Absolutely the last SJ County Fair (in the 1900's)
In another article, six elements of a culture were outlined: the language of the people making up the culture; the day-to-day rules or customs by which they conduct themselves; the rituals which punctuate their annual calendar; the character of any generally accepted heroes and heroines; the processes by which communal things get done; and the values that drive major decisions. Fitted together, these elements form a mosaic, a descriptive picture that we call a culture.
Our County Fair each August is one of our primary rituals. The Fair is one two county-wide events we have on a regular basis. The other is our local elections in November. The Fair links people from various islands in our archipelago. It also nicely links the present with the past, villages within the country, poets with horse-back riders, and generations-from young people in 4-H to grandparents who can still remember the good ol' days when agriculture drove the local economy. The Fair is a precious piece of common ground all islanders can share for a few days. In my experience, the more involved one becomes, the more meaning the Fair assumes. It is authentic, real, an oasis in a world that features an excess of illusion. At the Fair, what you see is what is. There is no veneer, spokesperson's spin, or computer enhancement, and there are no billboards or commercials aimed at helping you define yourself.
Participation in the Fair is available in umpteen sizes and shapes. Intrepid beach people can heed the call to find and exhibit a spectacular example of weathered wood. The magnitude of your imagination is the only constraint. Aspiring country folks can design and submit a scarecrow and, thereby, add color and sculptures to the Fairgrounds. Photographers can give us their views of this world around us-in color or black & white. Individuals sporting green thumbs can share their joy in one or more of a dozen categories, from fruits and vegetables to flowers and compost.
If indoor creativity is more your forte, you are well served. Bring on your cakes, pies, jars of jellies and jams, breads, beer, wine, and craft projects. If I still haven't touched your heartstrings, there are textile arts (dress-making, quilting, embroidery) and fiber arts (spinning, weaving, knitting) as well as crafts and visual arts including painting and drawings in various mediums.
Woven in between all the direct participation opportunities are the indirect ones, including eating from any one of at least twenty purveyors of food-from PTA pies to buffalo burgers! One of my favorite events to watch is the lively market auction in which young people offer for sale the products of their love and attention, from sheep and swine to chickens and eggs. The bidding sometimes gets intense which adds an element of homespun drama that is hard to match on the telly.
Another popular spectator sport at our Fair is joining in the continuing flow of excitement in the main outdoor arena. At various times there is English equitation, Western equitation, jumping, and barrel racing, not to mention chicken and rabbit racing, a sight to behold. The unifying theme is honest competition and sportsmanship. It doesn't get any better than at the Fair.
For animal lovers, present and potential, there is a vast array to ooo and aaah, from cattle, swine, chickens, ducks, and goats to llamas, alpacas, cats, sheep, and some years, dogs. In addition, the horse barn is always a "must see."
Say, how long since you rode a stomach-churning ride or tangled with cotton candy? Our Fair has both, right out of the Judy Garland movie, Meet me in St. Louis. And the honky-tonk music from the amusement park blends nicely with that of the entertainment groups who perform at various sites around the grounds, over the course of the Fair.
A traditional highlight that illustrates the linking between our islands is the Sheep-to-Shawl event on Saturday. This will be the twentieth year for the event, and three local teams are expected from different islands: Orcas, San Juan, Waldron. There may also be one team from Canada and one from our mainland. Each team is composed of seven people. The day starts with a sheep shearing demonstration and rolls on from there as teams sort their fleeces, spin yarn, and weave marvelous shawls to their own designs. Judging and a shawl raffle follow. You could be a winner! Most years, shawls from many past years are on display in the Wool Shed.
The Fair is a major ritual in San Juan County and an integral part of our culture. Sometimes the Fair is dusty or wet or windy or hot; most of the time it is neighborly, sunny, and bedrock fun. Either way, it's all ours. Rituals are important for they signal what a community chooses to celebrate. And rituals are important for they provide a positive occasion for a coming together. In many respects our Fair is a place of sharing. And sharing is a large portion of what community is all about. For San Juan Islanders the Fair isn't simply entertainment, per se, or just something to do for a few days in mid-August. It is a gathering place for members of our clan.
Copyright © 1999, 2003 Steven C. Brandt.
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