Fair Sheep

Every year around the first of August the Ohio State Fair opens and we never miss it. Yesterday we decided to brave the 98 degree heat and humidity and set off to see the sights. We entered via the midway and passed by all of the fun houses, rides, and games where dozens of garish, giant stuffed animals were there for the winning.

Our first destination was the sheep barn. We wandered up and down the rows of cages admiring all the different breeds, and petting as many as possible to get the lanolin on our hands. Some sheep were being sheared, and they added their indignant "baaaas" to the occasional calls of other sheep, all in different timbre and pitch. What a choral work! There are beautiful sweaters, scarves, dusters and other items all made of wool for sale, and we selected a pair of socks, thinking of the coming winter months.

Next on our "must do" list was a trip to one if the buildings where vendors sell every imaginable trinket. Our first goal was to come in from the awful heat to air conditioning. And sometimes we are lucky and find something for sale that ends up being very useful. This year, however, nothing caught our eye, so we headed back out to the other side of the fairgrounds to watch our daughter play her trumpet with her high school band. Along the way, we stopped and sampled some of the delicious fair food- a giant bucket of crispy french fries and an elephant ear washed down with cold iced tea.

Leah's band performed about 5 songs in a grove protected by shade trees. They had originally planned to march, but wisely cancelled that portion due to the extreme heat. They played very well. We walked with her toward the buses where all the kids were going to unload their instruments and then head back for several hours of fair fun. We decided that we had withstood the heat and humidity as long as we wanted, and headed toward the car. On the way we made one last stop at the Budweiser tent where the beautiful Clydesdales were munching hay with fans blowing in all directions. I never cease to be amazed at the size of those giant animals. Their tack is just as amazing, not only because of its size, but also because it is kept in pristine, shining condition. In years past, we have watched while they hook the 8 horses up to draw the wagon to the coliseum, where they perform for about 10 minutes before heading back to their tents. That is an awesome sight. It takes about 10 minutes to hook each horse up and the driver has handfuls of black reins when he eventually climbs on the wagon and starts the team moving. This year, I hoped that they would let the animals stay in the tent. The first horse hitched would have to stand in the heat for close to an hour waiting for the others, and it was sweltering.

We finally reached the car and climbed in, hot, sweaty and ready for a blast of AC on the way home. In spite of the heat, it was the fair and the fair cannot be missed.