I went to the fair

The Chilton County Fair is in town this week, and we took Dennis out there for a nice stroll tonight. We didn't know how much there would be for him to do there, but we knew he'd like the lights and people and being outdoors.

We were pleasantly surprised by the Agriculture Barn's exhibits. Dennis got to pet a cow and a mule and he saw goats and horses and rabbits and chickens. They also had a very nice children's exhibit where Dennis planted a sunflower, picked an apple (made of paper), picked some cotton, fed a (stuffed) chicken, milked a (wooden) cow (we skipped this one), and gathered (plastic) eggs. All of the 'products' went into a basket that he 'sold' at the Farmer's Market and he took the 'money' and shopped at the general store, where he got a (real) coloring book and (real) apple. It was such a good way to teach children where food comes from and how it gets to market. Dennis participated as much as he could in between bouts of trying to run off and pet the animals again! He loved the horses, and when I told him they were horses, he smiled at them and yelled "mooooooooo". I tried to tell him that the cows actually said that, not the horses, but he was hearing none of it! For the record, he moo-ed at the cows too.

He didn't ride any rides at the fair. There were a few things he might have enjoyed riding with us, but he seemed quite happy to just look at all the rides (and all the neon) and point to them. He did go 'fishing' at a booth and won a little stuffed dog, and he was pretty happy about that. He didn't get to sample any "fair food" like funnel cake or corn dogs because we had a very nice beef stroganoff supper at Gran and Pop's house before we went to the fair and we were all stuffed. It was certainly a fun diversion from our every night routine, and we all had a good time. Just as we were leaving, my 8th grade history teacher poked me in the shoulder and said hello. I can't believe he recognized me after almost 20 years, but he did. He's still teaching, has been for 40 years. That experience just completed that hometown feel of the evening! I'm liking small town life more and more. I hope Dennis appreciates it as much as we do. I can't wait until next year's fair when he'll be able to participate in so much more.