This weekend, I am going to be spending a lot of time at the Washington County Fair. I absolutely love the fair. Where else can you see a greased pig contest, eat a deep fried Snickers, watch a rodeo, get your picture made with a queen, sit on about a hundred antique tractors, milk a cow, see tons and tons of livestock, watch people pay tons and tons of money for that livestock, hear great country music, dance to that music and still be home before midnight? There simply is no other place in all of America that offers this much good, wholesome family fun in a single place as a county fair.
Picture from http://leejsackett.com/projects.html
There are two kinds of fair people in the world; those that go and those that PARTICIPATE. This last group is the one I throw my hat in with. I did a lot of my growing up at the McLennan County fair. Each year in high school, I proudly showed my polled Hereford heifers at the fair grounds in Waco. The Heart of Texas (HOT) fair was the start of the show season for me. It was also the culmination of a year’s worth of work that involved animal selection, halter training, fitting and grooming. By the time the fair arrived, I could not wait to walk around that arena with my calf! I was also lucky enough to have an outstanding Ag teacher who also loved to participate in the fair. Each year our Ag (FFA) classes made individual and group projects to enter in the various competitions. Through the years I got to help build countless pic nic tables, round bale feeders and even a complete cattle trailer completely from scratch. Thanks to his efforts, I won a blue ribbon for my show box (if you are not familiar with livestock shows this is the box that contains all of grooming articles for your animal) in 1977. That is the only blue ribbon I have ever won. My Ag teacher was Donald Jones and I truly loved him (and I still do, he is the only teacher that I ever had that I still keep in contact with). Mr. Jones taught me to weld, how to use a table saw and how to castrate just about any animal that might need castration. He also taught me a lot about respect, teamwork, and pride in a job well done.
Tatum Westerfield is the 2011 Washington County Fair Queen. This young lady sold over $68000 worth of fair tickets to earn this year's title. Photo from KWHI.com
I have visited many county fairs all across the country and in my humble opinion, this one is the best. I can’t really put my finger on why, it just is. The Washington County Fair was the first county fair in Texas and still is the oldest running county fair in Texas. The first one was held in 1868 and it has been held every year since. After 143 years the people of Washington County have really learned how to throw a party.
If you are not from a rural area you may not be aware of the significance that county fairs play in rural America. County fairs are THE social event of the year in rural communities. They are the culmination of a year’s worth of by parents, children, Ag teachers, county agents and countless other volunteers. They are a time for friends to gather, and a time celebrate the traditions that make rural America what it is. And it has been that way for at least 143 years. I love knowing that my grandfather, my great-grandfather and my great-great grandfather looked forward to going to the fair as much as I do now. So I guess that is really what makes the fair special: Tradition. America is a place that honors hard work, self reliance, competition and community. The fair allows us the opportunity to practice those values and celebrate those that cling to them. Not too long ago, America was mostly rural and American agriculture and agriculturists gave our nation the resources that we needed to grow into what we are today. The fair is an annual reminder of this.
Tonight, the weather is going to be great! The temperature should be in the 70s after the sun goes down. Perfect fair weather! So, grab your sweetie, put on your boots, gas up the truck and meet me at the fair!