My First Time at the Howard County Fair!

I grew up going to fairs in Williamsport, the kind where you go and play some games, ride the rides, and have all the unhealthy food your body can handle - funnel cakes, ice cream, gyros, hamburgers, fries, etc! Normal attire at fairs is less than par; you don't necessarily need to match your clothes, do anything with your hair, wear any makeup, and it brings out anyone from the woodwork. Call me harsh, but you all know it's true. You go to a fair and you see it all. 

One thing I haven't seen at a fair is something my friend, Callie, grew up with. I've never seen livestock at a fair, nor have I ever been around the whole 4-H / Cattle Raising / Sheep Grooming / Piglet Cleaning thing.  I'm not what you call a girl that can get down and dirty with the pigs or clean up the animal poop.  I've been friends with Callie since freshman year at Dickinson - ah, 7 years!  She always told me about how she grew up raising pigs and how she was in 4-H. I never could relate to that. I grew up going to basketball camp, playing outside in the pool, and hanging with my family at the beach. To be honest, I don't really remember what I grew up doing in school - probably checking off my chore list every week. OK, but back to the fair. Callie would always tell me about the fair and about all the livestock, but it was really hard for me to comprehend this side of her. The Callie that I know has her ducks in a row, can't stand when there's a mess, wears her pearls and j.crew sweaters, and loves a nice-smelling room. I couldn't see her getting down and dirty with the pigs, but boy was I wrong!

We went to the Howard County fair last Saturday. It was hot and muggy, with a touch of rain here and there. We all know I love food, so I had a mission for the food I wanted to eat while hanging out there. I wanted to try the Glendale's Fries, Lenny's Famous Sausage and Peppers Sandwich, and a Deep-Fried Oreo. Our first fair stop was to go see the pigs! These pigs weren't like the ones in Charlotte's Web. These pigs were huge, smelly, and not the prettiest looking creatures I've ever seen. I think the 2-year old kids around me were at greater ease with the pigs than I was!

The little piglets

We then went over to see the sheep and llamas. The sheep were all different colors, both black and white, but I have to share a picture of the sheep that was getting groomed. I have never seen balls that big on anything...hahaha...

Am I right or am I right? Biggest Balls ever!

Me with the Llama!

The next stop on our fair adventures was to have my appetizer of the day, Glenelg Fries.  Val Littleton highly advised that I get these fries.  I'm not a huge fan of french fries. I often replace fries with a side of veggies, but what they heck, I'm at the fair and I'm going to enjoy them.  The fries came in Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Size! Since I knew I'd be eating deep fried oreos later on, I opted for the Freshman size. Just the right amount. I ate my fries plain with a little ketchup on them, while Don (Cal's Dad) taught me how to eat fries a new way - he loaded them with Old Bay Seasoning and Vinegar. I don't think I ever heard of Old Bay until I was at Dickinson and met all these people from Maryland. I'm a fan of Don's way of eating fries; they were so good and gave it an extra tangy kick.

Our next stop was to the rides and games area! Callie may disagree with me, but I actually love roller coasters and adventure rides. I grew up going to Knoebel's Grove in PA, and I would always go on all of the crazy rides. For some reason, though, when I got on the swings, I freaked out like a little baby.  The swings were going over a major highway and all my brain pictured was that swing breaking and me landing in the highway. I was like a 4-year-old. No wait, scratch that. The 4-year-old next to me was more calm than I was. Nonetheless, I think I gave Callie and Don a good laugh.

Our next stop was over to the games... Callie was determined to win a goldfish. These fairs know exactly how to con little kids out of money. Maybe that, or maybe I'm just unskilled at winning fish at the fair. You throw the ball and it always goes into the corners ALL the time... it rarely goes into the fish bowl. Callie took the reigns again as she nailed one in and won a goldfish we named Howard (in honor of the Howard County Fair). Who knows if Howard is still alive, but he had a great home for at least a couple of days!

After screaming my guts out like a baby on the swings, I decided it was time for round 2 of my food adventures - bring on the sausage and peppers!  Anyone who knows me (even in the slightest) knows I love my sausage and peppers, and although no one can beat my mom's, I'd have to say that Lenny's Hot Italian Sausage Sandwich with Peppers and Onions was pretty darn amazing. There's no way to describe my love of this meal - it's my favorite - and I enjoy every bite of it! My final food stop of the day was the highly anticipated Deep Fried Oreos! I've never had one before, and knowing that I love oreos, I knew this would be something I would enjoy. Now, I want to preface by saying that I ate healthy all week long in preparation for the fair. I ate tons of veggies, salads, and lean protein just so I could chow down on my fries and oreos and not feel one bit guilty. I don't normally eat food like this at all, but every once in a while, you have to indulge! I ordered two oreos and they were covered in powered sugar. It made me wonder what genius was like "Hey, I'm going to take an unhealthy food and fry it so that it can be even more unhealthy!"...probably some high college kid that hit a goldmine (if you know the origin, please enlighten me). In case you didn't know, the Oreo cookie was developed by Nabisco in 1912, and was commercialized in order to target the British market, whose biscuits were labeled as "too ordinary." I'll always love a good double-stuffed or mint oreo, but I'll definitely take a deep fried one at any chance I can get!

I think that about sums up my time at the Howard County Fair with the Littleton family! I'm no longer a stranger to pigs, goats, sheep, and cattle, but let me tell you, you won't be seeing me getting down and dirty with the livestock ever... just not my scene.  I will say this, though - all of the kids I met that day in the 4-H clubs learn the value of patience, hard work, and dedication at a very early age. Most children these days don't know how to lift a finger, except if it's for the remote to their video games. Some of these kids work within 4-H each year to put themselves through college someday. That's the value of hard work. I was grateful to have seen this side of Callie, since I've known her 7 years now! It goes to show that no matter how long you know a person, we all have a ton of different layers just waiting to be peeled back; and each moment of our past and element of our upbringing leads us to be the people we become!