Next, they planted a seed token in the ground and "watered" it with a watering can. After planting, they could choose a vegetable to add to their basket.
The next station was the chicken coop where the kids collected an egg for their basket. There was a stuffed chicken on one of the shelves that would cluck when
Sy touched it. She enjoyed
getting that silly chicken
to cluck.
(This coop was nothing
like collecting eggs
from a real chicken coop that has a mean attack rooster waiting at the door for trespassers to his roost.)Gathering corn to feed the cows came next. Each child was given a little sandwich bag to fill with corn. Sy loved just playing in the corn. She would scoop some up then let it fall through her fingers back into the tub. Over and over and over she did this until we distracted her with something else.
We stopped to see the cute bunnies and the few chickens on display here. The chickens reminded me of Keith, of course, and his entries to the different fairs (and now his judging of chickens at the fairs). There were a few silkies, standard chickens, and a naked neck chicken. These were "leftovers" from the actual judging. One of the bunnies looked exactly like my pet Tawny and almost convinced me that I needed another house bunny.
Next came the hay hauling. The kids rode on "John Deere" tricycles with little wagons attached. They had to "fill" the tractor with diesel, drive to the hay bales (miniature sized), load their wagons, then take the bales to the stack yard. Most of the kids put one bale in their wagon, but not Deegan! He filled his wagon and said that was what Poppa and Grandpa Jimmy did when they hauled hay--and Deegan was right! Hay is never hauled one bale at a time.
After hauling the hay we stopped to "milk the cows." A small feed bucket was placed by each "cow." Deegan and Sy put the corn in the bucket for the cows to "eat" while they were milked. A calf-bottle was rigged behind the cows with the nipple hanging down for the udder. The kids pulled on the nipple until a couple of drops of milk came out. They added a small, empty carton of milk to the basket.
After gathering the harvest they went to the "market" and sold the fruits of their labors. With the "money" they earned, Deegan and Sy went to the store and "bought" a treat. The kids had so much fun, we made the rounds a second time.
There was also a free kids' and adult craft section. Deegan and Sy painted a picture and looked at some of the other options. Fly-tying caught Deegan's interest and he wanted to try--but Poppa was going to help him "because Poppa knows how to do this good!" It was so fun to watch the two create flies together. I was reminded of another little blonde-haired boy (Mikie), just older than Deegan, who used to sit next to Mike and create unique flies.
After the fair, Mike and I stopped at a wholesale electrical supply warehouse and our favorite store--Lowe's to pick up materials for house projects then headed home.
See ya all later!!!!!
