Our Small Town Fair

Well, today is Sunday and the fair is over for another year.  A fantastic time was had by all!  Thanks to the generosity of Grandma and Grandpa, the children were able to get wristbands that enabled them to ride the rides for three days.  The awesome thing about Mayberry's fair is that it is large enough to be super fun, yet small enough that the older children can wander about with their friends and we can find them easily.  Between the admittance fee and fair food, it still ends up costing a small fortune but it is so worth it.  We always make lots of wonderful memories together as a family.  It's old-fashioned, wholesome fun.

This year Caroline, Grace and I entered several exhibits in the fair and won some ribbons!  Caroline received three First Place awards for her crocheted baby blanket, crocheted baby hat and earrings (the baby hat also won Best of Show!).  Grace won two First Place ribbons for her crocheted doll backpack and a poem about the fair.  Much to my surprise, I received a First Place for my strawberry jam.  I almost didn't enter because the dear friend who taught me how to make jam is the fair jam queen.  She makes the yummiest stuff and folks flock to it at the farmers' market here in town.  Imagine my thrill when my little jar had a 1st Place sticker on it!  I'm a legit small-town girl now.  No suburban-babe anymore.



Not Grandma's doll


I also entered my late Grandmother's baby doll in the Antiques division and was honored to receive a First Place ribbon for her.  She has been sitting on my dresser for several years and I've only picked her up to dust her.  But when I took her to the fair I had to carry her in my arms.  The strangest thing happened... I could feel, oh gosh, this is going to sound so wackadoo, I could feel an aura of love about the doll.  I don't know if it was the love that Grandma Helen had poured into her dolly as a little child.  She was a poor farm girl with few toys, so this doll was extra special to her.  Or maybe it was a grace from God telling me that Grandma still loves me.  Either way, as wacky as it sounds, it was sweet.