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Our American
Uniqueness
That’s My Opinion
By Bob Robinson
Every year I look forward to the Great Darke County Fair as the premier
event of the year. I scratch my head in wonder when I run into someone
who says they don’t (or won’t) go to the fair.
Why? Dunno. Burned out, I guess. Same ole’ same ole’… whatever!
Maybe it’s because I’m a “furiner and a snake in the grass” (once
coined by a local official a few years ago) and have only been
fortunate enough to be around for the last dozen years…
Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in or visited just about every part of
the country and have seen absolutely nothing comparable to the recently
completed nine days…
Or maybe it’s just because I’m an optimist and a softy when I see the
enjoyment and accomplishment of so many people each year in a time when
everyone (often including me) is negative about where we are today and
where we seem to be heading.
Darke County (read Southwest Ohio) is a tough bunch! We succeed and
enjoy whether the doomsayers like it or not.
And I see it at the Fair.
What I especially enjoy is seeing the efforts of our young people.
Watching their antics as they explore the rides, games and confections
on the fairway. Seeing the pride on their young faces as they show off
their previous year’s hard work.
Negativity is hard to embrace as their efforts prove we can still
accomplish.
I saw a bunch of old friends last week. I also ran into kids I’d
mentored or taught over the years. It was good seeing and taking a few
minutes to talk to all of them.
I actually got to spend a little time there with my family this year.
My niece and nephew Koryann and Christopher, and a couple times with
Susan, Shawn and my 2-year-old granddaughter Bella…
You may have seen her photo a few times in CNO posts; in this set
you see her above and you’ll see her on her “favorite” pony… they are all her favorite. She
LOVES ponies.
With a hundred thousand plus visitors converging from all over the
state… I met someone from Cleveland; they’d heard about us and decided
to give us a try. They weren’t disappointed!
But as I was saying, with a hundred thousand plus visitors you can’t
help but get a little drama and human idiocy mixed in with the good
stuff.
I saw a few arguments, a few sour faces, a few tears. Almost got run
over a few times by people on a mission and not watching where they
were going. Probably the most notable series of events, however, was
one morning when I was working Gate 5 for Kiwanis.
One lady drove through at a high rate of speed, comparatively speaking.
Didn’t slow down. Didn’t show her pass… just drove through like she
owned the place. Some people think that, I guess. She was tracked down,
showed the needed passes and denied she did anything wrong.
So we put up one of those orange towers on the entrance side… they are
supposed to stop, show their parking pass and pay their entrance fee
(if they didn’t already have one). We figured that would turn the
“light bulb” on in their heads.
Several people tried to enter as usual… except they pulled over to the
exit side (on the left). They weren’t about to do something they didn’t want to do.
One individual actually tried to squeeze through the barrier and the
gatehouse to avoid stopping.
One instance was especially memorable. I was standing in the entrance
and a Sheriff’s Deputy and another Kiwanian were standing off to the
side, ready to check passes.
The guy didn’t want to stop… guess he figured I’d jump out of the way.
I didn’t and he came within three or four inches of hugging my kneecaps
with his truck.
Stupid? Maybe. But I’m also stubborn, as most of my friends and
family know.
A side issue… we were astonished at the number of people who thought
(assumed or hoped) their parking passes were also entrance passes. The
Fair Board made several hundred dollars those two mornings that it
might otherwise not have gotten.
No one argued. Most knew they were trying to pull a fast one and got
caught.
One more point… probably the most important point in all this rambling.
I try each year to visit the fairgrounds the night before the fair
opens. I like to see the “night before” and compare it to “opening day”
and those that come after.
Think about it. Think about what we see before individual effort kicks
in to make something happen. Think about the end result of an event of
this magnitude if all of us just sat back and let “someone else” do it.
Check out the photos from “the night before.” Then check out the photos
from a combined effort by a few hundred for hundreds of thousands to
enjoy. Finally, check out just one example of American creativity that
you will see at the Fair, but won’t likely find outside of a free
society that rewards individual effort.
That, my friends, is our American uniqueness. The Great Darke County
Fair is a phenomenal event, and we – as individuals – are the ones who build it.
That’s My Opinion. What’s Yours?
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Set 1… The
Darke County Fair: The Night Before
Photos by Bob Robinson
Click here
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Set 2… The
Darke County Fair: Nine days of fun, excitement and accomplishment
Photos by Bob Robinson
Click here
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Set 3… Kidbucks
Game Show
Photos by Elaine Bailey
Click here
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