In my newsfeed this morning, there was the perennial article about some fried confection at the New York state fair. Yes, it is that time of the year for harvest festivals.
My first date with my husband was at the Helena Watermelon Festival in 1983. A quick search on Helena, Alfalfa County, Oklahoma, doesn't give me much. I can't tell if they still set up feed troughs down the middle of the main street and fill them with watermelons, cooling in water. The demographics don't look good for the town. The major employer is a state prison that has a medium level security center housing offenders 35 years of age or older. I'll leave that intriguing fact for another post.
If my memory is correct, the first time I met my husbands parents was when we went to the Oklahoma State Fair. It actually is a good way to get to know each other, chatting about what we encountered in the exhibits. On the other hand, I did make an offhand snobbish remark about the superiority of knitting over crochet that my future mother-in-law, an avid crocheter, never forgave. The dear, sweet woman did take me into the family, in spite of my many limitations.
Jumping ahead many years, I have fond memories of the Tri-State Fair in Amarillo with my in-laws and two year old son. That's when we spent lots of time around the animal pens.
A favorite video about our house about then was "State Fair". I don't mean the Pat Boone, Ann Margaret version set at the Texas State Fair, but the 1945 one with Jeanne Crain and Dana Andrews. Nothing tops Percy Kilbride showing his pig at the Iowa State Fair.* If you are in need of something to hum this weekend, the Rodgers and Hammerstein's title song is delightful. Upon checking IMDB, I see there is a 1933 version with Janet Gaynor, Will Rogers and Lew Ayres. I may have to put it on my viewing list.
After years of fair going, we got side-tracked by planning our travels to coincide with World's Fairs. Here is a pic taken inside a gondola above the Expo 2009, Zaragoza, Spain.
Maybe I'll head over to the state fair tomorrow for $1 day.
*Correction: Percy Kilbride's character bets against the success of Blue Boy.
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