4-H fair

Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. I stopped by the Floyd County (IN) 4-H fair - invited by my colleague Christy's little sister, Alexandra, was playing in some bands. The fair was actually not too far from Stephanie's former school and I ended up running into some school personnel. I felt a little guilty because Floyd County (New Albany) is one of the places we're trying to gather health care reform signatures and I didn't do any of that. There was a Democratic Party booth - and Republican party - but they were focused on local races, busy, and I didn't get to talk with them. I didn't stop by the little midway either. This is one of the types of events Vincent might have loved when he was younger. Stephanie missed it because she was belatedly reminded that day about her book club. I missed one of the bands in which Christy's sister may have sung - Girl Talk - but caught G-Force, where she was subbing for the drummer, who was on a mission trip. In fact, - as I understand it - four bands were to play, and she played drums in all of them. I guess she and her various bandmates are involved in the bands through a music center in Jeffersonville, IN. G Force had a 6-year-old boy who sang lead vocals (above). The guitarist (below) - 12 years old - sang lead on one song.



After G Force finished, a pie eating contest took place in front of the stage. The MC asked Alex (12 - below) asked Alex to go back up on stage to play the drum part of "Wipeout" during the contest.



About a dozen people participated in the pie-eating contest. They asked the military person who had won the previous two nights to eat two pies.

There he is (below). One of his comrades - who only had to eat one pie - won. Most people - none of whom could use their hands - didn't get that much of their pie eaten. Pre-Weight Watchers, I might have been good at this.

I missed the racing pigs. But I did catch - in a traveling set up - pigs who jumped into a little pool of water. The female pigs were bolder about this than the males.

Speaking of pigs - just like at a state fair but in much more manageable sizes - there were horses, pigs, chickens, cows, etc., etc. - some that had won awards - on display - and for sale - all apparently raised by 4-H kids - mainly out in the rural part of Floyd County (where few of Stephanie's students live - though a few colleagues of hers live out there). Below is one of the pigs being sold. I noticed they didn't seem to have names - (partly since they are probably going to be butchered).

There was an auctioneer and all.

These were relativedy small areas, but the auction area was pretty crowded (see below).

They kind of herded the animal being sold into the area and then the kid who had raised the animal showed the animal off, and then the animal got herded back into a pen.

Stephanie'd district ESL office colleague Angie (who didn't have with her their baseball tickets to give us) and her husband John said hello. They're involved in the Lions Club - partly because it gives so many free eyeglasses to ESL students, with their sight emphasis - said hello to me. I had a couple of hot dogs from their Lions Club concessions booth (John working it below).

Then I went back to the stage, where I saw another group Alex was in: First Impressions - this one with two sisters as singers. They did some covers - including a couple that G Force had done - that I recognized - then got more interesting with some Christian rock songs and a cute song I didn't recognize and then a Go Gos song Stephanie loves - and then back to "Wipeout" (the surfer rock classic).

The singers and a friend danced in front of the stage while Alex played a drum solo in "Wipeout."

And then I was off for home, where I had almost enough time to walk Frisco a little before Stephanie came home from book club. Vincent was off at our neighbors, after Wednesday night's unpredictable airport run.