Woodstock Fair

I love to take the kids to a local fair at least once a year. We took Caleb to the Shenandoah County Fair for the first time when he was just a year old and it's kind of become a tradition. The year Hadley was born we took them to both the Woodstock one and our own county fair, but last year our schedules were just too packed. Every time we planned something, something else came up or someone got sick so we sadly didn't make it at all. I'd hoped to go to the Page County one this year for the rodeo too, but Dave was out of town so that didn't pan out either. 

Thankfully, this weekend we found the time to take such an outing. 

There are lots of fairs around, but Shenandoah County's has been a favorite for us.We like the food and really enjoy seeing the large number of animals there. It's a little farther to go, but it's worth the drive in my opinion. 

I vaguely remember going there once when I was maybe a teenager or in college, but my cousin Allison who lives there got us started again when she invited us back in 2011 with the allure of free passes. The following year we went with my grandparents and mom and met up with my Aunt Susie and cousin Diane. It was a blast. Diane and I both had very young infants at the time and had a hard time finding a place to feed them in private. We found a dark area in between two of the barns that we thought would be a good place to feed our babies without the gaze of passerbys, but right about that time a big old cow poked her head right over the side of the barn and invaded our privacy. We still laugh so hard about our goofy predicament. Sounds like some type of Lucy and Ethel ordeal doesn't it? How do we get ourselves in these situations?

Anyway, moving on...Saturday we finally got the chance to get a little country air and some greasy cooking as well. The kids didn't seem to overly excited when we told them where we were going, but when we pulled up and they saw that Ferris wheel...Oh, boy!

Hadley found her backpack in the car and fussed to wear it. She's pretty good at staying with us and we really didn't need it, but she insisted so we took it along as an accessory.

Before we went, Dave and I had decided that we weren't really going to do any rides since they are expensive and there is so much else to look at and enjoy with the animals anyway, but when we pulled up and the kids were over the top with excitement as soon as we saw them, how could we say no? Before we went on any though, we told them we'd have to eat first and didn't receive as much resistance as I would have expected. They actually were very compliant and patient throughout the meal and as we waited for tickets.

There wasn't a lot of rides that Hadley could do and most rides required that we ride with the kids so we felt the All-You-Can-Ride arm bands weren't the best choice for us. Instead we bought a package of tickets and the kids each got to do two rides. Caleb choose the Ferris wheel first; it drew his attention more than anything else at the fair from the moment we arrived. And, since was too little to go alone, Mommy got a ride in the sky too.

We'd hoped that Hadley could ride too, but she was under the height requirement and had to stay with Daddy and Reid. She was a very patient little girl though, and after we spent a while trying to find something she could actually go on, she got her turn on a ride next.

There was a dad there who kept waving at his kids and Hadley was eating it up, thinking he was giving her all that attention. She just grinned from ear to ear with excitement each time she passed him and when the ride was over ran right over to him for him to help her down instead of going back to her own parents. Silly girl!

Hadley had a chance to ride in the air with Mommy too on the next ride - the Bumble Bee.

Rides never really bothered me as a kid, but this one kind of made me feel a little queasy!

Then, Caleb got to take Daddy on the roller coaster.

Hadley was a bit less patient this go around.

Both of them were disappointed to be done with the rides, but the promise of going to look at the animals soon dried up those tears. First to the chickens...

...then to the bunnies...

...next to the bigger livestock animals....

Hadley was a little nervous being so close to those big cows and caught a ride on Daddy's hip for good measure.

...a quick detour to check out some tractors...

...and finally a peek at the goats.

Hadley was not afraid of the goats like she was the cows...getting down right at eye level. She must have a little of her Aunt Courtney in her. 

Courtney, we may have to make a stop at your house to see your goats soon!

Reid was pretty mellow as we carried or strolled him around the fair, but on the way out, he heard the music in the grandstand and started clapping his hands and slapping his legs.

From the time I smelled the funnel cakes when we arrived, I knew I wanted one before we left, so we grabbed one from one the vendors on the way out and shared a sugary treat in the parking lot before buckling into the Pilot. 

It's a little sad that all the fairs are over now because it marks the end of summer, but we're kind of ready for a slower pace around here too...wait, does that ever happen?