What’s the Word: Nothing fairer than the fair
During his standing room only concert at the Warren County A & L Fair Monday night, a free standing room only concert I might add, country music star Trace Adkins made note of our local fair’s 50th anniversary and congratulated us on it, wishing us 50 more.
But in doing so, he also mentioned the fact that county fairs are beginning to disappear all across the country, something he obviously feels is a regrettable trend.
“We play a lot of state and county fairs,” he said, “and enjoy doing them.”
It was certainly easy to see why he enjoys them if Warren County is any indication. The crowd was very appreciative and quite vocal about it, and Adkins responded in kind, shaking hands with some of the crowd and interacting with them in a very friendly and open way.
And to say the crowd welcomed him with open arms would be an understatement. And in fact, looking back at some of the photographs I took at the concert, that description would be quite literal, as the pictures showed children who had made their way to the front of the stage reaching out to Adkins with rapt expressions as he strode the stage in an effort to greet as many of them as he could.
It was plainly a night they will all remember.
And it was all due to the efforts of the Warren County Fair Association and the local sponsors who work so hard to provide us with a wonderful, exciting, entertaining, safe and enjoyable county fair.
There is no doubt the fair is one of the high spots of the year in Warren County, or any other county that has a fair for that matter.
In addition to the varied exhibitions of agriculture and livestock, crafts and artful creations from local artisans, not to mention the series of colorful and charming pageants and baby shows, the county fair is very much a celebration. It’s a chance to mingle with fellow residents we might never meet otherwise.
One of the masters of ceremonies during one grandstand event remarked that the county fair is “the place where you get to see the people you haven’t seen since last year’s fair.”
And, though the remark was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, there is the ring of truth to it. We certainly intend to visit old friends, but the best intentions fall by the wayside as we deal with the pressures and headlong rush of modern society, so one of the great things about the county fair is the way it brings us all together.
There is probably no more democratic celebration than the county fair. People of all faiths, races, creeds and political beliefs mix with equal aplomb and camaraderie. No doubt about it, the colorful lights and festive atmosphere of the fair tends to put most everyone in a friendly mood, and that’s understandable. It would be hard to look at all the smiling faces on all the bright-eyed and excited children running around the fair and not find that excitement and sense of sheer joy contagious.
And, as with many other celebrations, like Christmas and Easter, the children are a big part of what makes the event so gratifying. Personally, I can’t seem to manage more than two or three rides at my exalted age without feeling unpleasantly queasy, which irks me no end actually. I used to love them and, like most kids, could ride them all night.
But, no matter. I can still enjoy those disconcerting machines vicariously. The looks on the faces of the children as they brave those daunting contraptions are priceless.
And most of the parents probably wish the tickets were.
Charlie Johnson is news editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].