Hangin' out in Tilt-A-Whirl heaven

OK, enough government geek for the week. It’s Citrus County Fair time.

Thank goodness for the annual county fair. It’s our escape, the chance to slow down and be silly for a little while. The entire community is on display at the county fair, from quilts to tractors. Swine show. Bright midway. And of course, fair food.

The fair is vital to my existence. I’ve been told by more than a few people that I’m wound a little tightly on certain subjects, that I tend to rely on self-importance and fail to see the significance of the world around me.

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Look. I won’t deny it. A specimen of quiet contentment, I am not. That’s why I seek it in the little pleasures: The New Just Wright Citrus World Headquarters on the shores of Big Lake Henderson. Scratching behind Bunny’s ears. Prayer and meditation. Reading the late Tim Dorsey’s novels.

And attending the Citrus County Fair (here’s the schedule). Of course, I took notes.

— Pig races. Bot the Strolling Robot. You know it’s the county fair when someone is making a buck doing what none of us have ever thought of in our entire lives.

“You know, these porkers are pretty quick. I bet we can race them at county fairs and entertain thousands of families!”

And that’s how entrepreneurship starts.

— Love watching little kids visiting with their parents through the livestock barn. It’s clear many of these youngsters have never been that close to a steer or hog. Some of the adults, too.

The county fair is a chance for us urbanites to mix with country folks in their environment. I need reminders that not every square inch of Citrus County is being paved over.

— There are special pens for the steer grand champion and reserve grand champ. The stalls were empty Tuesday because the steer show was Wednesday night. I noticed that some kids had written their names and years on the inside of the pen.

A little while later I stopped by the swine show in the livestock arena. I won’t prove my ignorance by suggesting I know how this works. (Example: I googled, “What is the stick used to show pigs?” Answer: Pig show stick. Thanks plenty, Google.)

This is like a Little League championship with live animals. The stands are filled with parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters, cheering encouragement while contestants nervously direct their much larger critters in the show pen under the judge’s watchful eye.

Something caught my attention. The judge, who didn’t appear much older than some of the kids, leaned over and spoke quietly to a distraught young man whose animal wasn’t making the grade. After a few moments, the boy lifted his head to something the judge said. The conversation concluded in a fist bump.

Smiles all around the arena.

— The railroad exhibit in the Otto Allen Building is always a highlight. I had a train set around the Christmas tree in my youth, but nothing like this. The Citrus Model Railroad Club has been a part of the county fair since 1993. Never miss it.

— The midway seems livelier this year. Little story: The fair association had the same midway vendor for decades. Eons. Then the vendor started messing with schedules, saying it could arrive on Mondays to set up on Tuesday. That meant the fair would open on Monday, but no rides or games for another day.

Finally, the fair board decided on another direction. I’m sure they’re happy with the current vendor, Modern Midways. I’ll say this: Definitely more of a colorful presence at night, and I still don’t want to get onto a ride that will flip me upside down. My life is topsy-turvey enough.

The Tilt-A-Whirl. Now that’s a ride.

— There’s a history of the fair in the Baker Miley Building that Citrus County old-timers like me will find very interesting. The fair was established in 1927, and in its present location since 1948.

They have a list of all the Fair Board directors since 1948. I recognized most of these names, and am familiar with many of them. Let me tell you: it takes a TON of people, nearly all of them volunteers, to put this thing together every year.

— I could go on and on. The county fair is my escape without leaving home. It’s the place I crave right now.

That said, I believe there is an elephant ear in my near future.

Have a wonderful Thursday, friends.

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