Knox County Fair

I get a little bit giddy when I go to a County Fair...or the State Fair, or a festival. I don't know that I always felt this way, but now I can pinpoint the feeling to the excitement of sharing with Noah the sights, sounds and smells that make a gathering of corn dogs, tractor pulls and horse shows a real American pastime.

Today we went to the Knox County Fair in good old Mount Vernon. It was a beautiful day to be on the fairgrounds. I felt like a kid the moment I stepped out of the truck and took in a deep breath. Hello, country air! Hello, Italian sausage!

When you're two, the neat thing about a fair is that there isn't a single part that is boring to you. A sheep is as exciting as a snow cone, and the rides that go in endless circles can create peals of laughter as easily as a ring toss game. So it wasn't hard to turn our toddler—who has been extraordinarily dramatic and cranky this week—into an enchanted little boy.

The highlights:


There was a fantastic, free petting zoo in kiddie land. In addition to the regular menagerie of farm animals—including this pygmy goat—the tent also had axis deer, a kangaroo, a skunk and a bison. Noah giggled and chuckled and "oohed" and "ahhed" through this tent. He thought the animals licking his hands were hilarious.



Here we are, spectating at the tractor pulls. I tried to prepare Noah for the ear-splitting roar of the John Deeres spewing black smoke from their stacks, and I must have done a decent job. He thought the whole thing was... okay. It at least warranted the question, "Anudder tractor, mama?"


Kiddie land was a hit too. When Noah spotted the cars, he zeroed in on climbing into one of those shiny automobiles. The ride operator, however, took about 15 minutes to get things moving. He really liked to joke with the kids and he patiently waited for anyone in a quarter-mile vicinity to get on the ride, but the poor kids like Noah who got on first really had a lesson in patience. Must have been worth the wait, though. Look at this happy guy:

Later, I got to ride on the helicopters with Noah. I wasn't going to get on, but the ride operator said to me in a heavily accented voice, "Mom ride with baby?" And I said, "Well, okay." And away we went... up, up and away!


Not wanting to leave out David, I suggested he squeeze himself into the tiny train just around the corner.


And with that, our fair experience came to an end. We had to get home in order to catch Noah's bedtime, and remarkably neither David nor I wanted to indulge in any more fair treats. We really behaved ourselves this year!

In a few weeks, I'm sure we'll hit up the Ohio State Fair. No that, folks, is a fair to behold! More on that next month...