Fair thoughts and a ‘Happy Anniversary’
…Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the Greene County Fair! The Messenger editorial staff has been very busy during the Fair week this year, snapping photos and covering the many wonderful events and activities that have been happening throughout the week. From the Fair Queen and Wool Queen Pageants to the 4-H shows, from the truck and tractor pulls to the many fun throw-up rides (and I use that term as a compliment), it’s no surprise to discover that fun at the fair is “In Full Bloom.” By the way, “Congrats” to Karlie Hoy, who was crowned 2009 Greene County Fair Queen during the pageant on Aug. 8. Karlie is the 17-year-old daughter of Murray and Debra Hoy of Waynesburg. Also, a round of applause goes out to Rachel Finnegan, the 17-year-old daughter of Debbie Finnegan of New Freeport, who was crowned Lamb and Wool Queen during a pageant on Monday. Look inside this issue for the feature article about the Fair Queen pageant and the Lamb and Wool Queen contest, as well as our in-depth coverage and photos about the 2009 Greene County Fair. (And be sure to check out the Messenger next week for even more fair coverage, including highlights from the 4-H Market Lamb and Steer shows and sales.)
Even though by the time many of you read this column the fair will soon be ending, there will still be plenty of fun to be found at the fairgrounds on the last two nights.
Friday will feature the return of the popular Demolition Derby at 7 p.m., and the day will also feature the 4-H and Open Goat Show at 10 a.m. And on Saturday, the fair will feature Team Penning at 11 a.m. followed by an evening of truck and tractor pulls. The pulls will be presented by Power Pulling Production, LLC, and will feature plenty of machines flexing their mechanical muscles.
So if you haven’t gotten yer butts out to the 2009 fair yet, then you better get movin’ to the fairgrounds, because time is running out…
…By the way, here’s a funny little tidbit about the fair: A “little birdie” landed on my shoulder last week and told me that he seemed to recall many years ago that the fair hosted an evening of wrestling.
But it wasn’t just regular scholastic wrestling, nor was it the goofy WWE style of “good guys vs. bad guys” studio wrestling…No, I was told that one year the fair hosted an evening of…FEMALE MUD WRESTLING.
I was shocked when I heard this, and I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been living here for more than three decades, and I don’t recall there ever being mud wrestling at the fair. But I was assured that it happened in either the late ’70s or sometime in the ’80s, and the event consisted of local ladies competing inside a muddy wrestling ring. I was also told that the event was quite popular but it turned out to be a short-lived tradition at the fair.
Do any readers out there remember this happening? Can someone fill me in with the scoop and the “dirty” (pardon the pun) details? I’m not looking to write a story or quote anyone on record, I’m just curious. And it would be even better if someone could produce any photos of this event.
If anybody can help me out with this, send me an email or give me a call. The Messenger’s contact info is printed in the box at the bottom of the page…
…Switching gears: Remember last week’s column when I complained about the unbearable heat and humidity that always seems to rear its ugly head during the week of the fair? Well, it resurfaced again earlier this week, making things rather uncomfortable on Sunday for my wife and family and me. We decided to spend the day working our tails off inside, outside and all around our house. Mowing grass, major cleaning, sanding and painting walls, cleaning out basements…All in that wonderfully muggy air that was so thick you could see it. Ugh.
And it certainly didn’t help matters that we discovered we have a major, MAJOR yellow jacket problem. To put it mildly, the pesky little stingers are everywhere. (And it doesn’t help that my wife and I are both terrified of bees. I am ashamed to admit that out of all personality traits that I have inherited from my companion of 19 years, it’s her irrational fear of bees and insects. Needless to say, the discovery of the hundreds of yellow jackets nesting in the walls of my house made me shriek louder than she did.)
Ah, the joys of country living. The longer I live there the more I feel like we’re stuck in some kind of animal kingdom in hell. Between the bees and spiders, the groundhogs and muskrats, the horseflies and gnats, I’m ready to lock myself in the house and never come out…
…Okay, I’m being a bit dramatic. Despite the occasional bout with bugs, I have to grudgingly admit that I’m pretty happy with living in the country with my wife. And I’m even happier knowing that today, Aug. 14, marks our 16th wedding anniversary.
The more I think about our years together, the more it stuns me. After 16 years of marriage and 19 years of being in love with her, I am proud to say that I love her more this very minute than I did when I first said “I Do”…And I’m amazed that she has put up with me all this time.
I think about how, when we first met, I had long hair, wore an earring and ripped up jeans, and basically looked like an idiot…and somehow, she still fell in love with me. I think about how many times I acted like a jerk and treated her badly, and she chose to forgive me.
And then I think about how many awesome moments we’ve shared together over the years, and it makes my heart glad. Too many wonderful memories to count, and yet I cherish each and every one of them.
I have joked repeatedly in this column that I think the only reason she is still with me is because she lost a bet, and sometimes I think that’s really true…But the bottom line is, I couldn’t imagine my life without her, and very rarely does a day go by that I don’t thank God for blessing me with the most wonderful woman I could ever dream of spending my life with.
(And if that doesn’t get me an xBox 360 for an anniversary present, then nothing will.)
Seriously, I just want to wrap up this column by saying to Crystal, my best friend and soul mate for the past two decades: Here’s to growing up together, growing closer together, and growing old together.
Happy Anniversary.