I went to the Santa Barbara County Fair yesterday with my wife and daughter and a friend she had whom I’ve never met before. Our son was already there as he is a participant in one of the biggest unknown youth boondoggling’s of our community, which is to mean – he’s there to sell his hog. After having lived in this County all my life, this is actually only the second time I’ve paid to get through the gate. It was early in the afternoon and the crowds were minimal, just the way we like it. Handed off some cash to the kid and off they went. Monica and I ventured toward the livestock side, giving us a chance for perusing all the fine fair delicacies exorbitantly priced. Corn on the cob for $5? What are we in Paris? We arrive to the Farm section and thankfully the weather was sunny and clear with the typical cool afternoon ocean breezes perfect for pushing away the strong odors of the animal barns, leaving behind just enough to the sensory to remind you that you’re actually in an animal barn.
Within and surrounding these buildings is a hodgepodge of affiliates that covered the whole human spectrum: toddlers, kids, teenagers, adults and elderly. Some playing cards, some sweeping the floors (barn duty it’s called), some teenage romancing clearly in play, some old timers roaming the pens to look at the stock, and mostly parents just being with their kids. I found it fascinatingly interesting for a weekday afternoon. And every animal barn was the same. There was a barn for pigs, a barn for bovine, a barn for lambs, a barn for all things poultry that included rabbits and some other cute creature that looked like a guinea pig, and then a barn for goats. These last two I think were my favorite. The First three barns featuring the larger animals were nothing more than Death Row visits to each of the species. Not that I have anything against Rib Eyes, or bacon, it’s just that seeing the pictures at each stall with the kid that was raising them and that animal together – I couldn’t help but feel the falseness of it all. They don’t love them really do they? And if they did – how weird! My innate cynicism and the fact that my son doesn’t play that fake lovey dovey game – being true to the business side of this event leads me to think all they really just want is to get paid. But who am I to judge that a picture means love, and what the hell do I know about fair general principals and guidelines anyways?
I found a true peacefulness in the poultry and goat barns for perhaps reasons of non-violence. With the exception of the turkeys and maybe some of the rabbits –none of these creatures were going to have to spill blood in the near future. There is something therapeutic in watching chickens cluck and be, and for me especially, in looking at roosters. I had no idea how diverse, and handsome they can be. One Polish variety had this grey afro so salient, I envisioned seeing him signing his name at the bottom of our Constitution. Another - - looked as if somewhere back in it’s lineage they mated with a leopard since it’s spots and colors on the feathers were identical. The leghorns kept making me laugh thinking of course about Looney Tunes –“I say, I say, hey boy…..you’s all mixed up like a feather in a whirlwind.”
The goat barns at first gave me fear because Monica is so enamored with them right now, starting way before this fair, that I expect to see one or two when I get home anytime. But this gave her a chance to show me why and suddenly I couldn’t help but get what she is meaning. There are these Nigerian kind, that are solely for milking. They are small and adorable. Dammnit!!!! I love adorable. And I yearn to taste goats milk again –stemming back to my childhood daycare provider who made me drink and subsequently fall in love with ice cold goats milk.
So now we’ve gone through one of the major elements of this fair, we cruised the other cool parts that I forget are part of each and every fair across America – which are the art and food submittals. We looked at exhibits of jams, what struck out was a canned apple in red hot cinnamon sauce win 2nd’ place. There was a table setting arrangement contest. Artfully done photographs categorized of local landscape scenes, animals and miscellaneous venues. They showed a Scrapbook contests which notably covered a ladies trip to Catalina (1st place) and some kids trip to Disney land. They were amazing scrapbooks. Quilts were shown and judged, as were cookies, cakes and pies. All this stuff made me really happy. It made me remember about the truth in that happiness really resides in the small things that matter most, and in the attempt to try and do and hopefully “win.” I’m not one who subjects himself to being judged very often and I’m happy that others are.
