Bill's Bulletin Board
By Bill Rea

Be advised. This piece is being written by a very tired man.

I sit at the computer in my home, with many of my joints aching. A long hot bath would go great right about now, but my wife put in her dibs first, and there is laundry to be done too, generating more demand on the hot water.

It's early Sunday evening, and I have just finished covering the latest edition of the Schomberg Agricultural Fair. As I observed a couple of times over the last 48 hours, such agricultural fairs were clearly not taken into account when they designed the human feet (that goes for the legs and back too).

And do you want to hear a funny one? I'm sad it's over. I'm like a kid who busts all his toys by Boxing Day and pines for the next Christmas. I looked forward to this edition of the fair, as I look forward to all such events, and while I'm glad that I can rest my aching bones, I am sorry that this one is over.

Like I stated, this is early Sunday night. I have yet to receive any hard data about the Fair at this writing. What you are about to read are strictly the impressions of one who was there for most of it. I might throw in a few of my wife's pithy observations too, without her permission (the price Beth pays for getting first dibs on a hot bath).

It was a very good fair, although the crowds seemed to be down a bit. Why, I don't know. But attendance involves the actions of people, meaning it's subject to a lot of fickle factors.

I love covering these events for the newspaper. True, they yield a lot of material for me to put into print, thus making my job easier when it comes to production. But I could easily get all that I need from Schomberg Fair in two or three hours. I was there because I was part of a community happening, created from community pride and enthusiasm. Beth was there because I had the car key in my pocket.

A fair like the one we just had in Schomberg illustrates a lot of our society, including the eclectic mix. At the Fair, we saw people driving tractors just to see how much weight they could pull for how many feet. And I also saw people cram the bleachers to watch others drive automobiles (which in mint condition would have cost more than the annual salary of many in the crowd) into a pit so they could be smashed up. The point behind both of these activities sort of escapes me, but I can recognize an enthused crowd when I see one, and both events attracted just that. Who am I to argue with the majority, especially an entertained majority?

The Fair had cattle and horses and rides, with young and old having fun. There is the story of a 94- year-old woman who took a spin on one of those rides, and then there was the miracle of birth. A baby goat entered this world at the Fair Saturday afternoon. Alas, I found out about it an hour after it happened (I hung around for about an hour, amid speculation, inaccurate as things turned out, that a twin was about to appear). But still, one of God's creatures started its contribution to the life cycle at the Fair.

The Fair had people showing a variety of animals, and we had examples of animals behaving . . . well . . . like animals. A young lady was kicked by a cow with attitude that she was attempting to milk during the Farm Olympics Saturday night. I briefly feared for her well-being, but she was active in the show ring the next morning.

The food was good too, or should I have said "good tasting."

I don't think a dietician would have exactly approved of the fair fare I consumed, which consisted (according to what comes off the top of my head) of three sausages on a bun, one order of fries with gravy (Beth had hers without), some ice cream, a couple of beverages, including one which was consumed in the beer tent Saturday afternoon (do you really need elaboration?) and the pancakes and back bacon I had Sunday morning, served up by the Schomberg Lions.

The people in charge of arranging the weather could have done a better job, although things were pretty nice for most of Friday and Saturday, with lots of sunshine and little in the way of oppressive heat. Sunday had its nice moments, but they were combined with some heavy rain, which resulted in many people suddenly feeling the urge to run for cover. It was a pity in another way. Beth told me, over the course of the weekend, that she had never been on a Ferris wheel, so I suggested initiating her to it Sunday. She turned me down, fearing the rain might suddenly rear its head again while we were at the top.

The arena was full of interesting stuff to see, including displays from local crafters and the local library, and even a mechanical cow for the younger set to practise their milking skills.

It was a very long weekend, as well as very tiring. have counted almost 70 potentially usable pictures that I took over the weekend, and about only onethird of them are likely to make into today's paper. It's nice to have variety to chose from, and now I have to decide who I'm going to disappoint.

Those are some of my reflections of a fun weekend in Schomberg. If I had the energy, I'd offer more. But the laundry awaits too.

Besides, there's always next year. I've got to remember to get Beth on that Ferris wheel.