Monday, June 28, 2010

the county fair

It has been more than 20 years since I have attended our county fair which takes place at the fairgrounds in Pleasanton.  The fair is the essence of egalitarianism.  Everyone is welcome, all submissions to the competitions are accepted and displayed, all ages are represented, and everyone is recognized.  I used to make fun of the humble sock monkey and now adore them.  To me they are the iconic representation of the long tradition of the county fair, which occurs in every county across the nation all summer long.  Regional differences occur from state to state, some featuring farm equipment and rodeos.   Below are a few photos of various aspects of the fair:  home crafts, animal husbandry, horse racing, cholesterol increasing fast food, and more.  What's the county fair like in your area?

11 comments:

  1. Gracias Carolina por dejar tu comentario en mi blog.
    El tuyo es hermoso
    Saludos cordiales desde la Argentina
    Elisa

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  2. Y también te dejo el link a mi blog en español
    Saludos
    Elisa, en Argentina

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  3. Aww, the sheep are so cute! I remember devouring elephant ears at our local fair in Michigan :-D

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  4. Look pretty much the same apart from the flat-racing. There are often horse events for all levels over here. Never heard of sock-monkeys till today.

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  5. Haven't been to a county fair since I gave up fast food because it's too tempting :(
    (I think those beautiful jams and jellies might bring me back though.)

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  6. Nothing like a great country fair. It's been a few years since I've been to one myself.

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  7. Not to worry. The Coach is 5 or 6 years older than the oldest swimmer on the team.

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