small town autumn fairs

FrankS

FrankS

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One of the customs/rituals of rural North American towns is the fall fair and my town's fair is on the second weekend of Sept. Highlights of the fair, besides the rides, are the demolition derby, tractor pull, and the judged competitions. The competition categories are agricultural (best sample of hay, best group of garlic bulbs, etc) and artistic/crafts (best flower arrangement, best scarecrow, etc.) There is also a photographic competition, with different categories in adult and children's divisions. Honoured to play the role of judge in the photo competitions, is yours truly, doing my bit to maintain traditions and support community spirit. I'll let you know how it goes!
 
Frank,
Nice honor to be asked! Not exactly "no pressure" fun, but still a very good way to spend some time. And maybe you'll be able to convert some kids to the RF way? Looking forward to hearing more about your experiences and the fair as well.
The county I live in is mostly a farming community and there are lots of these. Unfortunately they are mostly on Saturdays and I get stuck at work. I do take one or two Sats off every fall to check some of them out(I'm tyring to eventually get to each town's celebration). I especially love the church bake sales that always seem to be part of these events. Amazing "down home" cookies and cakes and pies. Mostly made from the local/home grown fruits and berries. And the bakers--alomst all women--are trying to outdo each other. So I end up with a big load of delicious stuff to take home with me. And watching the women eyeballing the tables to see whos' treats are selling, while appearing to not care(can't be Prideful, after all)...good, clean fun!
Rob
 
I've got fond memories of the last fair I went to back in 2004 while in Fryeburg, Maine. Sheep herding competition, hot dogs, fried dough, ferris wheels, tractor pulls... had an excellent time with the camera in hand.

Looking forward to your shots.
 
We have a BIG fair up here in Washington called the Evergreen fair - held in a "small" town called Monroe (becoming a big town). I go when I can, it is a very traditional fair.

Duvall has an annual fair around the 4th of July. Great for people watching...

Fairs are one of my favorite events for photography. Maybe my favorite of all.
 
We're having a 4-day PRCA rodeo here this weekend, very big deal for this small town. Also the county fair at the same time. Carnival rides of course too. I'm a volunteer usher at the rodeo, but this doesn't usually lend itself well to photography. I'll probably carry the little APS Canon ELPH Jr in its pouch though. Here's a couple from last year...
 

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Fairs and exhibitions are excellent venues for taking people pictures. Walking around with a camera taking pictures does not come across as weird to the average citizen in these situations. Tourist spots are the same in this regard, and acting like a tourist is a good "cover" for a street photographer.
 
FrankS said:
Fairs and exhibitions are excellent venues for taking people pictures. Walking around with a camera taking pictures does not come across as weird to the average citizen in these situations. Tourist spots are the same in this regard, and acting like a tourist is a good "cover" for a street photographer.
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100% agree with that! I like to photograph at german christmas markets: all those smoky sausages and handmade toys!
 
It sounds very interesting. Unfortunately there is an ocean in between, toomany hours flying (and money) and even difficult now to fly to USA with a camera ! Hope at least I can see a few pictures in the RFF gallery !
ciao, rob
 
These fairs with their prize livestock, produce, and good clean family fun restores one's faith in humanity.....something that suffers living in the city.
Good luck Frank, lay off the cider until you've judged!
 
Our annual "Corn Carnival" starts tonight. This year it occurs at the same time as the Antique Airfield Labor Day Fly-In. The air field is about 1/2 mile from my house. Kinda interesting if you like bi-planes. The Corn Carnival is about 2 miles from the air field. Going up tonight with the Canon P and a 50mm. No photo judging for me though, did that at the 4-H fairs in July. Its how I paid for my Epson 4990 flat bed scanner.

Wayne
 
No photo judging for me though, did that at the 4-H fairs in July. Its how I paid for my Epson 4990 flat bed scanner.

You took bribes? 😉

(My gig is not so well paid. I'm doing it mainly for the glory, I mean... in the spirit of community involvement.)
 
FrankS said:
You took bribes? 😉

)
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Of course, just like any good politician🙂

Actually it is an hourly rate with meals and mileage provided. If I do enough fairs it can pay for some toys. If I don't go blind from looking at pictures of "This is my _________." (Insert cat, dog, mom's flowers, or goats.) One fair had 134 kids entered with up to 6 photos each. Toward the end of the day it gets really hard to say, "I like this picture of your cat." When I have already seen 87 cat pictures for the day.

Wayne
 
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