Take Me To the Fair

 

Another big event in Whatcom County- the Lynden fair! There are still a few granges that put up old fashioned farm exhibits. Youth groups bring their livestock. Local businesses set up displays of everything from electric juicers to hot tubs. One year we bought my beautiful cedar yard swing that now sits, wisteria-covered, in my back yard.

There are usually at least three or four varieties of dusters for sale, feather, micro-fiber, and outer coating from sheep or other mammal. No matter where I go, dust is always on my mind. The type I find works best is a furry cone.

Regardless of the many fair attractions, there are two types of people who attend: those who make themselves sick on the sugary, greasy food, and those who make themselves sick on the carnival rides.

The most intriguing place is the needlework exhibit. Many of the huge quilts are hand stitched. Twelve stitches per inch usually wins the grand prize, regardless of the overall composition. The more intricate and artful quilts are done by machine, and usually designed to hang on the wall. Snobs be damned. These works of art rival anything Rembrandt ever tried. (No, not joking on this one.)

While I wander around looking at things, Jerry sits on a bench and visits with people who walk by. He grew up in Lynden, so he knows a lot of them. If someone happens to be a stranger in town, they are treated to a personal history of Lynden and the fair along with advice on what foods are a ‘you hafta try.’

That’s the real attraction of the fair, and I think always has been. It’s a place to be around people in any easy, friendly atmosphere. I miss that with shopping malls and mega-stores. Nothing gives the feeling of community like a county fair.

Nancy Sherer

 

 


Copyright 1997 - 2009

SalmonRiverPublishing
All rights reserved