We had a great time at the Huntington County 4-H Fair again this year. It was HOT, and we got a little overheated a couple times, but it was a ton of fun. Uncle Matthew had plenty of animals there to keep us busy the whole time. This is the epitome of county fairs for us. Theo got to enjoy the special foods this year, including milkshakes (at least one every day-and I never bought him one) and tenderloins!
After we got back, I decided I wanted to see what the fairs were like around here. I went to the Delaware State Fair in years past, but it was already over, so I picked a few other local fairs to try out.
The Salem County Fair was in New Jersey, and was similar to Huntington's in the fact that it was not focused around a big mid-way, as there were no rides to speak of. There were some "pig races" and other entertainment, but most of the fair was traditional in being centered around the agricultural and homemaker traditions. However, I didn't find a lot of 4-H'er exhibits, but there were lots of open class entries.
I noted how each species was different from what I'm used to in Indiana. In the rabbit barn, I noticed almost all the breeds were purely "fancy" breeds, those raised almost exclusively for pets. Being that Huntington has a huge meat show, it was very different in that way. The poultry was similar, in there being lots of unique laying breeds, but few meat broilers.
We then sat through the entire cattle show. I did a really job judging the showmanship class (which is also judged on how well the animal is fit), and matched up with the judge very well. There were then three classes of steers, shown not by breed, but by weight. Eventually the judge picked the heavyweight steer as the champion, and then had a quick class of four heifers.
We noticed a lot of differences in the sheep barn as well. In Indiana, almost all the sheep are market sheep, but here there were all sorts of varieties raised for their wool! They were really interesting to see. This guy I think was a Jacob breed.
The goats were not so different, though there were a lot of Lamancha goats (the ones with tiny ears) that I haven't saw in a while, and less of the Boer goats. There were not many swine entries to compare, but what were there ranged in weight from 150-300 pounds! There was a lot of variety.
Theo also enjoyed the "miniature horses" that were at the fair, something he didn't see during the Huntington fair.
Next, we went west to the Queen Anne's County Fair in Maryland. This one was a little more typically, in the food court and mid-way rides. Some animals had already been released by the time we got there, but we still got a pretty good feel for the fair. It was fairly similar to the NJ fair, but had a few differences. There were probably a few more beef cattle, and meat sheep instead of wool sheep. They seemed to have a lot more 4-H exhibits (like the sea shell collection below). And they had a lot of horse and pony exhibits.
All in all, these fairs were both awesome places to take Theodore, and he enjoyed himself immensely. They don't really compare to the fairs we're used to in the Midwest, but they did make me feel a little more at home, even out here on the East coast.
We then sat through the entire cattle show. I did a really job judging the showmanship class (which is also judged on how well the animal is fit), and matched up with the judge very well. There were then three classes of steers, shown not by breed, but by weight. Eventually the judge picked the heavyweight steer as the champion, and then had a quick class of four heifers. 
We noticed a lot of differences in the sheep barn as well. In Indiana, almost all the sheep are market sheep, but here there were all sorts of varieties raised for their wool! They were really interesting to see. This guy I think was a Jacob breed.
After enough time for Brian to get thoroughly pink (he spent so much time putting sun screen on T he apparently forgot to do himself), we headed on over to see the quaint little town of Cape May. The town is fairly equivalent to Lewes in Delaware (a ferry connects the two), and is full of bed & breakfasts, beautiful homes, and lots of beautiful blooming hydrangeas in a variety of colors. We stopped by the lighthouse here.
Next, we stopped at the Cape May Winery and did a quick tasting while Erin and Theo napped in the car. I enjoyed their Isaac Smith apple wine. The vineyards and facilities were quite beautiful, and a nice end cap to the day.
Dec. 19. Saturday: I wake up early to find the entire complex covered in snow. It’s been coming down pretty hard for a few hours, and no one has really mussed up the streets yet. I make Brian get up to see it, and Cori loves bouncing around in the snow. The car dealership closes, so we can’t take our car in to get its oil changed like we had scheduled. We take our Christmas card picture with the windows open so everyone can see the snow. “The Blizzard of 2009” ends up being pretty substantial, definitely setting some records for the area. I see on facebook that our church has canceled services for the next day.
Dec. 23. Wednesday: Wake up to find a tragedy in our fish tank. Apparently a bubble fish anemone has attacked our Nemo fish. Brian got it knocked off, but by then the fish was pretty much a goner. We hoped he would perk back up, but he never did. Good-bye Nemo fish.
We then head to Grandma Knight’s and see some of the family there. Little cousin Madison does a good job of leading Cori around like a steer and tiring her out.
Cori had a lot of fun playing with Gus, most of the time. She had more energy to play than he did though, and he got grouchy about it a few times. Here they are in her cage together.... they both went in together on their own.
