A fair week is always a good week...

Our county fair was held this past week.  In a rural county like ours, fair is kind of like a family reunion of sorts as you see family, friends, folks that you haven't seen since school was out or maybe you haven't even seen since last year's fair.

My main gal (wife) and I are both 4H Shooting Sports instructors.  Our shooting season begins in February each year, culminates in judging for the county fair, and ends the last weekend of July with our annual Top Gun/Top Shot competition or whatever we're calling it any particular year.

The 4H Shooting Sports kids range in age from eight to eighteen and participate in both interviews and shooting events during our county judging.

My little gal took first place in the Senior Archery division and will be heading to the Ohio State Fair in August to compete against the county winners from across the state.  She's won first place at the county level and outstanding of the day or first in class at state fair in pistol, rifle, shotgun, and archery over the years, so hopefully August will be a good opportunity for her again.

She entered the contest for the Clinton County Junior Fair Queen this year.  She was second-runner-up at the fair... but she's still my first place princess!  They kept her busy at various events like judging and sales.

Our 4H club had a nice display of our kids hard work and efforts... but no real firearms, bows, cartridges, cartridge parts, arrows or parts of arrows allowed on the fair grounds in these politically corrected times.  An empty shotgun shell on a display board is obviously a far more dangerous situation than a fifty-seven-pound eight-year-old in a show ring with an eighteen-hundred pound steer.

There were lots of good fair food and fixin's, but my recent surgery limited my time at the fair this year and definitely limited my eating opportunities.  I did see some of next year's bacon supply sleeping in pens over at the hog barn.

Darryl Worley entertained folks with his brand of country hits including the patriotic "Have you forgotten"... which sadly, many in this country have.  One thing about country folks and fair... you see folks stop and step aside or tip a hat out of respect for veterans and military men and women... and hats come off while hands cover hearts every time the "Star Spangled Banner" is played.

While some in the blogosphere debate the validity of the term sheepdog, there's no question about it at the fair, because if you're alert... you'll see that sheepdogs are at the dog show two barns over... this is the sheep show.

Tractors pulled, diesel trucks smoked, daisy dukes badonkadonked, and folks had fun.  A fair week is always a good week...