County Fair

I love county fairs. When I was growing up my dad was on the fair board, so I remember spending a lot of time at the York County Fairgrounds. I love the animals, the demolition derby cars, the rides on the midway, and of course, all the fair food that you only allow yourself to eat once a year (namely, funnel cakes).

Last week Jason and I took the boys up to the Saunders County Fair because we heard they were having a demolition derby with combines. Now, my boys love farm equipment as much as the next Nebraska kid, so we thought this would be right up their alley. The boys, both donning their favorite John Deere t-shirts, were geared up for the derby and couldn't wait for it to get started. They were giggling with anticipation when the combines sluggishly entered the arena and took their place. We counted backwards from 5 and the derby began! Hayden could barely contain his excitement- he was standing up on the seat of the bleachers trying to get the best view. Jarrett, on the other hand, saw the combines smash into each other and instantly started wailing "No, that hurts him. No, that hurts combine. No crash combine!" People sitting around us were so nice and tried to comfort him. We were all telling Jarrett that the combines like to crash and they think it's fun. Unfortunately he didn't buy it and whimpered throughout the whole show. The last combine standing was a John Deere, so that pleased Hayden. Jarrett was just glad the combines weren't getting hurt anymore.

This past weekend the Lancaster County Fair got up and running, so we took the boys out to that Friday. Our first stop was the pig races- always a favorite with my boys. Next we visited the petting zoo, followed by the antique tractors, and then onto the horse barn. Some of the 4H kids were brushing their horses and let us pet them. We were meandering through the rows of horse stalls and I turned to tell Hayden something and noticed he was not behind me. He wasn't with Jason either. We called for him, but no answer. Panic set in...did he wander off? Did somebody lure him off? He was just beside me. Where did he go?!

Then I heard a little voice, "Mommy look!" He had found an empty horse stall, let himself in, then shut the door behind him! He was checking out what he called the horse's 'bedroom.' I quickly looked around to see if the horse's owner was near. Actually, my first thought was to search for the horse he'd just let out...but luckily it was empty. We retrieved our curious son and decided to check out the bunnies and chickens next- Hayden can't fit in those cages.

We ended the night by letting the boys choose four rides to go on. (I know four rides doesn't sound like a lot, but at $3 per ride per child, it was all we could afford!) Watching their faces light up as they went round and round on the rides took me back to my younger years. Even though the motorcycles and boats they were riding were completely stationary on the platform, I think they actually thought they were driving. They moved the steering wheels and honked the horns, waving every time they would go by us.

It was a memorable evening and reminded me of my childhood and the small town I grew up in. While there we ran into a lady from our church, a former classmate of mine, and one of Hayden's teachers. The boys (and their parents!) were hot, tired, and exhausted when we got home. But all agreed it was a fun family activity that we'll repeat every year at county fair time.