Growing up in nearby Mercer County and living in Erie County ever since, the Crawford County Fair has always been a big deal to me. It's been the event that transitions from summer to fall, my favorite time of the year. My birthday is the first day of fall, and I swear the air begins to smell fall-like the very night I magically pick to attend the fair. So many memories ... among them, visiting the cleanest cows you'll ever see. Plus barn after barn of horses. Miniature horses that pull carts. Big draft horses and everything in between. My earliest memories have been visiting and loving those horses.
I know how to call a turkey and watch it fan its tail feathers and demonstrate this every year to whoever I'm with. I'm like a parlor trick! Did I mention my skills at the dime pitch? My cupboard is filled with an eclectic collection of special memories, from coffee mugs to glasses. Even my nephew won Aunt Connie a glass from the Kentucky Derby at the Crawford County Fair cause he knows how much I love the horses.
The photography exhibits are really inspirational too. Quilts that would make my grandmother proud. Prize vegetables. Baked goods. Building after building of fun things to see and do. And people to talk with. Lots of other exhibits that inspire me to enter myself ... next year that is. I wonder if I could ever grow a 500 squash?!
Can't forget to give a shout out for the food - enjoying delicious garbage fries, and I almost forgot, adding vinegar to regular fries ... mmm, a fair favorite! Kettle corn. Blue raspberry sno-cones that turn your tongue blue. Blue cotton candy too. I have a thing for blue foods, my favorite color. Lots of fun and memories. But I'd have to say that of all the fun things to see and do, the concerts are my favorite! And last year's Steve Miller Band tops the list for many reasons!
My boyfriend, Matt, surprised me with tickets to the concert to see Steve Miller Band. We looked forward to it for months, and we both took the afternoon off of work to enjoy the total fair experience. I've always loved music, and over the years had an appreciation for Steve Miller Band. We got to hear the band warming up and sound-checking all afternoon. It felt like a special secret we were clued in on since we were there early. I wanted to run in to Steve Miller and offer him some kettle corn or something; yes, I would have shared! The concert experience was incredible. The band played all of my favorites in addition to a collection of blues and jazz artists that influenced the band over the years ... more than I had been aware. Steve Miller was such a performer and the stage ambience and other band members over-delivered on my expectations. My favorite song is Jungle Love, which finally got played as an encore. Funny how Matt's favorites all got played first ... we joked about it all night.
We had the best time that night! In fact, when we adopted a little kitten earlier this year, he was almost named Sox, Pudgy, Trevor, Leroy, Rocky Road, Lynx, Chad Barnsworth or Borat ... but Steve Miller won hands-down, so that's his name. Sometimes it's shortened to Steve, but whenever his name is called, it takes me back to the concert last year. Since then Matt and I have seen The Clarks, countless Erie-based bands at various venues (the M80s, Thirst-n-Howl, Freudian Slip), The Temptations, The Tragically Hip, Godsmack, Big Bad Voo Doo Daddy, Junior Brown this past weekend at the 15 th Annual Blue & Jazz Fest in Erie, and we can't wait to see Lynyrd Skynyrd this year at the Crawford County Fair on August 22nd. Two weeks and counting - I couldn't be more excited! I already have the afternoon scheduled off work again and we've been talking about the concert (and garbage fries) since getting tickets the first day they went on sale. Not that there's a bad seat in the arena, but I bet our seats will be killer this year too. It's sure to be a Bic-flicking arms flying high in the air fantastic time ... and perhaps another kitten? Named Freebird ... something to think about! Matt?