Sunday, July 20, 2008

FIeld Trip - Another Day at the County Fair

Welcome back to our tour of the Kane County Fair. The fairgrounds is located on Randall Road, which is now a major road through the county. But I remember back when it was a two-lane gravel country road. I believe there was talk at one time about relocating the fairgrounds further west to a location that would once again be more rural. But in the last year they've built a new multi-million dollar exhibit building so I guess the relocation plans are not in the works any longer.

Here are two baa-baa black sheep cuddling together for companionship. It's certainly not to keep warm because it was very hot and humid the day I visited.

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All the livestock barns have a slightly different "parfum". If you've ever spent any time on a farm you could be blindfolded and easily identify when barn you are standing in. The goats have a mild odor, but after all they are smaller animals. When we move up to the sheep the smell factor increases a bit.

Look at these sheep. When they're wearing their protective gear they remind me of a knight's horse, all decked out for the jousting match. I like sheep. I'd like a bunch of them to come live with me and keep my lawn in check.

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The chickens were struggling to keep cool and were acting quite nervous. One started making some racket and the entire chicken barn was soon up for grabs. They were raising cain, as it were. Those were some noisy birds. The chicken barn has that odd, distinctive smell. I'm sure there's a scientist among you that can explain the chemical components.

This bird (a leghorn, I believe) had a comb that made it almost impossible to see the world around him. It's beautiful though.

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Here's a dandy. I've come to the conclusion that any chicken with fluff on top of it's head is a nervous wreck. These chickens (cockerels) never stopped moving for one second. I think they wanted to show off their headdresses, which were constantly in motion. The photo is fuzzy because he wouldn't stand still long enough to have his picture taken.

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Look at this drop dead gorgeous turkey. He was the Grand Champion and believe me, he KNEW it. He was strutting it up big time.

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The teenagers were just hanging out and, like the livestock, trying to keep cool. They always bring old couches from home to decorate their space. The preteen group were real pranksters. They rigged some rubber spiders from the ceiling on a system of pulleys. What they would do is drop the spider as an unsuspecting person walked through the barn. Quite a clever prank!

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OK, everybody put their blindfolds on. We're going to the next barn and I"m going to test your skills in identifying the animal from the "parfum". Be careful, the gravel is uneven. Keep walking. Take a deep whiff. OK, take off your blindfolds and see if you guessed right.

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There they are, as cute as they can be and equally stinky. I'll apologize to any hog farmers that may be reading but I don't understand how you can ever get accustomed to the smell. Whoa....that's all I can say.

These children were fascinated by the pigs. The young farmer asked the kids if they wanted to feed the pigs, but understandably they were a little shy. Mom stepped in and showed them how. The fair is such a great chance for children to see livestock up close and personal.

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Look at these pigs. They were snuggled very close to share the air from the fan. They're so funny.

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Didn't I promise some Jersey girls today. Hey, the Jersey Boys got nothing on them. But I didn't realize how many pictures I had to share, so the Jersey Girls will be here tomorrow. Don't miss it, their eyes will simply melt your heart.

NOTE: I haven't forgotten about the bias tape tutorial. That will be publishing on Tuesday.

11 comments:

Marie Reed said...

The sheep look like either knights or bank robbers!
- Marie from Voila Vintage

Vee said...

Hmmmm, just as I suspected...hot and humid and odiferous. ;>

Can't wait for the bias tape lesson!

Mamahut said...

The pigs remind me of myself on a hot day. I wish we had a fair, how fun.

Anonymous said...

What memories you are helping me "retrieve" with these posts on the "County Fair". I was raised in the "country", 25 mi from St. "Joe" and 25 mi from Kansas City (MO). We lived with the Parfum of hog farms all around. On warm days, with the wind blowing in the right direction---"whew" is all I can saw. Loved the teens decor and their "spidey" tricks to pass the time! Your photos are wonderful.

Jill said...

Wow - those pigs sure are clean! All the animals look so pretty... if you can call livestock pretty. :)

Louise said...

I forgot to mention yesterday that for $1.99, ANY comfortable shoe is a bargain. And I would have liked to see the kitten-heeled girl at the end of the day.

Pigs... They are sooooo cute... when they are babies. Then something happens. I've always wanted a baby pig, too. But again, I'm not married to a farmer. And even if I was, they would grow up and be, well, just not so cute.

Trish said...

Hee hee....great shots once again. AND that is not mentioning the wonderful commentaries to go with. Thanks for a trip to the fair...I can't make it to my own this weekend so this will suffice!

Unknown said...

Cool photos and they bring back so many memories :-) Thankyou!

I think that fluffy chicken is a Silkie. My grandmother had some that she used to show. Beautiful birds.

There is nothing like the *aroma* of a pig pen, especially one on the farm. The show barns are a lot cleaner, however they still STINK!!!

Tara said...

Ah, look at all these cuties!

Suzanne said...

Marie -I thought they looked like knights.

Vee - Yes...all three, the trifecta of fair.

Mamahut - You don't have a fair? I'm thinking this is an activity in agricultural areas.

Dana - Thanks for the compliments on the photos. I love photography, it's my relaxing hobby. I had to laugh at the spider trick because it was so clever!

Jill -They make all the livestock look their prettiest. There's lots of spa treatments going on.

Louise - The kitten heel was especially dangerous since they had just finished a major construction project at the fairgrounds and all the gravel was new and sharp as glass. It hadn't been worn down to a smooth surface yet.

Trish - I wasn't able to make it to the fair last year and I missed it so much.

Karen - You're right, I believe that is a Silkie. I had another picture I was going to insert there. I could never keep all these chickens straight.

Tara - The rabbits were cute too. They all had their water bottles in the cages with them. I guess they freeze water bottles and put them in the cages to keep the rabbits cool. It was pretty funny to see them all snuggled up with their water bottles.

Rue said...

Good morning Suzanne :)

I love the sheep with their hoods! :)

My mom had pigs for a long time when we lived on a ranch in Santa Ynez, CA. It's her favorite animal. She would bath them so they didn't smell LOL

I want one of those funny hat chickens!