We Missed The Rodeo...Again

 This past weekend at the little hamlet in which we live marked one of the biggest of the year. You see, it's the week of the Box Elder County Fair.

It's a big deal.

One of the most anticipated events of the fair is the rodeo. It's so popular on local online bulletin boards people have been asking for weeks for any extra rodeo tickets that might be available. It's our version of a Taylor Swift concert...

Well, maybe not to that degree, but you get the idea.

As a child, my father got tickets to Lagoon Amusement Park's weekly rodeos. I believe the rodeos were on Friday nights...either that, or they were on Saturday nights and the Demolition Derbies were on Fridays. I can't remember...it was more than fifty years ago. Point is, I went to a lot of rodeos as a youngling. 

I"m not anti-rodeo. I'd go, if given the chance. Since we moved here, I have no idea how difficult it is to secure tickets to the rodeos. I imagine, it's quite tough. This tells me a couple of things...one--it's a great show. If people are asking strangers for extra tickets, it must be worth it. And two--the spirit of the old west is alive and kicking in this part of the country.

The day after the fair ended, my son and I drove around the fairgrounds. I snapped a picture of some of the rodeo participants waiting for their next adventure. Maybe next year we'll try and attend. We ought to experience what so many of our neighbors and friends already know. The rodeo at the Box Elder County Fair is a good time...

And a big deal.

Sorry County Fair...I Needed More Time

 It's all my fault...I should have known better. I should have known it would take more than a weekend to have someone take the digital photos I wanted to enter into this year's Box Elder County Fair and create submittable entries for the event.

I take total responsibility.

I blew it.

We go to fairs. We're a fair-going family. We tried to go to every Davis County Fair when we lived in that particular county. It was free, after all (you just had to pay for parking...). 

Funny how things are looked at differently depending where you live. Now, there is no Davis County Fair. It has ceased to exist. It's now called the Davis Heritage Festival, but it's no fair, not the way I remember the fair as it was once held at Lagoon, and then at the fairgrounds a few miles away. 

Where we now live the fair is so important, they do not start public school until after the fair is over. When ANYTHING trumps public school, it's a big deal.

When we went to the fair last year, we admired the photo exhibits, among other things. There were many excellent photographs and this year, I wanted to join their ranks. I picked out a couple of photos from the previous year, then I went to see if I get the photographs printed and mounted before the deadline. The only problem is, I waited too long. It would take a week for them to print and prepare the photos. I only had days. In fact, the deadline for submission has just passed...it's officially too late.

I decided to learn from this experience, learn to do more research, to be more prepared. I don't know if I can use the same photos I planned on submitting this year. If so, I'm good. And who knows? Maybe I'll take better photos in the eleven or so months until the fair flags fly again.

Honoring An Artist...Lori Nicholas

The display hung in a building where other works of art resided for those visiting the Box Elder County Fair. If you walked by quickly, you'd miss it...a shrine to a fallen hero...a local hero.

Someone I've never met.

But, I didn't need to know her to understand her importance to those who created the display, who took the time to honor this person.

Lori Nicholas was a western artist who passed away one day shy of her sixty-eighth birthday. I know it's hard to read the dedication, but I'm sure she was more than what was printed on the paper describing some of the highlights of her life. She sounds like an incredible person and artist.

The building now sits empty, the artwork--paintings, sculptures, photographs, quilts, even lego masterpieces--all gone from the walls and aisles. Gone too is Lori's art, her dedication, her tribute.

Scenes From A Fair...

This past weekend we experienced the Box Elder Count Fair for the first time.

We'd heard about the fair--we missed it last year--so we made it a point to attend this year. We live in an area where the fair is important, it serves a purpose for so many. It's always fun to people watch. At the fair we could also animal watch. 

Here's just a slice of what we saw. Of course, there was SO much more that I didn't capture or include here. We were sad we missed it last year. We're glad we attended this year, and we're going to make sure we return next year. It was great.