July 6, 2008 | Chickens in the Road

Archive for July 6th, 2008

Jul
6

I got out of the holler yesterday and went about an hour away to stroll around in the muddy grounds at the Mountain State Art & Craft Fair in Ripley, West Virginia–a huge, wondrous affair designed to highlight West Virginia cultural heritage. I went for the funnel cake.

I’m not much of a window shopper, but I love walking around every year at this fair. There’s always really cool stuff, like these pretty bird baths. Don’t you think my chickens need one for a water dish? I loved these bird houses, too. I managed to walk away without buying one.

There’s always a lot of neat carved stuff, like these old-fashioned dulcimers, and look at those gourds made into chickens! I don’t know how I walked away without buying one of them.

People are there performing heritage crafts on-site, like this guy making candles. They were simmering apple butter, too. This is how I do it when I make apple butter. I get out my big copper cauldron, fire up the wood, and make a day of it.

My cousin was there, as always, grinding corn and selling his fresh cornmeal by the four-pound bag. I made sure he was using his grinder correctly, adjusted some mechanical things, and hefted around a couple two-ton bags of corn for him. I don’t know how he would get through the fair without me.

Then I came around a line of booths and the heavens opened up and the angels sang.

Funnel cake!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing like a huge plateful of delicious fried fat topped with sugar to make coating your feet in mud walking around the fair all worth it.

I also managed to hit every single food booth giving away free samples. It’s a total meal, like if you went to Sam’s Club to have lunch from all the sampler tables. Not that I ever do that or anything, so I’m just imagining. I had a sample of some creamed honey at this booth that was like the best thing I’ve ever tasted in my life and I don’t know why I didn’t buy any.

I wanted to get there in time to see the sheep-shearing demonstration, but I just missed it. I’m not sure why I wanted to see the sheep-shearing demonstration since I don’t have any sheep. Could be because I’m obsessed with sheep. These three were already back in their holding pen by the time I arrived.

This one looked particularly irritable about it.

Maybe he was still upset about this.

This is the one thing I did buy. Not that I needed another cutting board, but I’ve looked at these gorgeous hardwood cutting boards at the fair before. If I still want it two years later, then I know I really want it, so I gave in and bought one.

I really liked this plaque, and maybe in a couple years if they bring it to the fair again, I’ll get one.

But for now, it’s true. I’m lucky to live here, and that’s enough. Well, you know, I did need that cutting board. And the funnel cake. And I’m thinking I really need that creamed honey next.