Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1963-08-15
Our Family
Has Enjoyed
County Fair
BY Christina Evan

AS long as Montgomery Coun-
ty has had a fair at the Ag Cen
ter in Gaithersburg, our family
has made an annual trek to the
fair grounds to view the exhi-
bits-not all Of them agricultur-
al-and breathe the Upper Mont
gomery County air more deeply
than is ordinarily possible in our
cosmopolitan habitat of Rock
vile.
In those IA years the fair has
witnessed a amazing expan-
sion. The few animal shelters
and single exhibit building hous.
ing the fair in 1949 has been
complemented by larger audi
forum, a brick caretaker's resi-
dence and an assortment of con-
cession stands and facilities Of a
more permanent nature. This in
itself indicates the growing in
terest of Montgomery Countians
in the even, and, we have heard,
residents of other counties as
well as Pennsylvanians and Vir-
ginians come to examine the
sample package Of our bounty.
Most are not satisfied with
single taste, but take several
hearty swallows of the piano.
rama before calling it a day, and
well they may, whatever their
delight. Entries range from
hooked rugs to hams, Herefords
to honey bees, something to
whet every fairgoer's visual APP
petite. And this is not to the
deprivation of appetites of the
eating variety. Samples of
cheese and goats milk are feat
ured at the dairy bar as well as
the all-American milk shake and
ice cream on a stick. At either
end of the midway county
churches sponsor booths with
homemade barbecue and the
eternal hot dog, and at midday
church groups offer complete
meals of country ham or fried
chicken and a place to sit, an
unbeatable combination for en-
ervated patrons.
This Is what the fair has been
to us over the years as we kids
grew up with 1t: always some
thing new to see, always a little
farther afield to find a parking
place, always the staunch boy
scout, emerging from a sea of
dust like an olive drab genie,
there to point the way. The car,
our departure point, we careful
ly enclose compulsory sweaters
within and set out In as many
different directions as a family
outing will allow, each to seek
out his favorite, first: Papa to
the horse show, Mama to the
needlework so we wander
entertained for hours.
Amazingly, It La not difficult
to locate In the mass of human
ity, q delinquent member who,
engrossed In his speciality. has
neglected to arrive at the rem
devious. Grandpapa will be
somewhere among the farm ma
chinery, perhaps reminiscing
with a friend of five minutes;
Grandma will be pouring over
the shelves of home-canned
goods, making an occasional
note; Sis will be staring itchy.
fingered at the organs in the
commercial displays. 1t has al
ways been my personal wish to
lose the rest of the group en-
tirely, enabling me to have my
name sounded over the loud
speaker. Unfortunately, the
method of location have de-
scribed has thus far been fool
proof.
Reunited, we make a final In
spection of the animals with
many jokes as to family resem-
blances. At some point Papa
will say with the perfect assur-
ance Of an apartment dweller,
"And this, my dear, Is a boy
cow" Looking at the enormous
beast, wa all tacitly agree that
1t certainly is a lot Of bull.
When we have unsuccessfully
resisted the temptation of the
carnival barker's spiel, and the
youngest at heart has returned
shakily from a ferris wheel ride,
we return to the family vehicle
and say goodbye to our boy
scout.
This Of course is not the end;
each must show his collection