Mountain momma
My kids have been in training all summer for the Haywood County Fair.
They haven’t been raising giant pumpkins nor whipping their dairy cows into shape for the show ring. Nor have they been boning up on their bingo skills, perfecting recipes for the cake walk contest, or even rehearsing comedy routines for the variety show.
While all those things sound like loads of fun — and are secretly on my own personal bucket list — my kids have had their nose to the grindstone for weeks now in preparation for none other than the annual ice-cream eating contest. Practice makes perfect, after all.
For this penny-conscious mom, I’ll admit I had an ulterior motive when I first entered my daughter in the ice cream eating contest at the fair at the spry and nimble age of 2. Hey, it’s free ice cream, I reasoned, and thus that much more disposable income to spend on cups of food pellets at the petting zoo area. Besides, the winner does get a shiny blue trophy, and maybe she has an untapped penchant for speed eating I never knew about.
Alas when she bellied up to the ice-cream eating bench beside those burly 6-year-old boys, I knew she didn’t stand a chance. Yet I distinctly recall whooping and cheering her on to beat the band.
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Enjoy the Mountain State Fair in September
The fabulous Haywood County Fair starts Wednesday, Aug. 21, and runs through Sunday. We’ll be going at least two or three times to take in the smorgasbord of events and activities.
There’s entertainment at 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, including a variety show, a jamboree and a hoedown.
My favorite is always the Firemen’s Competition, where fire departments around the county compete to see who can suit up in their turn-out gear, roll out their hoses and put out a flame the quickest. It is held in the arena at 6 p.m. Thursday.
During the fair’s five-day run, there will also be a cake walk, timber sports competition, horse pull, youth talent show, natural beauty contest, corn hole and horseshoe competitions and so, so much more. For a full schedule, visit the Arts and Entertainment page at www.smokymountainnews.com.
Take time to walk the stalls of livestock and catch the Future Farmers of American and various 4-H clubs prepping their animals. If you’ve never seen someone blow-drying a goat, I must say you’re missing out in life.
The Macon County fair is coming up Sept. 11 through 14. Jackson’s version of a county fair is Mountain Heritage Day, held the last Saturday in September at WCU.
On a completely unrelated note, I’d like to offer my hats off to the Jackson County Recreation Center for their awesome kids programs, like Little People Yoga, offering a six-week yoga class for two age groups: 3- to 5-year-olds on Thursday afternoon and 6- to 8-year-olds on Tuesday afternoons. How cool is that! Classes start the second week in September but register now by calling 828.293.3053.
