From The County Fair Back To The 1950s

My sister was visiting, and we were attending the Franklin County Fair in Malone, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). We'd already seen the goats, cattle, horses and most of the poultry. This white turkey was our last stop before exiting the poultry barn:

We ambled over to the midway, but it was too early and too rainy to find much excitement there:

Next we headed to the 4H Barn, where we saw a sleeping pig named Legend. The sign said he was a registered Berkshire boar, four years old. It appeared to me that Legend didn't care about anything but getting his sleep and food:

There were lambs and baby chicks and honey bee exhibits:


We treated ourselves to a maple milkshake and I liked this egg size display. We walked through the commercial barn, stopping to look closely at a leather working booth where I bought a new wallet:

Then we walked out to the arena and grandstands, where there appeared to be some kind of horse competition. Like the children with goats we saw earlier, though, this turned out to be a practice session for the real judging yet to come:

It was lunchtime by then, so we left the fair and headed to Bokie's Diner, just up the road a couple of miles from the fairgrounds. Bokie's is a pink and chrome recreation of a 1950s drive-in, a favorite summertime stop:

Even the parking lot was fun. My sister tried out being Marilyn Monroe:

And we both joined in as ice cream scoops, though my head didn't fit into the hole:

My sister as Betty Boop:

We headed for the door to see what the menu had to offer:

Inside was decorated in 1950s style, with period music playing on the jukebox. The menu was big on hamburgers, fried shrimp, etc:

The tabletops were covered with 1950s newspaper clippings, postcards and old class photos:

We enjoyed our lunch and left for home, but first I wanted to try being Marilyn Monroe. Perhaps this was my true self:

The Franklin County Fair - Part 1

On the second day of my sister's visit, we took a drive to Malone, New York in order to see the Franklin County Fair. We began in the goat barn and with this friendly face:

I used to have dairy goats and still think they're one of the best animals there is. They're certainly about the friendliest:

  This sign was on a pen full of youngsters. It was clever and I got a chuckle out of it:

  Goats love people and they begged for attention:

We walked across the lane to visit the horse barn, stopping along the way to greet this friendly cat with giant feet and extra toes:

This warning caused me to be careful. I think this horse was like Remy - friendly, but inclined to explore with his mouth:

Next stop was the cow barn. It was all dairy cattle on that day. Beef cattle would be exhibited later in the week:

Lots of people stayed right there with their livestock:

And they kept them immaculately clean. I figured they must have to pick up manure every 15 minutes or so to keep them so clean. Cleaning up urine soaked bedding might be more difficult:

These cows are obviously well cared for and accustomed to much handling:

We walked over to the arena and saw what at first appeared to be children showing their goats in front of a judge. We watched for awhile and learned that the actual competition was the next day but the judge was giving pointers to the children, explaining what to do and what not to do. It was fun to watch:

Next was the poultry barn, where we found these Guinea Fowl:

And Buff Laced Polish chickens:

And quite a few Peacocks. But there was still much to see at the fair. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Franklin County Fair - 4H And Horses

I walked from the Poultry Barn (see yesterday's post) to the 4H and Commercial Barn. I wasn't interested in the commercial displays, but I always enjoy seeing what the local 4H Clubs are doing:

The 4H kids were showing animals also, but they were baby animals like this Holstein calf:

Baby pigs:

And lambs:

And from there I walked to the first of several Horse Barns:

There was judging going on outside, so horses were being led in and out - sometimes willingly, sometimes not:

Like the goats, some horses were actively seeking affection. Jessie, for example:

And Norman also wanted his nose rubbed:

I walked outside, where they were judging Western Riding:

The contestants were circling the pen, speeding up or slowing down at the judges' instructions. Notice the perfectly groomed tail on this horse. These animals are given much loving attention:

More horses with beautiful tails and perfect gaits. But it was time for me to leave. I planned to do my grocery shopping while I was in Malone, so the dogs at home would have to wait a bit longer for me:

Franklin County Fair - Midway And Poultry

From the goat and cattle barns (see yesterday's post), I walked over to the midway. Alas, most people have a much later schedule than I do, and the rides and concession stands were just getting ready. Nonetheless, it was so colorful and fun to look at that I took photos anyway:

Funnel cakes and elephant ears:

Ribbon fries, Chicken tenders, Chili fries, Cheese Fries:

Cotton candy, cold drinks, Sno Kones, Popcorn, Caramel apple slices:

An old fashioned carousel:

And "The Tornado" for a wild ride:

Rock And Roll, a perennial favorite:

My next stop was the poultry barn, another favorite of mine as I've kept poultry for many years. The male peacocks were putting on quite a display:

There were ducks of all kinds and colors:

Royal Palm turkeys and many other varieties:

Golden Pheasants:

Guinea Fowl:

Polish chickens:

Old English Game Bantams:

Silkies:

And just a few cages of Tumbler Pigeons. It's a good thing they didn't have Fantail Pigeons or I might have been tempted to buy some: