The Quiet Before the Fair

In a couple hours, the Husband and I will catch the free County Express bus shuttle to the San Benito County Fair. I think I will be an adult and not race over to the floral, photography, and home arts departments to see how my entries did. Maybe.

For more info about the fair, check out the San Benito County Fair website. This past week, I've been posting photos of past several years of the fair: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Today, I'm hooking up at The Weekend in Black and White.

The 91st Annual San Benito County Fair

The San Benito County Fair is on!

Over the next three days, folks will travel south and north on Highway 25 to Bolado Park to enjoy the 91st annual traditional event. Eat, drink, and be merry.  Oooh over 4-H and children displays and livestock exhibits, drool over the baked good entries, and appreciate the various splendid quilt, art, craft, and photography work.  Best of all, hang out and catch up with family and friends.

Here's where to find information online:

• Hours of the Fair
• Cost of Tickets 
• Fair & Entertainment Schedule
• Free County Express Shuttle Schedule from Hollister and San Juan Bautista

This week has been all about the San Benito County Fair. To check out posts from the last few days, please click here.

Tootling Around the County Fair

Only one more day before the 91st Annual San Benito County Fair opens at Bolado Park for the weekend. Whooo-hooo!

Yesterday evening, I noticed that a few of the carnival rides were up. That took me back to being 8 or 9 years old when I went to the fair (the San Benito County Fair, in fact) for the first time and I rode the crazy spinning ride for the first time and I experienced vertigo for the first time. Oh, joy! It took a few more times before I was cured from going on any kind of spinning rides again.

There are so many things to check out at the fair—the livestock, 4-H displays, and the quilting, crafts, baking, arts, and other fair entries. There are also the community group booths, the vendors, the model train exhibit, and more. One year, the Husband and I plunked down a dollar each to see The Strange Thing. After reading all the signs outside of the booth, who wouldn't want to know what The Strange Thing was.  So, what was it? An old beat-up, dried lizard-looking body that we were told was the legendary chupacabra monster. Uh-huh.

And, when your tootsies are tired from tootling around the displays and exhibits, you can park yourself in front of the one stages and listen to a live band or watch dance troupes, jugglers, a magician, or, perhaps, a hypnotist put willing fair guests under his spell. I did that one year. Yup, I did. If you'd like to read my hypnosis experience, please click here.

For a schedule of events, including All Alaskan racing pigs, truck pulls, and kid tractor pulls, click here.

Today I'm taking part in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday. To check out what other bloggers are featuring about the letter T, please click here.

All this week I'm writing about the San Benito County Fair. If you want to see a few more photos of our fair, here are Monday's post, Tuesday's post, and Wednesday's post.
 

Livestock at the Fair

Do you remember the folk song (or children song) Animal Fair? 

We're going to the animal fair.
The birds and beasts were there.
The big baboon by the light of the moon
was combing his auburn hair.

That's the first verse of the version I know, which according to Wikipedia was first sung in 1898 by American sailors. I'll probably hum that tune on Saturday as the Husband and I take the free shuttle to the San Benito County Fair. Alas, there shan't be any baboons, but domestic birds and beasts shall be there.

The San Benito County Fair is this weekend at Bolado Park: Friday, October 3 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.), Saturday, October 4 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m.), and Sunday, October 5 (10 a.m. to 7 p.m.) The San Benito County Express will offer a free shuttle from San Juan Bautista and Hollister on all three days. Click here for the shuttle schedule.

The cows, pigs, goats, chickens, and rabbits are all raised by members of the various 4-H clubs in San Benito County, as well as high school students who belong to the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Every year, the youth sell their cows, pigs, and goats at the Junior Livestock Auction which is held at the fair. This year, it's on Saturday, starting at 10 a.m.

Today is Mrs. Nesbitt's ABC Wednesday. That's where I'm hanging out, checking other letter L posts by  bloggers from around the world. You can join me by clicking here.

By the way, I'm featuring the county fair this whole week. Here are Monday's post and Tuesday's post. Swing back tomorrow if you can.

Our World: The San Benito County Fair

I never gave much thought to the definition of county fair. Nor did I ever wonder if the term was even in the dictionary. Until last night, that is.  In honor of the San Benito County Fair this weekend (October 3, 4, and 5), I thought I'd feature it every day this week, but, as usual, without a plan about what to post. And, when in a mire about what to write, I reach for the dictionary and if the dictionary inspires naught, the encyclopedia.

According to Merriam Webster, the term county fair is a noun.  It originated in 1856. It means "a fair usually held annually at a set location in a county especially to exhibit local agricultural products and livestock."   Oxford Dictionaries.com defines county fair one better: "A competitive exhibition of livestock, agricultural products, and household skills held annually by a town, county, or state and also featuring entertainment and educational displays."

 
The San Benito County Fair is held at Bolado Park, eight miles south of Hollister. According to the May 10, 1938 issue of the Free Lance,  in 1922, some folks asked Julia Bolado Davis if they could hold a county fair on part of her property. She said yes and the rest was history.

Today, I'm linking up with Our World Tuesday. I invite you to come check out posts by other bloggers around the world. Please click here. 

P.S. Here's the link to yesterday's post about the San Benito County Fair. By the way, I have no idea what I'll write about tomorrow.