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those of the author and do not
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The Great Darke County Fair
Top Fair
Attractions... Friends and Animals
By Bob Robinson
The Great Darke County Fair is a time for catching up with old friends,
meeting new friends, family get-togethers and sometimes just saying hi
to people you know or see - occasionally or otherwise - throughout the
year. Sometimes you stop and talk; sometimes you wave in greeting as
you walk by.
So far, I’ve managed to hit the fairways (and the barns) every day. I
see a lot of my “kids;” usually just a “hi” and move on. Sometimes a
hug from the little ones.
I was walking, enjoying the great weather, when I got a tap on the
shoulder. I turned around to see three kids grinning at me. I knew them
all, individually, from Greenville schools; just never saw them
together before. Group hug!
“So what are you guys up to?”
“Just wandering around.”
“Rides? Games?” They shook their heads. “No money?” They nodded. That
was a bummer; I felt bad for them. Didn’t seem to bother them, though.
They were full of smiles; hugs again and they were on their way.
I ran into a young lady that I knew well. She covered Darke County with
me when I was running for commissioner. She has since gotten married
and had a little one. “He’s home with daddy,” she said.
“Hi, Mr. Robinson.” A former Edison student caught up with me; we
talked for a few minutes. She had just gotten off work, was tired, but
came to the fair anyway.
I sometimes wonder why people push themselves beyond tired. I look at
the faces that aren’t smiling when I walk past them. Tired, hurried,
fixated - sometimes even angry - trying to put a year’s worth of
waiting into one day. Two days? So why
do they do it? What’s the value in doing something when you are so
tired you really don’t know if you are having fun?
I answered my own question. They do it because that’s just the way it
is… It’s the Great Darke County Fair! And of course I had to remind
myself; I do it, too!
Got a big surprise Sunday morning. One of my favorite Miss Annie
Oakley’s (also one of my favorite students at Edison) and a friend were
headed for Gate 5 for a day at the fair. As soon as she saw me, she
started waving and ran up for a hug. Then she introduced me to her
husband.
“We got married yesterday,” she said. “We wanted to spend some time
here
before taking off on our honeymoon.” Hubby seemed like a nice guy; I
couldn’t have been more delighted for her… she was “smiles” from head
to toe. I shook hands with her new husband, got another hug from his
bride, and they were off to begin their new lives together.
Then there’s the young lady who has been part of my life almost from
the time I arrived in Greenville. Jordan was my Teen Editor when I was
the managing editor of The Advocate. She is a special, extremely
talented young lady.
Since she moved to Indiana to go to college, and then to begin her
career
in education, we have our reunions every year at the fair.
This year was no exception. What was new was her goal… “I want to see
the goats!” she said. We had never gone to the animal barns before; I
remembered when her “bucket list” was to eat her top ten fair foods.
She got it done, but had to take two of the foods home with her. Then
sometimes we focused on rides. But never the animal barns.
Jordan grew up in Darke County but had never been around farm animals.
So she got to see the goats! And the cows! And the pigs!
She loved the goats but hesitated at the suggestion of other animals.
“No, I’m not really interested in seeing cows,” she said, but agreed to
try it. Jordan started giggling like a schoolgirl when she got to pet a
cow. “That was fun!!”
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the two youngsters who took time to
share their animals with Jordan. Chelsea Noggler with her goat, and
Olivia Bowen with her cow… thank you!
On to the pigs. She reached down to pet one and pulled her hand back.
“That was weird,” she said.
I have a feeling pigs won’t make her top ten fair attractions. Next
year we’ll try sheep, chickens and turkeys. Maybe.
Or maybe just rabbits. They’re cute and cuddly.
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