County Fair in Fairview Estates
Every summer since we moved to Barry County I have been able to enjoy the fair from afar. For one week the fairgrounds turn into a city, with hundreds of trailers and people who move in for the week. Some are carnival workers who will be in another city next week, traveling around the country for the summer bringing entertainment and carnival food and games to thousands of people. Some are the 4-H kids who have worked so hard to prepare their animals and projects for the fair. And some are the parents of those kids who took a week off to spend their vacation in the middle of controlled chaos.
The smell of fried delicacies wafts across the street and into our open windows during this week. The sound of the loudspeaker announcing harness racing and demolition derby contestants booms clearly into our backyard. The spotlights that help people get back to their cars safely at night shine into our bedroom window.
This is probably the last year we'll be in Hastings for the fair. We expect to have the house up for sale within the next few weeks. With any luck, we'll be moving into the city by the end of this year. I know that it's what we need to do right now. I'm okay with that. But I'm going to miss the excitement that the fair brings.
Tomorrow afternoon, once Dan gets out of work (he's working half a day) we're planning to take Jackson across the street to let him enjoy the fair. I bet he's going to love all of the animals. He's probably too little for the rides yet, but we might take him up on the ferris wheel. If you're so inclined, give us a call and you can join us.
Two things happened this week that were interesting:
1) Apparently on Tuesday night the Barry County BOMB SQUAD was across the street. I guess someone thought there was a bomb in a car. I didn't know anything about it until Wednesday when someone from work mentioned it.
2) Last night we had some severe weather move through the area. This morning while packing my lunch for work, I heard Cozy barking in the backyard. I peeked out the slider and in the horse field behind our house were three LARGE birds. I didn't know at first if they were herons or what. They had incredibly long legs, long necks, and gigantic bodies. Then one of them stretched his wings and tried to catch the wind. I'm 99% certain they were Emus. I'm betting they escaped from one of the pens at the fair and were gallivanting across the countryside. I called and left a message at the fair's office to tell them where to look if three come up missing. I hear emus are not friendly, can run really fast, and are really tough to catch. I'm almost sorry I'm going to miss seeing people trying to herd them.
The smell of fried delicacies wafts across the street and into our open windows during this week. The sound of the loudspeaker announcing harness racing and demolition derby contestants booms clearly into our backyard. The spotlights that help people get back to their cars safely at night shine into our bedroom window.
This is probably the last year we'll be in Hastings for the fair. We expect to have the house up for sale within the next few weeks. With any luck, we'll be moving into the city by the end of this year. I know that it's what we need to do right now. I'm okay with that. But I'm going to miss the excitement that the fair brings.
Tomorrow afternoon, once Dan gets out of work (he's working half a day) we're planning to take Jackson across the street to let him enjoy the fair. I bet he's going to love all of the animals. He's probably too little for the rides yet, but we might take him up on the ferris wheel. If you're so inclined, give us a call and you can join us.
Two things happened this week that were interesting:
1) Apparently on Tuesday night the Barry County BOMB SQUAD was across the street. I guess someone thought there was a bomb in a car. I didn't know anything about it until Wednesday when someone from work mentioned it.
2) Last night we had some severe weather move through the area. This morning while packing my lunch for work, I heard Cozy barking in the backyard. I peeked out the slider and in the horse field behind our house were three LARGE birds. I didn't know at first if they were herons or what. They had incredibly long legs, long necks, and gigantic bodies. Then one of them stretched his wings and tried to catch the wind. I'm 99% certain they were Emus. I'm betting they escaped from one of the pens at the fair and were gallivanting across the countryside. I called and left a message at the fair's office to tell them where to look if three come up missing. I hear emus are not friendly, can run really fast, and are really tough to catch. I'm almost sorry I'm going to miss seeing people trying to herd them.