County fair indicator hunting season close at hand

The Grant County Fair is an enjoyable time for me. Citizens from across the county converge on this one spot for five days. This is a time to show sheep, cattle, horses, canned goods, welding ability, woodworking skills, sewing expertise, garden flowers and much, much more.

This is also a time to visit with friends not seen during the rest of the year. While we might come in contact with some people once a month during the year, there are some people we only see at the fair. This, again, is because fair week is the only time of the year when two people might be at the same place at the same time.

Making new friends is also on the agenda, besides visiting with friends from the past. Of course, assessing the skills of the people entering items is also amazing.

Does this skillfully-made quilt, seemingly perfect, really have a humble stitch? The photo of a colorful flower shows the photographer is a beginner, but has an eye for composition.

The baked goods look delicious. Sure would like to taste the cherry pie, but not after four days in the display cabinet.

The commercial building contains vendors showing their products; from pots and pans to awnings and summer sausage. Most fairgoers aren't interested in every single item for sale, but there is enough interest in this item and another item to make most vendors happy.

There is enough food to feed an army, with the County Health Department close at hand to check everyone to make sure all are in compliance. Once the Foster Farm Chicken display truck was in attendance in an attempt to educate county citizens about their product.

Employees were walking through the crowd with samples of chicken. I watched as a health department employee approached one such employee with a thermometer to check and make sure the food was safe. Later I talked with the health department person and asked about the temperature of the chicken.

"All of the Foster Farm food was not only in compliance, but very well presented," she said.

It will not help the sale of your food if people get sick.

My base camp at the fair is the History Barn. This is where the history of the Grant County Fair is displayed. Past fair posters and books are available to read, as are photos. After signing the book, each person in your party will receive a sticker stating, "My first Grant County Fair was ______" and you are to enter the year you first attended a Grant County Fair.

There is a photo of me attending my first fair in the 1940s section. I was born in July on 1947 and Mom took me to the fair in September, so my sticker has 1947 in the blank.

This year Jake and Barb are helping in the barn, so stop by, say "Hi" and check out the displays.

The weekend of the fair is also a good time to hold a class reunion, as this is a chance to meet up with students from other classes. During the reunion classmates visit, of course, and a few people from the classes before and after your class might stop in to say hello, but the fair is the place to run into people three years before and after your class.

Hunting season reminder

I enjoy the fair immensely because of all the above reasons, but also because it is a reminder about the upcoming hunting season. When it is fair week, it means hunting season is right around the corner. Actually some seasons are open or about to open.

The bear season began on Aug. 1. The dove and forest grouse seasons begin on Sept. 1, along with the crow and hare seasons. Plus the archery seasons for deer and elk begin in various locations around the first of September.

Muzzleloader seasons are close behind the archery seasons and the modern firearm seasons are mostly in the middle to late October.

Suggestion: If you haven't taken the time to go to the shooting range and fire a few rounds downrange, I suggest you do so to make sure the bullets are hitting where you are aiming. Also, now is the time to check your hunting gear. Perhaps next week we will go through my hunting backpack together in this column.

So here I sit in the History Barn, eating the second of two spaceburgers, greeting old friends and meeting new friends and wishing the first day of hunting season was tomorrow.