Getting fairly excited about ‘The Fair’

There’s been an awful lot of activity around the Chelsea Standard office the last few days as we prepare for the one of this area’s biggest events, the Chelsea Community Fair.
But what we’ve been doing doesn’t come close to all the energy being spent just down the street from us at the fairgrounds.
I went over there on a recent evening to gather some information for some articles, and the place was positively buzzing. Now I understand why they call it a "work bee."
Fair board members and their families, exhibitors and their families, and plenty of folks who just want to lend a hand showed up, ready to work hard.
They pitched in to set up stalls in the livestock and horse barns or tables and chairs in the exhibition buildings, prepare the track for the demolition derbies, put the finishing touches on the brand-new pavilion, and lots more.
Most of them didn’t quit until after dark on a hot, humid, uncomfortable night, and that was just the one time I was there.
They were doing all the behind-the-scenes work that not only makes the fair run so smoothly, but makes it one of the best small-town fairs in the entire state.
For the people of this area and beyond, the fair has been A Very Big Deal for a very long time.
It’s not an exaggeration to say, if not for the volunteers, there simply would not be a Chelsea Community Fair.
So when you see one of these volunteers while you’re at the fair next week, make sure you tell them how much you appreciate all their hard work.
Over the years, I’ve found that probably the best way to get a true sense of what life is like in a small town is to attend whatever festive event they have that involves the entire community.
Saline has its Celtic Festival, Manchester has the Chicken Broil and Dexter has Dexter Daze, but Chelsea has The Fair.
Some folks might think they are too cosmopolitan to bother with a country fair, but they don’t know what they’re missing.
As far as I’m concerned, you have not really lived until you have dripped mustard all down the front of your shirt from eating a corn dog or gotten your fingers impossibly sticky on cotton candy or elephant ears.
And there are few moments as thrilling as seeing a ribbon attached to a plate of vegetables you have grown in your own garden or to some goodies you made in your own kitchen.
I know this to be true, because I have done all of those things (except for the corn dog — I prefer the big sausage dog with grilled onions and sauerkraut on the homemade bun, but I still end up wearing some of it).
This is the third year I have taken home a prize from the Jackson County Fair.
Foremost is my German Extra Hardy garlic, with a blue ribbon my first year, third place last year (I wuz robbed), and first place again this year.
But a bonus this year was my baked goods. I won a blue ribbon for cheesecake brownies and second place for pecan pie, and this was the first time I'd entered anything in that category.
Because I work for the Standard, I don’t know if the Chelsea Fair Board will allow me to enter anything in the fair next year, but I wouldn’t mind being a judge.
A few years back, during my last two years with the Adrian newspaper, the Lenawee County Fair invited me to be a judge for the pie contest. Anybody who knows me well also knows my penchant for pie, and perhaps I could do the same for the Chelsea Fair.
My wife and I have attended the Chelsea Fair several times in the past, but by working at the paper this year, I’ll likely be over there every day and see more of it than ever.
And that’s just fine with me. That gives me plenty of opportunity to scout out the whole thing so that when I do bring her with me, we’ll know exactly where to find the best exhibits to look at, the best rides to ride and the best sausage dog to slop on my shirt.
So, yes, I guess you could say I really look forward to fair season.
See ya at the fair!