The County Fair

One of the highlights each year was going to to the county fair. Daddy would take off early on a Thursday and was home whenever we arrived from school that day. My brother, my two sisters, along with Mama and Daddy piled in the car and headed the eighteen miles to the county fair. This year was especially important to Mama as my brother had entered one of his paintings in the scholastic art contest. I did not think it was that great, just a wooden bowl with some fruit in it. Mama thought he was another Monet. When we arrived at the fair everyone was so excited with the sights of all the rides and the aroma of fair foods permeating the air. The deal was that we had to all go as a family to the art exhibit hall to see how my brothers painting did in the show and if he won a ribbon.

Daddy as usual walked a mile ahead of all of us. When we arrived at the exhibit hall we found Daddy standing in front of my brothers painting and pointing at a blue ribbon. We were all so jubilant. It was then that a security guard came up and tapped my Dad on the shoulder. He told my Dad he saw him pull that blue ribbon off someone else's painting and that he could be charged with stealing. That was all we saw of the fair that year. We all headed back to the car with my Mom crying and yelling and screaming at my Dad. She said he was a jackass and other nouns we had never heard of. I remember looking out the rear car window as we exited the fair parking lot. It was udder  devastation and the longest eighteen mile ride in my life. Way to go Dad.