Fair Week 2011 - Saturday

Another fair has come to a close.  I can't believe it's already over, it seems like it just started.   I always have mixed emotions as we drive away from the fairgrounds on the final night of fair week. 

On one hand I am glad it's over.  Fair week is an exhausting six days of non-stop activity.  Even the chicklets start to drag a little on the last day or two. As for myself, I could use a very looooooooong nap or two or three!

On the other hand, it is all so much fun it's sad that we have to wait a whole 'nother year for it to come around again.  The competition, the entertainment and the sheer excitement of it all make each day of fair week something to look forward to.  Having my niece and nephew here made this year's fair even more fun for all of us. 

I am pretty sure the carnival is going to be high on what my chicklets miss most.  We had bought the older kids (Boy Wonder, The Joker and Super Girl) armbands that allowed them to go on rides as often and whenever they wanted.  We sure got our money's worth there.  Those three loved the "freedom" of being able to come and go on the rides.  I liked not having to worry about whether they we having fun or not.  The Munchkin loved the rides too, but we didn't think she really needed unlimited rides as we needed to be with her whenever she went anyway.

All in all Fair Week 2011 was another fun-filled adventure that has left us anxiously anticipating next year.  Highlights of our last day included:

• Boy Wonder competed in the Showmanship Sweepstakes along with 17 other 4H-ers representing 9 different animal projects at the fair.  He did really well for his first time and even though he didn't bring home the big trophy, we are still so proud of him.  There were approximately 1000 youth participating in the fair this year ... that puts Boy Wonder in the top 2 percent ... not too shabby!

• The kids took advantage of their carnival armbands and managed to squeeze in a few more rides.  It was a scorcher today (well over 90 with humidity) so they waited until after dark to really hit the rides.  The Geek and I found a nice bench to sit on and people watch with the Munchkin and the Little Prince.  Ain't nothin' like people watchin' at the fair.  There are some real curious folks out there people!

• We snuck away from the fairgrounds just for a bit to take the Joker and Super Girl on a little sightseeing tour of our neck of the woods.  They were anxious to see a little bit of the area and it was a nice air conditioned break from the heat and humidity.

• We ended the night by watching motocross racing at "The Pit".  I didn't think I was going to enjoy it very much but I was wrong.  Unfortunately we neglected to put up lawn chairs earlier in the day, so we had to watch from the standing room only section.  The heat kinda limited how long we could watch, but we saw enough high flying dirt bikes and jolting crashes to last us a while.  Boy Wonder had a friend from church racing in one of the heats, so once we saw him (complete with a minor crash into a wall) we headed back to the poultry barn for a quick check on the chickens.  Before we knew it, it was time to gather everyone up and head home for the night.

The boys have to go back in the morning to collect the chickens and all of our other projects and ribbons.  Once that's done we can officially say good bye to Fair Week 2011.  It was a good one and we can't wait for next year!