By Katy Sweeny
Just about every direction I turned, I saw a familiar face. Some of those faces were shaded by cowboy hats, others were about to bite into tasty-looking food, but mostly they smiled. After more than a year in Lake County and a lifetime of avoiding whichever fair, I finally understand the draw of the county fair.
The Lake County Fair was a smorgasbord of friends, food and fun.
Fair organizers helped me to get a stamp, water on the hot day and make sure I didn”t miss important photo opportunities such as the parade and ribbon cutting.
Excited children trotted through the fairgrounds with a pack of family and friends behind them.
Councilman Roy Parmentier stopped to ask why he hasn”t seen the story I interviewed him for but then nicely introduced me to his wife and talked to me about the issues.
Friends of friends handed me discounts for food and theater and said I would have fun though I”m a Rocky Horror Show virgin.
A wife took the first few bites of her husband”s clam chowder in a bread bowl while they waited for more hot orders.
Supervisor Rob Brown hugged and hollered at person after person before doing more chores for campaigns, the livestock auction and the pageant.
Children waived at their parents or older siblings every time they made their way around the train, mechanical pink elephant or killer whale rides.
Though I only spent about an hour inside the fair Thursday, taking photos and asking questions, I wanted to stay longer. Unfortunately, I was booked with a weekend-long family event out of town.
Now I know I missed out.
When movie characters or my friends went home for the county fair or rodeo, I didn”t get it. There are rides and food, but I could have fun and eat with my friends anywhere. So why pay an entry fee?
The county fair isn”t just about walking through the fairgrounds with friends. It”s about family and neighbors; councilmen and teachers; candidates and former classmates. It also holds entertainment for many hobbyists; gardeners and junior ranchers; quilters and woodcarvers; beauty queens and racers; artists and musicians; foodies and beer-lovers.
The family atmosphere of the fair also helped me to see all the benefits of living in the same city for a number of years, or even staying in or near where you grew up.
Growing up in Galt where I felt like I had few opportunities, I didn”t want to settle for a small town or city. I wanted to live and work in a metropolis.
But seeing generations of families get together at the fair who then go have fun on their own is definitely a pro of living in the same city as your family. And if I had grown up here, we could have had our family event and I could have met up with friends at the fair later.
Whether it”s winning best tomatoes at the county fair or helping to raise generations of a family in one house, home is more than just a place to live. It”s a place where people feel happy. And those who call Lake County home should be proud.
Katy Sweeny is a staff reporter for the Record-Bee. She can be reached at kdsweeny@gmail.com or 263-5636, ext. 37.
