Boone County Fair, Mon.-Wed.

In these parts, the Boone County Fair in Belvidere, Illinois is the BEST! When I was a kid, I didn't participate in Boone County 4-H, we were in Winnebago County. But still, every year for five days, we were out at this Fair. It was the place to see old friends and as a kid, the place to be with lots of kids your age running around the animal barns and of course, riding the carnival rides on the midway!

The first day of the Fair (Monday) for us is to make it out to the Home Economics exhibit hall to drop off our baked goods and other projects before 7pm. This year I did a diabetic cake, four jams and one jam collection. My Mom forgot to enter anything! My sister did a diabetic cookie and her son, Travis, did a gorgeous cutting board made out of three or four different kinds of wood.

The next day of the Fair (Tuesday) there's not too much going on for us. There is some judging in the horse and poultry barns, but nothing much going on for the nieces and nephews. But we are still out there early eating at the Grange Food Building nearly every morning! Today, Ali met us there and invited us back to the "Swine" building for the first batch of doughnuts from the Boone County Firefighters. All profits from the Fair go to buying new equipment. Each day we are supposed to take turns buying a dozen doughnuts --but I don't think it made it much past Ali buying today and me buying on Wednesday! The big thing of the day is the Queen competition at 7pm...but none of our friends kids are in it this year, so we pass on attending.

Finally on Wednesday of the Fair there is some action. First thing (after buying the doughnuts) we head to the Pig Barn to have the kids show in the Carcass show for their 4-H pigs. We don't find out until later that Ali places 9th and Roger about 20th--which is fantastic for however many hundreds of pigs are at the show. Some of the other kids in the Boone Farms 4-H club show their hogs in the show today, but, the classes our kids are in start Thursday morning.

So, the next thing we do is wander over to the Home Economics building and find our hoped for prizes. Jodie has won second place with her cookies, I have a third (out of three!!! LOL) in peach jam and a second with my cake. Nothing else has placed, even Trav's beautiful cutting board. It was up against a really intricate tractor made all out of wood. Wish he had been going up against kids his own age, but, it certainly gives him something to work for next time!