Last night Dave and I went on a date to the Greene County Fair. I’d been there Wednesday evening helping at the Habitat for Humanity booth so I knew what to expect – a very small fair, not much bigger than the PTA Carnival we held at Salem Elementary. But, small or large, the Greene County Fair had all the necessary elements for success.
Seeing the farm animals is my favorite part of any fair. In the 4H livestock tent, we saw cattle, pigs, sheep and fowl. The smell doesn’t bother me, I like to walk the aisles admiring the critters and like Dr. Doolittle, talk to them as I pass by. One Angus heifer responded to my words and put her nose out through the wire fence to me. I gave her my hand to sniff and she responded with a gentle cow kiss on my hand. I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed by a cow but it was nice. Nearby there was also a petting zoo full of baby goats, llamas and pigs who were being chased by a little girl intent on getting one of them to eat the handful of straw she offered.
On the other side of the fairgrounds, animal lovers could tour a tent of exotic animals at the Staples Safari Zoo and even ride a camel! A couple of times during the evening, Brian Staples would host a show featuring his primates with the help of children from the audience. Those kids certainly looked happy and a little uneasy with lemurs and Capuchin monkeys on their heads and shoulders!
The one permanent building on the site housed the displays of the day’s competitions; preserves, photography, produce, and handcrafts; with big colorful ribbons sported by the winners. There was a long tent as well as a few vendors selling fondue pots, candles and of course, vacuums (a fair staple for generations). The local civic groups were also there, the Republicans and Democrats, a couple local churches, and the historical society.
At the far end of the ground by food booths, a small stage featured a local band playing blue grass music. We passed on the usual hamburgers and hot dogs and decided to eat at Greene County Young Farmers’ chicken barbecue. For five dollars a plate it was a pretty good meal. For dessert we bowed to temptation and Dave got a hot apple dumpling with ice cream while I went for the chocolate brownie with ice cream. Yum!
Lastly, there was a modest midway complete with bright flashing lights illuminating the rides, games and food stands. I could tell by Dave’s eyes that the games were bring back happy memories from his childhood summers at the Jersey shore. He asked, “Didn’t you used to play these games when you were a kid?” Nope. That would be where one of the dynamics of having two kids vice six translates into different childhood experiences. In my family, we were all about the rides because they were a sure thing!
Yes, the Greene County Fair really did have just about everything. All that was missing was the people! There were no lines for anything. The rides either sat idle or ran with just a couple of seats filled. Granted, the population of Greene County is less than twenty thousand and it was also the opening night of the neighboring Albemarle county fair. Perhaps it was an off night, it was warm and very muggy. I don’t know. I do know that I’m really glad we went to brush shoulders with our neighbors, eat some chicken and best of all; to be kissed by a cow.
How come the kiss wasn’t lip to lip?
I’d just met her!