In lieu of there being no Sunday Funnies (as well as Thurs, Fri, and Sat posts) this week due to the fair, today’s post, instead of Monday Motivation, will be notes and tidbits from observations I made at the fair over the weekend.

  • Not saying there is anything wrong with this, but you will not find a larger collection of pick-up trucks and John Deere caps assembled in one location than at the county fair!
  • People come to the fair for a variety of reasons.  To show animals, for other competitions such as art, for derby’s etc...  And apparently to sleep!  If you walk around the various barns at any given point you might find at least two or three people in a chair sleeping.  I do know that showing the animals and getting everything ready can wear you down, so I will give them a pass.  Fairly humorous though!
  • I’ve mentioned in the past, the need to bathe the animals for show.  Some of them seem easier than others.  Let me just say this….baths and any form of poultry do NOT get along!
  • Want to have some fun at the fair?  Walk around and very seriously ask random people where the skunk barn is.  The looks are priceless!
  • This year’s winner of the “deep fried food of the year” contest is….”Deep fried frozen chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick”  Didn’t taste it…took too long to say it to try and order it!
  • There is one song I cannot get out of my mind…”A fair is a veritable smorgasbord, orgasbord, orgasbord, after the crowds have ceased…each night it can be found, on the ground, all around…OOOHHH what a ratly feast!
  • It’s from Charlotte’s Web…watch the movie…you’ll understand.
  • And I found myself singing "Zuckerman's Famous Pig" as I entered the hog barn.  (same movie)
  • One thing I will say about most of these turkeys here at the fair.  You won’t find them at your local Kroger’s for sale this Thanksgiving or Christmas.  And if anyone tells you your Thanksgiving bird is “Huge” because it’s over 20 lbs, politely reply, “Uh…No”.  The grand champion this year is 54lbs!  They average around 40-45 lbs!  I doubt they would even fit into grandma’s oven!
  • And on that note, kids as young as 9 years old are showing these things and the judge keeps asking them to flip them over and lift them up by their legs.  Parents are not allowed to help.  Other 4-H kids are the only ones allowed to help.  Luckily, turkeys don’t squirm like ducks and chickens do!
  • I saw a rooster that if I was going to design a farm scene, and have a rooster sitting on the fence crowing at daybreak, he would be the model.  Biggest rooster I ever saw, and he looked like the rooster on the box of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.  And of course he crowed at me a couple times.  (Loudly)
  • As the time for Zach to show his ducks approached, we had to remove them from their cage and bring them to the prepping table.  There was quite a crowd.  While I did the polite thing and said excuse me as often as possible, I really didn’t need to.  The ducks provided a very audible and ample horn with their quack.  It sounded more like a goose honk than a quack.  Everyone heard us coming and stepped to the side.  Everyone was quite amused!
  • Speaking of the quacking, Zach and I got the biggest kick out of the 4-man duck band in the back of the car on the way to the fair.  They were quacking away to the beat of the music!
  • After the judge makes the final determinations for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc., (we had a good judge, by the way) They begin to hand out ribbons, starting with first place, second place, third, etc.  What is strange is that they will announce all of the places.  Ribbons only go to the top ten, but in some categories, there were up to 22 entries!  And they made it a point to announce ALL 22 PLACES!  The poor kids who got last were just as loudly announced as first place.  That’ll do wonders for self esteem!
  • Zach's Duck...4th place out of 22!                                   
  • Lastly, I leave you with a rare photo op for the well-known, but rarely seen Muppet Chickens!  Chickens apparently born and bred by the late Muppets creator Jim Henson, and passed down.