I have two jobs at the fair, now, every year. The first job I wrote about last year around this time was that of 4H Foods and Photography. It's a mixed blessing. The good part is that I get to taste the best food, mostly cakes and cookies and brownies, all day. The bad part is that I get to taste the best food all day. By the time I finish up, around 3:30 p.m., I feel like throwing up, simply from all the sweets. I'm frantic for protein! But let me tell you this: there are some GREAT cooks coming up! Beautiful loaves of bread, pretty cookies, amazing candies...
My other job is that of helping to clerk the 4H sale on Saturday morning. I go to a little judges booth/announcer stand and wait for the sale to start so that I can take money and issue reciepts. The booth is pretty basic; some years we freeze, some years we cook. This year was perfect...coolish and no real wind to speak of!
Because my job starts a little later in the sale, I get to watch part of it, which is so very interesting. People know we're in there, but I don't think they ever really think that we can see them, you know? It's an insider-observer sort of thing, and I like that I can see the stands of people, the 4H kids waiting for their animal to sell, parents, buyers, auctioneer, runners...everything. I didn't think to take pictures until my phone was just about dead, but I managed 3. (The funny thing, to me, is that I ALSO managed unknowingly to get three people who constantly worry about their picture/story coming up on the Chronicles. I won't identify them, but it truly was a coincidence!)
Looking out at the stands and the reserve champion steer being sold. It was a pretty good crowd for the sale, considering how much harvest is going on in the county right now.
Waiting to sell the steer....
I was never in 4H (still a little mad about that, because I desperately wanted to), but I think I'd have been one of those kids who walked out of the arena in tears, knowing my steer was going to the processing plant that afternoon. Even though, you KNOW it's going to happen, it would still be hard, I think.
This is my favorite picture, taken out of the window where the buyers come to pay for their animals. These kids are also waiting in line to sell their steers; it's sort of a behind the scenes image. At the bottom of the picture, you can see the buyers' sheets, listing the animals/exhibitors/weights/placing. There are ranch pickups in the background, the 4H concession stand on the hill next to the arena stands for the rodeo later that day.
About 3 minutes after this picture was taken, buyers started showing up and it got crazy busy!
Next year, I'll try to get pictures of the rest of the fair. I just didn't think of it in time!
1 comment:
Very cool....and another "through the window" photo. =)
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