Yesterday I made an unplanned first visit ever to a British Country Fair. During my childhood my concept of a Country Fair was American based with an emphasis on fairground, community activities, on screen relationships A quick internet search revealed major commercial events lasting several weeks attracting a huge number of visitors and major commercial opportunities with in addition to celebratory and competitive events for those involved in agriculture and animal husbandry, major concert and sporting events, the traditional fair, and family centred activities. The Texas State Fair site. BigTex.com boasts the biggest fair in the Union and the biggest Ferris wheel in the world.
An Octagon screen is to be centre piece of an evening multi Media performance event involving visual effect, fire and pyrotechnics choreographed to every genre of music. There is a dare devil event with free shows daily. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of feathered performers from around the globe. The Women's Museum in conjunction with the State Fair will present the 21st century intelligent house. There will be free concerts from live bands every night with top entertainers and weekends. There is to be a State Fair musical, the Colour Purple with daily performances except Monday. Along side these attraction there are the live stock shows and auctions. There is a major motor show event with 300000 square feet of buildings display areas for vehicles including trucks, activities and entertainments including the launch of new models. 3 million people visit each year generating 350 dollars into the Dallas Economy. Entry costs are amazingly low with for someone like me over 60 ten dollars around £5 with free entry on Thursdays for the three weeks for senior and local school children.
There were similar but smaller scale features for the County weekend events I attend on one of the hottest sunniest days of the year. There were motorcycle dare devils and a falconry displays and a small fairground. There were displays of agricultural vehicles and a comparatively large area for Veteran, Vintage and Classic cars, Tucked away on one corner was a bandstand I enjoyed some mainstream Jazz on a Summer's Day with Summertime hitting the mood for an audience escaping from the heat under an open sided Marquee to laze the early afternoon after a lunch and drink where cool fresh real lemonade was doing better business than wine, although some went for draught beer or cider. Food was a high light in various forms from unusual offerings such as Buffalo steak burgers from the Water Buffalo company although nothing to compete with the Texas deep fried Oreo cookies, deep fried peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches. deep fried Twinkies, fried cheesecake and batter based fried Coke. There was some emphasis on country crafts and environmental issues and there were several events for horse or pony and carriage and with a special show jumping arena. There was judging of live stock with sheep, pigs, goats and cows, but the most popular attraction were the Alpacas who hum in varying strengths and pitches. There was the Flower Show and Gardeners questions time but as with the Cookery demonstrations many were more interested the available seating than the actual event. I was also impressed with skill and determination of the Tug of War teams who treated the event with great seriousness and where there was skill as well as brawn which meant that some teams included ladies and slim looking young men.
My previous knowledge of the British Country Fair was based on the long running after the war agricultural and village life of the Archers of Ambridge with the nearby county town of Borchester. This programme has always been about working farmers and villagers centring around the pub, the church and Women's Institute. The programme has provide the opportunity raise contemporary rural issues from rights of way to subsidies, small versus big, and the problems of being young and old in a rural setting. The programme always encouraged the working farmer to see the annual event not just as a social occasion but to do good business from buying a new tractor to considering change in stock or crop.
There were also two symbols of the time when the show attempted to emphasise the rule of the landed gentry. A visit to the toilet at one point coincided with the departure of some of the guests of the President's lunch with ladies in their expensive finery and men looking sporty and countrified. However the master stroke was by the Master of the Foxhounds who after the riders dismounted and their horse were taken away encouraged children of all ages to enter the main a parade ring and find out just how friendly and harmless the dogs really are, especially since the legislation three years ago they were no longer allowed to tear the fox to pieces to the glee and enjoyment of the hunters.
On return I checked out information for Durham and Northumberland. The Durham show has been cancelled at short notice because of problems with the cost of policing but the Northumberland Show is taking place on one bank holiday with a combination of events which suggest a similar make up to that experienced this weekend and subject to the weather and other priorities I am tempted to take a second look.
An Octagon screen is to be centre piece of an evening multi Media performance event involving visual effect, fire and pyrotechnics choreographed to every genre of music. There is a dare devil event with free shows daily. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of feathered performers from around the globe. The Women's Museum in conjunction with the State Fair will present the 21st century intelligent house. There will be free concerts from live bands every night with top entertainers and weekends. There is to be a State Fair musical, the Colour Purple with daily performances except Monday. Along side these attraction there are the live stock shows and auctions. There is a major motor show event with 300000 square feet of buildings display areas for vehicles including trucks, activities and entertainments including the launch of new models. 3 million people visit each year generating 350 dollars into the Dallas Economy. Entry costs are amazingly low with for someone like me over 60 ten dollars around £5 with free entry on Thursdays for the three weeks for senior and local school children.
There were similar but smaller scale features for the County weekend events I attend on one of the hottest sunniest days of the year. There were motorcycle dare devils and a falconry displays and a small fairground. There were displays of agricultural vehicles and a comparatively large area for Veteran, Vintage and Classic cars, Tucked away on one corner was a bandstand I enjoyed some mainstream Jazz on a Summer's Day with Summertime hitting the mood for an audience escaping from the heat under an open sided Marquee to laze the early afternoon after a lunch and drink where cool fresh real lemonade was doing better business than wine, although some went for draught beer or cider. Food was a high light in various forms from unusual offerings such as Buffalo steak burgers from the Water Buffalo company although nothing to compete with the Texas deep fried Oreo cookies, deep fried peanut butter, jelly and banana sandwiches. deep fried Twinkies, fried cheesecake and batter based fried Coke. There was some emphasis on country crafts and environmental issues and there were several events for horse or pony and carriage and with a special show jumping arena. There was judging of live stock with sheep, pigs, goats and cows, but the most popular attraction were the Alpacas who hum in varying strengths and pitches. There was the Flower Show and Gardeners questions time but as with the Cookery demonstrations many were more interested the available seating than the actual event. I was also impressed with skill and determination of the Tug of War teams who treated the event with great seriousness and where there was skill as well as brawn which meant that some teams included ladies and slim looking young men.
My previous knowledge of the British Country Fair was based on the long running after the war agricultural and village life of the Archers of Ambridge with the nearby county town of Borchester. This programme has always been about working farmers and villagers centring around the pub, the church and Women's Institute. The programme has provide the opportunity raise contemporary rural issues from rights of way to subsidies, small versus big, and the problems of being young and old in a rural setting. The programme always encouraged the working farmer to see the annual event not just as a social occasion but to do good business from buying a new tractor to considering change in stock or crop.
There were also two symbols of the time when the show attempted to emphasise the rule of the landed gentry. A visit to the toilet at one point coincided with the departure of some of the guests of the President's lunch with ladies in their expensive finery and men looking sporty and countrified. However the master stroke was by the Master of the Foxhounds who after the riders dismounted and their horse were taken away encouraged children of all ages to enter the main a parade ring and find out just how friendly and harmless the dogs really are, especially since the legislation three years ago they were no longer allowed to tear the fox to pieces to the glee and enjoyment of the hunters.
On return I checked out information for Durham and Northumberland. The Durham show has been cancelled at short notice because of problems with the cost of policing but the Northumberland Show is taking place on one bank holiday with a combination of events which suggest a similar make up to that experienced this weekend and subject to the weather and other priorities I am tempted to take a second look.
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