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 - 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:

Around The Farm At The End Of Summer

My Rose Mallows burst into extravagant bloom about mid-August and have been producing giant flowers ever since. They're right alongside the county road, so passersby get to see quite a show:

The heat became unbearable and my sister told me about whole house window fans. I ordered one and screwed it to the window frame. It does indeed move the air and keep things more comfortable:

The neighbors raised up some lavender Guinea Hens, from chicks which had been abandoned. They've grown up to be lovely birds:

My little Barred Rock Bantams have continued to have total freedom every day. They won't like being locked indoors for the winter, but at least they've had three seasons of idyllic life:

The fantail pigeons produced several nests of babies during the summer and are still raising some:

Here they are again, two days later. They grow rapidly:


The front of my house, with the Rose Mallows and a few chickens:

Keeping the yard bug free:

Early in the morning, the cattle were having a drink of water and the chickens, just let out for the day, were headed over to see what was going on:

In spite of our dry weather, my lawn produced some delicate, attractive wild mushrooms:

And the Mountain Ash produced orange berries:

The Rugosa Roses produced lots of rose hips. The dogs have eaten every rose hip which they could reach. I've tasted them also, and they aren't bad:

Franklin County Fair - Part 1

I'd already missed the St. Lawrence county fair, my neighbors told me, but the Franklin County fair was just beginning. I made plans to go on Thursday, Senior Citizens Day, for the discount. I drove to the town of Malone, parked and began my tour in the riding horse barn:

These, it appeared to me, were dearly beloved pets. They traveled with their humans and their stalls were decorated with pictures, plaques and curtains:

I next went into the dairy barn, where jumbo Holsteins were being groomed to impress the judges:

There were a variety of breeds and ages of cattle:

But Holsteins were far and away the most numerous breed:

Then there were these American British White Parks, a beef breed whose farm I visited several years ago. In fact, I might be raising them now except that their owner told me I'd never find any for sale:

Outside, the cattle were being given showers and full beauty treatments:

I went next into the poultry barn. Having raised so many types of poultry over the years, I always enjoy looking for familiar old breeds and surprising new breeds:

There were Golden Pheasants:

And golden colored chickens:

Guinea Hens:

And turkeys. There were lots more kinds of birds, and I'll present just a few of them in tomorrow's post: