2013 Hardin County Fair: A recap.

As I write this, I am sitting up at the station after a long week at the fair. There’s a stack of production waiting to be mixed, several news stories to write, and pictures to post. But I find myself with no desire to do any of it. I suppose it’s because at this moment, I’m a bit reflective over the past week at the fair, and some things are going through my mind.

As many of you know, I am an observer of human nature. Watching people is a past time of mine, and through that, from time to time I’ll make random observations on the absurdity of life, or just life in general. And this week at the fair, I’ve made quite a few.

Good weather for an outdoor festival is a rarity and should be acknowledged.

Anytime you cram that many people into a small area, there is no effective way to handle traffic.

The fair is a collaborative effort, of many people of all ages coming together for one week out of the year to celebrate themselves. This will never change no matter how hard someone tries to make it all about them.

It’s one thing to be mad, but to keep it up for an entire week, and try to take it out on people who volunteer their time makes you nothing more than a complete, entitled douche.

When has calling out of town media to cover local stories ever made a situation better? Ask yourself, would they also come to cover something like a business opening, or park improvement? If not, why would you think they’ve got your best interests in mind?

The red shirts are awesome. There’s no bones about it.

When at a fair, time has a way of shifting. If you say you’re going to run out for ribbon fries and come right back in five minutes, you really mean about twenty minutes, because you’ll need to stop and talk with fifty people you haven’t seen yet between the grandstand and the arena.

While things are never as they used to be, it’s kind of nice to reminisce once in a while.

While it’s always better to have someone to walk around with and share the experience, it’s certainly not necessary.

Babies riding in John Deere wagons are always cute.

It’s amazing how many white benches there are all around, but never when you really want one.

The best place to see people is the picnic tables right outside the Pork Producers Barn. You can literally watch the whole fair walk by.

People who donate fair earnings to non-profits should be commended.

True good sportsmanship is rarely recognized, but that’s as it should be.

Fairground cell service SUCKS!

Organized chaos and sometimes not so organized chaos is a staple at a fair, and yet it wouldn’t happen any other way.

There are some others of course but that’s about it. Several random observations.

Everyone should have something in their life that they have a passion for. For some it’s their work, and others, their hobbies, but for me it is, and will always be the Hardin County Fair. I’m biased of course, having grown up with the fair over the years, but the people of this county, I don’t believe, have a real appreciation for what we have here. It isn’t perfect, and will never be. There are things that happen, and when they do, you learn from them and move on. But, having been to a number of different fairs myself; we really have a fair to be proud of.

I reflected on this, this morning. During the hour of inspiration I happened to gaze out over the track and to the fields behind the grounds. There was something, almost poetic about that moment. The singing of the songs, the cool breeze, the overcast day, the track and activity going on throughout the grounds, while the cornfields continued to shift in the breeze. I’ll never forget that moment, because it truly made my week. It helped me to really appreciate what can be found in the here and now, and to appreciate what we have.

What we have is a great fair, a showcase of talent, ability, and friendship that by and large seems to be lacking in the world today. We don’t truly appreciate what we have until we no longer have them so we need to live in the moment.

When taking it all into consideration, it’s been a great week, and a great fair.

See you next year!