The fair is over and for most of us, this winds up our yearly fair experience. Some may attend the state fair and get just a little more of their favorite foods, rides and shows. But for most of us we can just relax and wait for next year.

However, for the people running those rides at many of our county fairs, the show must go on. When one fair comes to an end, they move on to the next and do it all over again. They get to constantly visit different places and meet new people.

I had the privilege of interviewing Greg and Gail Hughes who own and operate the Family Fun Show that comes to Morris each year. They are great people and it was so fun to visit with them. They had some great stories to tell and I loved just listening, sometimes forgetting to take notes. 

My visit with them kicked off a great fair experience. I think the best part was to see everything open again and people attending, for the most part, mask free. 

Even though I didn’t enter anything personally, I had a great time seeing the success of my granddaughters in 4-H. Between the two, they had two grand champions and a reserve champion ribbon. Jaedyn will even get to take her project to the state fair. She was so excited about that and so were her parents and grandparents.

Through this experience they learn so much. The entire making and judging of an exhibit is all about education. Sometimes they have to do some research, make trial products and even have a few disappointments before getting the perfect product. Another benefit is to make lasting friendships and meet new people.

I am still meeting new people through my fair experiences. The Hughes family is just one this year. I have met numerous judges and other exhibitors through the years. I have come to be able to put faces with many of the names on exhibits. Now I can also recognize some of the men and women in the carnival part of the fair. 

I was pretty tired by the time the fair ended and extremely full from trying to sample everything. However, I wouldn’t change it for the world. I love the fair and can’t wait for next year.