"A fair is a fair is a fair."
That was my thought when Sandy and I were graciously invited to attend the Tunbridge (VT) World's Fair with her cousin and his wife. I've never really been a "Fair person". I've always seen the Fair through my perception that it's only a "...competitive exhibition of livestock, agricultural products, and household skills held annually by a town, county, or state and also featuring entertainment and educational displays". Don't get me wrong, those are great reasons to have a fair. It's important to show the community at large that vital agricultural skills and traditions are being passed on to a new generation. It's a testament to stewardship when you see young people (a group that just keeps getting bigger from my perspective) displaying the skills and commitment to slow food and staying small. Not being raised in a community that valued those traits I never really felt an affinity with any of those displays of mastering traditional skills though I've begun, in the past few months, to take a great interest in those very things.
The timing of the Fair is "...just and appropriate in the circumstances" in that it's a celebration of another productive year. Crops, both flora and fauna, are being harvested. The air is getting clearer and crisper. Winter is on its way. There couldn't be a more appropriate time to gather and celebrate the largely successful completion of another Spring and Summer season.
As we were leaving this morning Sandy and I thanked our hosts for both their gracious hospitality and for sharing the Fair with us. We were told that it was an experience for them to see the Fair through our eyes. That feeling goes both ways since I saw a side of the Fair I'd never seen before this weekend.
Another definition of Fair is to "...smooth the lines of (a vehicle, boat, or aircraft) to reduce drag; streamline". We were extended incredibly warm hospitality, by people we'd just met, because we were with people who've been integral parts of the community for their whole lives. We saw young people (again a very large group) donating their time to make the Fair a pleasurable experience for their guests. These volunteers are the most important aspect of the Fair. Not only do they keep the wheels turning by giving time to their community, they work with like minded people from their community. They know who can best help them help others in their community when needs arise. Let's face it, the young people you see working on Antique Hill or in the Cattle barns are the same faces you'll see in action when the community is threatened by disaster or hardship. If that's not streamlining community action I don't know what is.
It was a fantastic weekend of (maybe) too much beer, too much food I'm not used to and too little sleep. It was also a weekend of seeing the most important part of a Fair that I'm not sure too many "outsiders" see.
Turns out that a fair is a fair is a fair after all.