The fun never stops in Greene County
Forget about the autumnal equinox (the official) and Labor Day (the unofficial) because I am willing to bet there are other occurrences in people蘑菇视频 lives that in some way or another have come to signify summer is, or soon will be, over.
The calendar says the first day of autumn is Sept. 23, but ask any kid boarding a school bus the last week of August if he or she believes there is still a month of summer left and my guess you will hear a resounding 鈥渘o.鈥�
For me, summer is more or less over when high school and college football practices begin (the professionals start way too early), and surprisingly, I also begin to say so long to summer during the Greene County Fair. I am not sure why but it is one of the last significant events in the county before fall-themed activities begin.
I have attended and written about the fair for more than a decade and I have grown quite fond of it.
Over the years, I have discovered the best way to experience a county fair, at least for me, is to sit in a crowded show barn and watch 4-H鈥檈rs lead their bleating market lambs or lumbering steers into a ring, all hoping their well-groomed, well-exercised and properly fed animals come away with the title of grand champion.
And I expect to be back in that show barn on one, two and perhaps three nights next week, during the 4-H Market Lamb and Steer shows and perhaps the 4-H market sale, which is a whole other animal, pun intended.
I marvel at how a judge is able to look at 60 or so lambs, most of which look remarkably alike, except for slight differentials in weight, and the same for the three dozen or more steers and pick a grand champion. One thing I can say, however, lambs are much cuter and smaller than the behemoth steers weighing in excess of 1,000 pounds.
The market steer show does create a tad more excitement and amazement. Imagine a 90-pound girl leading a 1,300-pound steer around a show ring. Sometimes it works; other times it doesn鈥檛 and I will leave it at that.
For me, a county fair is about the kids and their animals and the home and garden blue ribbons. There are those, of course, who go for the food, the rides, the monster trucks and demolition derbies. It is this variety that makes county fairs successful. There is always something for everyone.
On Aug. 15, though, the fair comes to an end, and that, as I said earlier, somehow harbingers the approaching end to summer, which often begs the question, 鈥淲hat do I look forward to now?鈥� Well, there are plenty of events from now until the first snowflakes fall to satisfy just about anyone蘑菇视频 cravings for something to do and see.
Frankly, late August and the autumn months seem to offer more than any other time of the year. And the variety of what is offered is what makes this time of the year so special.
I think Rain Day in July is so popular because, well, it蘑菇视频 Rain Day. But, Aug. 22 begins the Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Show in Carmichaels, and for the last 61 years it has become the showcase for the rich cultural heritage of Southwestern Pennsylvania. The bottom line here is that everyone has a week to recover from the fair before the coal show begins. Try to make an appearance and show support for the men and women who work deep under the hills of Greene County.
While Labor Day may be the unofficial end to summer, the rest of September is packed full of summer-like events.
October, my favorite month of the year, offers road rallies, a harvest festival and Halloween parades.
Just because swimming pools are closed and schools are back in session doesn鈥檛 mean the fun has to stop. It is tiresome to hear kids whine that they have nothing to do. Surprisingly, much complaining is heard even in the summer, when one would expect there wouldn鈥檛 be enough hours in the day to do all that the season offers.
Granted, many of the events discussed here might be for those older than teenagers.
But, hey, there are pageants and parades from now until Christmas. So, enjoy the rest of 2015, and no more complaining that there蘑菇视频 nothing to do. That goes for all the moms and dads as well.