Remember when the county fair was the highlight of the year? Eagerly awaited by young and old alike. Merry-go-rounds and Ferris wheel, swimming ducks and cranes for the kids. Peep shows for the gents, and competition galore for the ladies!
My grandmother and mother exhibited baked goods at the county fairs. (I did too when very young.)
I remember waiting in long lines to get checked in and shelves and shelves full of every kind of cookie, cake, or pie you could think of, row after row of flowers of every color and variety, and garden produce to no end.
The judges had to have an iron stomach and a sweet tooth to sample every single entry! Choosing the Blue Ribbon winners is no easy task. The day after the judging was completed everyone flocked to the display cases to see who won. Did your baked goods rank higher than your rival? Who was going to have bragging rights at every event throughout the year - until the next fair and another competition?
The 1903 Long Prairie Variety Cookbook had pages of cookie and cake recipes, but they consisted only of lists of ingredients. You know these ladies were competing against each other at the fair and probably had a secret ingredient or special way to mix and bake those delicious cookies and cakes that they didn't share with anyone!
The men competed, too, with the tallest stalks of corn and the biggest shocks of grain, or their prize bull or heifer. The county fair was something everyone stopped for. You came in from the fields to meet your city neighbors and enjoy a night off.
The 1912 Todd County Fair featured an airplane show! Sulky racing was also popular "back then." (The Todd County Historical Society has a sulky in their building at the fair - amongst other treasures.)
This year, when you attend your county fair, remember it with the wide-eyed wonder of childhood. Remember it as the place to meet your neighbors and remember.
My grandmother and mother exhibited baked goods at the county fairs. (I did too when very young.)
I remember waiting in long lines to get checked in and shelves and shelves full of every kind of cookie, cake, or pie you could think of, row after row of flowers of every color and variety, and garden produce to no end.
The judges had to have an iron stomach and a sweet tooth to sample every single entry! Choosing the Blue Ribbon winners is no easy task. The day after the judging was completed everyone flocked to the display cases to see who won. Did your baked goods rank higher than your rival? Who was going to have bragging rights at every event throughout the year - until the next fair and another competition?
The 1903 Long Prairie Variety Cookbook had pages of cookie and cake recipes, but they consisted only of lists of ingredients. You know these ladies were competing against each other at the fair and probably had a secret ingredient or special way to mix and bake those delicious cookies and cakes that they didn't share with anyone!
The men competed, too, with the tallest stalks of corn and the biggest shocks of grain, or their prize bull or heifer. The county fair was something everyone stopped for. You came in from the fields to meet your city neighbors and enjoy a night off.
The 1912 Todd County Fair featured an airplane show! Sulky racing was also popular "back then." (The Todd County Historical Society has a sulky in their building at the fair - amongst other treasures.)
This year, when you attend your county fair, remember it with the wide-eyed wonder of childhood. Remember it as the place to meet your neighbors and remember.