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Bears! (and county fairs)
Aug. 4th, 2007 01:45 pmWent to the county fair this morning to see the animal exhibits and all the textile stuff now that the displays are up. We also stayed long enough to see the "Great Bear Show" which is in fact a sponsored-in fundraiser for a bear shelter and rehabilitation place in Texas. The bears appearing in the show were obviously hand reared and accustomed to humans. They said these were bears who had come to them as orphan cubs. They were black bears, two males of 16 years in age and a female 8 years old. Good natured, probably as smart as dogs but also more inclined to be lazy and less eager to please. Even so, they did simple things with just verbal commands and hand gestures, like balancing and walking on a large ball or a barrel, balancing on a teeter board, and dancing with a human partner. They seemed eager enough to come out of their enclosure and do tricks, and were quite gentle and well-behaved.
I'm not sure what I think about the performing act, but the intentions appear to be good. They had a lot of educational information about bears in the wild, their needs and behavior, and how to avoid confrontation or problems. Their organization accepts orphaned cubs and injured bears, providing them with living space, medical care, and food. Those that can be returned to the wild are given that opportunity. Those who cannot return are given "retirement" space on their ranch.
The fair continues to shrink. This county has sold out to sprawling suburban developers, and farms are dying. There are still cows, pigs, and sheep, but most seem to be 4H projects rather than from working farms. There's a horse show, but it's not a very dynamic one, mostly girls leading around their ponies on halters. The cooking, sewing, and craft exhibits have some fine examples of the art but relatively few entries. There's a huge amateur photography exhibit, but not much actual painting or drawing in spite of open categories for the exhibition of art. Smaller animals, like rabbits, goats, and chickens, are still in abundance but not quite as many as I recall from past years. I suppose in a few more years it will have turned into nothing but a midway carnival with a bunch of commercial booths pushing stuff, a demolition derby, and a couple of night time rock or country music performances. That has been the fate of the county fairs closer in to Chicago.
Fortunately there's still Boone County, just to the west of us. Their fair is sponsored by The Grange, operates on land it has owned for a century or so, and is still a real agricultural fair. Even that one is on the outskirts of development though, and the subdivisions of adjoining Belvidere have come to stand right across the road from one edge. Boone County is next week, and features a draft horse show. All week the grounds will be hosting Belgians, Shires, Percherons, and Clydesdales. That's something I can't think about missing... Distance to Boone County fairgrounds? About 15 miles. Distance to the McHenry County fairgrounds we visited today? About 10 miles. Not much difference. I'd skip McHenry, except they give me a free pass for judging some of the textile arts.
Next weekend looks busy. I think the steam threshing show in Sycamore is that Saturday, too. OK, off to the market, since the fair displaced my usual schedule this morning.
I'm not sure what I think about the performing act, but the intentions appear to be good. They had a lot of educational information about bears in the wild, their needs and behavior, and how to avoid confrontation or problems. Their organization accepts orphaned cubs and injured bears, providing them with living space, medical care, and food. Those that can be returned to the wild are given that opportunity. Those who cannot return are given "retirement" space on their ranch.
The fair continues to shrink. This county has sold out to sprawling suburban developers, and farms are dying. There are still cows, pigs, and sheep, but most seem to be 4H projects rather than from working farms. There's a horse show, but it's not a very dynamic one, mostly girls leading around their ponies on halters. The cooking, sewing, and craft exhibits have some fine examples of the art but relatively few entries. There's a huge amateur photography exhibit, but not much actual painting or drawing in spite of open categories for the exhibition of art. Smaller animals, like rabbits, goats, and chickens, are still in abundance but not quite as many as I recall from past years. I suppose in a few more years it will have turned into nothing but a midway carnival with a bunch of commercial booths pushing stuff, a demolition derby, and a couple of night time rock or country music performances. That has been the fate of the county fairs closer in to Chicago.
Fortunately there's still Boone County, just to the west of us. Their fair is sponsored by The Grange, operates on land it has owned for a century or so, and is still a real agricultural fair. Even that one is on the outskirts of development though, and the subdivisions of adjoining Belvidere have come to stand right across the road from one edge. Boone County is next week, and features a draft horse show. All week the grounds will be hosting Belgians, Shires, Percherons, and Clydesdales. That's something I can't think about missing... Distance to Boone County fairgrounds? About 15 miles. Distance to the McHenry County fairgrounds we visited today? About 10 miles. Not much difference. I'd skip McHenry, except they give me a free pass for judging some of the textile arts.
Next weekend looks busy. I think the steam threshing show in Sycamore is that Saturday, too. OK, off to the market, since the fair displaced my usual schedule this morning.
