Happy Friday. I was out looking for photos yesterday and went by this farm with these “demolition derby” vehicles sitting in their front yard. You notice a lot of these vehicles in different locations this time of year with all the county fairs happening during the month of July.
Maquoketa is no different. The county fair is a big deal and it is prepared for, talked about, and anticipated for months before it happens. The opening day of the fair there is a big parade and people start putting their lawn chairs and blankets on the side walks of the parade route early in the morning. The parade doesn’t start until 6:00 p.m., so that most everyone can enjoy it.
If you own something with 2 or more wheels (or no wheels come to think about it) you can be in the parade. Sometimes there are more people in the parade then watching it. 🙂 I didn’t stay for the parade this year as I had another project that needed my attention. In years past I have photographed some of the more interesting aspects of the parade. Perhaps next year.
I remember growing up, the fair was special. The Harrison County fair was the main event of the year. You saw things you hadn’t seen before, saw people you hadn’t seen since the last fair, and the smells, ah yes the smells, the good, the bad, and certainly the ugly. 🙂
As a teenager (always needing money) I flipped burgers at the food tent. The owner of the cafe in Ridgeway had a vendor’s license and she always hired me to be the grill cook. It was pretty good money, I got in the fair for free and my shift ended around 9:00 p.m., still plenty of time to hang with my friends (although we didn’t call it hanging back then) and even do some of the rides. Once in a while (if I were lucky) some of the strippers would come in for lunch and that was always interesting as well. 🙂
By the end of the week I actually got to know some of the Carnies pretty well. I would listen to their stories and enjoy bantering with them. Like all things there were some good folks who were down on their luck and they were doing what they had to do to survive. Others were a reflection of our society, complete drop-outs looking for the next drink. It was an education for me.
I’ll let your imagination run with this image. 🙂
There was a big article in this morning’s TH about the vintage airplanes practicing at the Dubuque Regional Airport. Mike Burley (a photo journalist for the TH) got to ride in one of the planes and took some fantastic images of the planes flying over Dubuque. I’m so envious. All that means is that it will be packed this weekend at the observation area and probably hard to get a good shot of the planes.
Well that’s it for today. I hope you were able to follow my mindless babble about what I’m not sure. Enjoy your Friday. Thanks for stopping by, watch where you step and be careful.
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