a week showing steers and dairy cows for a neighbor, missing school, playing all the games at the fair, CW singers live,Chasing girls from all over the state having some fights with some of the carneys Yep it was fun.


"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".

 

[AZbowhntr]

Yep, I loved fair time. We would be there from sunup til sundown almost every day. And I loved the fair food. I was in 4H and raised pigs also. My dad has a pig farm in Jerome, Idaho so my brothers and sisters and I took more than our share of grand champions. Always loved the sale at the end the most. Made some good money. Good times.

 

[NevadaBadger]

We don't have COUNTY FAIRS in Nevada - We have RODEOS. There are very few dirt farmers here.

Though I always thought the combine demolition derbies where very entertaining at the county fairs I have attended.

Live Free or Die - NevadaBadger

 

[sageadvice]

NevB aside, thanks for the great reply's! TK, your son wears that hat well, it suits him. Also, nice looking Hampshire! Congrats!! Gator, Cool story dude! Again, Thanks!

Summer was more than just the break between school years. These summer breaks seemed to really separate the different chapters of growing up. Not only was the fall going to bring yourself into another chapter or grade in school it might and often did bring you to another school altogether. Fair time was the perfect break in the chapters of the book of our youth.

While in FFA all four years of HS, dad preferred me to concentrate on sports, he felt i'd not have time, he was right, to take care of a project properly to show and sell at the fair. That in no way kept me our of the "barn" come fair time. My best bud always raised a steer and a couple sheep to show so it seemed while he and the rest of our group was there camping out, i was there as well. Lots of "firsts" happened right there on those fairgrounds and all i can say here is, it was a ton of fun, an education in it's own right, and though we never got into any real trouble, i suppose we should/could have

Joey

 

[NevadaBadger]

Hey Joey,

Don?t be so serious. You from Jersey or what?

I was raised east of the Mississippi. Welsh ? Irish stock growing tobacco and raising hogs. We made the most of what we had.

I was never in the FFA. Sorry I don't have a romantic, idealistic story of myself or my kids at the county fair. That would have been a luxury.

No, I'm not bitter.

Nevertheless, I miss the fairs. I do miss the combine demolition derbies. The Nevada State Fair is smaller than most county fairs back home. This I thought was a joke. Like I said, counties in Nevada have rodeos.
The Kali State Fair is impressive but I don't want to be labeled a PRUNE PICKER.

What's a po? GATOR to do???

 

[sageadvice]

Badger, Not really that serious, your post just seemed cynical in a upbeat thread. You must admit that it was different than the other posts.

We too have rodeo's here in kali by the way. Quite good ones. I have two cousins on the board of directors of my hometown Rodeo and another young cousin, Dad's Brothers son, who missed the National Finals in team roping last year by one or two places. There has been 6-7 generations of solid Cowboys, in both roping and rough stock, in my family, a heritage i'm proud of.

Our fairgrounds was in Pleasonton. The Alameda Co Fair. Lots of Blacks on the 4th of july. Very little tension actually considering the racial make up of the attendees. Here's a true story, in case you feel slighted, just for you. This happened on one of my last trips to the Co. fair before moving up here. I was in my mid twentys.

I got pick pocketed out of my wallet late at night after seeing a Ragen Caygen show. It was done by two black guys working as a team. One bumped me on the right as he walked by in a hurry and i automatically reached back to check my wallet. While i was doing that, i saw him pass or look to pass "something" to another black guy that was headed my way on my left. My wallet was gone so I grabbed that guy, the passe, and flung him to the ground while shouting "i want my wallet, you stole my wallet" I looked up to see where the other guy had gone and noticed that my captive and i were surrounded by a big ring, several deep, of fair goers, mostly blacks. I'm thinking, great!

Here's a big ol Cowboy dude gotta Black guy on the ground looking like he's beating hell outa him and i'm surrounded by "midnite." Someone shouted, "there's your wallet dude" it was laying on the ground next to him. I got my wallet back, he got away, and i found out later that they were a pro team, had successfully ripped off like 30 wallets that night. The cop i reported the incident to and gave descriptions, said i was lucky to have not gotten stabbed.

There you go. I guess the fair ain't all fun and games. Like i said, it can be an education as well!

Joey

 

[Longun]

Made too much money in the summer hauling hay...out of the field and into the hay barns stacked I'd get 5 cents a bail...I was a good worker and always had ranchers calling me for work..tried to haul at least 1000 bales a day..so I didn't do 4-H animals....just went to the fairs to chase the buckle bunnies...my daughters did 4-H and did well with sheep and pigs...my youngest is into the Horse thing...now I go to Fairs to make sure no one is chasing their buckles...