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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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!



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.



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.



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



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.