Fonda Fair

Look who's visiting from Northview...Liz's pony Diamond

With Liz at the fair with Diamond and Alan working in the big city, it's just the boss and Becky and me much of the time. No matter, Liz came home, we milked early and headed to the tractor pull yesterday evening. 

The poor fair has been beleaguered by devastating flooding at least twice over the past few years. The folks involved, the 4-H kids, people from all over, worked incredibly hard to put it back together....and I can tell you, although some things are different, it is back to being the great fair it used to be.

What a great time we had....

What's a Fair without Chickies!

Beck and I prodded the boss off to the tractor pull and then took off to see the sights. Everything was bright and clean and looking good as we hustled from barn to barn and building to building, hugging old friends, stopping to chat, checking out every single milking shorthorn on the grounds, choosing which decadent delight we were going to eat, and generally having a ball. We laughed so much people started laughing when we went by even though they didn't know what was so funny.

We came across the president of the fair and I stopped to tell him what a great job I think he is doing with it. That the fair survived at all is a wonder and good new ideas are keeping it moving forward this year in a number of ways. Free admission during the fireman's parade is a great solution to allowing everyone to enjoy it without clogging traffic through the construction site. 

Parking last night was a breeze...which was certainly not always the case, and everywhere we went things were moving smoothly. It was great to see the grandstand packed with folks watching the tractors roar down the track.

Can anybody tell me about these tiny quail?
 I saw these canary-sized  pin balls and was stricken with bird envy.
They would contrast nicely with the peacocks I think

A dear friend won grand champion driving pony with his Dixie. Diamond, Northview's entry, spooked at the judge and flipped herself over backwards in halter class. No harm done and she redeemed herself in the in-hand obstacle class, coming in with a real fast time, but losing on penalties because she knocked down a couple of jumps. Since she is only 3 and has never been to a show before, never seen a cone, never been in an arena, or heard a train from fifty feet away, I was impressed that she did all those crazy things at all, let alone doing them quickly. I am sure next year it will all be old hat for her...

She is such a friendly little girl, she was delighted to see us when we stopped by her stall (about sixteen times.....) and poked her nose over the door nickering happily.

The moon over the entrance to the best part

We crawled home around ten-thirty feeling that hit by a truck, up past your bedtime sensation that comes with that kind of party. Raccoon circles under the eyes are the norm this morning, but it was all worth it.

Our favorite pulling tractor, the Supernatural is back in business

And look what is over its problems and roaring down the track again. The Supernatural belongs to good friends and we follow their efforts in the NYTPA every summer. The guys even have shirts.

If you come to the fair on Sunday, do stop by the dairy promotion booth as Beck and I found ourselves somehow signed up to man...should I say woman...it for a couple of hours late at midday.