Where else could you see all the interesting things people grow in their gardens, in one place? Or find a
Madagascar hissing cockroach? The
Missouri State Fair, of course!
Josh and I have been going to the
State Fair together for the past 28 years, and I've been going, myself, since age 3. It is one of my anticipated traditions of summer.
(The
Madagascar hissing cockroach is the most kept cockroach species for
pets, and this was one of the ways the Missouri Extension Service drew
people in to their good bug/bad bug booth, which was quite interesting
and informative).
The Fair is about families, kids, animals, prizes, gardens, food and
information. It's all about prize winning vegetables, new gadgets, farm
implements, new tractors, and lots and lots of animals. There's a pig
barn, a rabbit barn with prize-winning rabbits, a poultry house with
well-groomed, fancy chickens of all kinds, sizes and breeds. The hog
barn, sheep and beef barns, all have the entries from
4-H kids, and
Future Farmers of America boys and girls, from all across the state. And Long Creek Herbs has a booth in the Agri-Missouri building one day of the Fair, as well. Plus I'm giving 2 programs, one on growing herbs and one on starting a vegetable garden.
I always check out what the state's largest pumpkin weighs
(738.2 pounds last year, grown by Kirk Wilmsmeyer).
Seeing
all of the prize-winning vegetables is interesting to me. I like to
compare what I grow to what won prizes. Sometimes I say,
Oh, I can do that! Other times, it's more likely to be,
Wonder how they grew it that big?
AgriMissouri, a
project of the Missouri State Extension Service, does a great job of
promoting Missouri agriculture and agri-products. We bought several
things from the
AgriMissouri store while at the Fair. Plus they sell my
Herbal Nail Fungus Soak and my books, including my newest book,
Make Your Own Hot Sauce.
The
Midway is always a big attraction in the afternoon, but it's at its
best at night, when the whole place lights up like downtown Las Vegas.
There are always what I call the "velcro kids," you know the ones, teens
who take a date to the Fair and believe that some body part, usually a
sweaty hand or arm, has to be touching the other at all times. I was
that kid once, myself.
Sunday was Military Appreciation Day (actually it was called, "Homegrown
Heroes Day" and sponsored by Sprint) and the Fair had lots of Army,
Marine and Air Force there. Buses from Ft. Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air
Force Base brought in a military band and busloads of troups, all there
enjoying the day. Hopefully lots of folks were telling them how much we
all appreciate their service. As a Veteran myself, I could have asked
for a discount on Fair admission, but it didn't seem necessary.
There were lots of political booths, booths for Conservation, a booth explaining about
feral hogs in Missouri and how to control the problem.
(It has become a serious problem
in 20 counties in Missouri; I've seen them just a mile away from home
and I'm sure they can destroy a garden in just one night).
Winning
prizes, especially if you're 15-20 yrs., and have a date, is especially
important. The games are a big draw for the kids and teens.
And even for the 40-somethings, winning a tiger for the girlfriend is still part of the Fair!
Bravado,
like taking a ride on a mechanical bull to prove you're a man, to your
friends, hasn't been lost through the generations, either.
Over
the years that I've gone to the Fair, it has always remained an event
that celebrates families, kids, agriculture and the food we grow in
Missouri. The Fair runs from Aug. 8-18, in Sedalia, MO. I may have to
go one more time this year! (And if you're anywhere nearby, stop in to the Agri-Missouri building and say hi, I may be there at my booth).
