"CountyFair" news and stories

Growing up in cities (Los Angeles and then Portland, OR), county fairs really weren't a part of my life. However, they've always fascinated me, particularly the competitions in which people enter their baked goods, cans of jam and garden veggies. If you have a similar fascination, you'll love this piece, which appeared today in the Dan Berry's This Land column in the New York Times, titled Where the Competition Is Stiff but Sweet.

Berry regularly delves into the less-visible aspects of American life and this week features the baking competition at the Marquette County Fair in Sands Township, MI. He introduces us to the judges, a convenience store owner and a retired social worker, who taste their way through every single pie, cake, bread and cookie entered into the competition. Additionally, he briefly hits on the ways in which the state of the economy is impacting the entries into the baking contest. It's a lovely piece and makes me want to plan a weekend to head to a less citified area of Pennsylvania and attend some fairs.

Source

Apparently as one of the country's largest County Fairs, the Los Angeles County Fair has enough budget to advertise on television. I've seen a few of the commercials that make fun of LA's reputation, e.g. a mother and daughter shopping and asking whether cashmere comes from a boy cow or a girl cow, and one where several girls ask about cotton candy and Atkins. However, it wasn't until today that I saw this commercial that takes the cake.

The teacher asks, "Can anybody tell me what comes from a cow?"

The kids raise their hands and answer one by one: "Lattes?" "Nu-unh. My mom says non-fat half caff cappuccinos." "Iced Caramel Macchiatos?"

Oh, I fear for the future of our country.