After the fair last week, one of KLS’s workmates suggest we visit another fair, about 90 minutes south of here. Everything about it was supposed to be bigger and better than Altamont, including the rides.
We had to go!
So go we did, to the Duchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, NY. We got there shortly after it opened and stayed for more than six hours. Quite simply, this fair had more to see than could ever be seen and more to do than could ever be done.
We tried though, and here is some of what we saw:
1) County fairs celebrate agriculture and farming, so is it a surprise to see something like the above? What about…
2) The JCB ‘dancing diggers’ performance. Such hydraulic power! Such structural integrity! I have never seen such a beautiful performance of choreographed excavators before!
3) We saw a robot named Oscar…
4) And an old master painting a masterpiece onto a mirror!
5) The food selections were mind boggling. KLS had a crab cake platter, and I…
6) had a lamb gyro. I was planning on getting a corn dog later but… I’ll get to that…
Lets talk about the animals! There were a bazillion of them there, representing countless different species, for example:
7) Porkers…
8) A tiny horse…
9) An evil giant bird…
10) An insane, metal-eating armor-clad sheep…
11) A lazy bugger…
666) And Satan!
We also saw camels, long-jumping hounds, rabbits, fowl, monkeys and even two coatimundi!
13) Here we see KLS next to the prize-winning Christmas tree. Every type of plant you could imagine was being shown and judged including…
14) A room full of flowers!
15) That’s the prize-winning Dahlia. Can you grow them this well?
16) Speaking of prize-winning, here’s a remarkable piece of art we assume is The Greatest American Hero:
And of course, we saw the rides! Unlike Altamont, rides were not included in the entry price and cost about $5 each. There were dozens of them in all shapes and sizes, three of which I was very interested in riding. They were:
17) ‘The Claw’, a contraption with so many axis of rotation it may outdo The Zipper! Looking at it, I knew it would ruin me 🙁
18) The ‘Sky Diver’, a sort of leveled-up Ferris Wheel in which you’d spend half your time upside down!
19) The ‘Fire Ball’, known to aficionados like myself as the ‘Superlooper’. I hadn’t ridden one in 30 years and even though I feared it would ruin me the pull of nostalgia was strong. I sat KLS on a shady seat, shuffled off and before I could change my mind purchased a ticket from a grizzled felon, hopped on the ride and buckled myself into the front seat. Here’s what I looked like immediately afterwards:
20) Yes my friends, I was ruined. Even now, almost a day later I can remember the dizziness. I curse the god that makes me sick on all these wonderful rides I love :< After, I noted that I was significantly older than almost every person riding any ride. Have I outgrown these things? I hope not. Post-fireball illness aside, the fair was spectacular. We will certainly be back next year :)
