Lebanon Country Fair

As another summer comes to a close, I like to add a country fair into the mix as a proper send off. I’ve actually been to a few, including the Stonington Fair that I wrote about last year. It was more of the same except with the addition of wrestling and the subtraction of chickens due to the avian flu of some sort.

Washington Country and Marshfield were the others, but I had already started this article and added photos, so perhaps they can make an appearance another time when I’m strapped for content.

And that’s not to say I’m not strapped for content now. Lebanon Fair was not a large one, not by any means. Doesn’t mean it was bad, but I’m going to have to stretch things out a bit. I suppose it helped that I combined pictures so there’s only so many text blocks that need to be filled and thus less to write.

Getting here was a trip in itself. If you looked at the map and drew equal lines from anything notable on the map, they would all converge at this one point. Google maps just sort of gives up adding detail at a certain point, and I was ever thankful that the GPS held up, since I wasn’t going to get a signal if I had to re-route. Until the very last moment when I turned the corner and saw the parking lot, there was virtually no sign that a fair was even around.

Animals were first up, and there were plenty of the usual cows, goats, and rabbits. A few were rather angry at our presence and made no effort to disguise their outright hatred. Always the small ones too, so we moved on.

There were only a handful of vendors of which most were selling foodstuffs or crafts. There is always that odd metal roofing or real estate booth that feels out of place. They feel a bit too professional for the environment, and I don’t envy the person having to wear a full suit out in 90 degree weather. I’m guessing they get some exposure since they keep on coming back, but I really don’t know who would pass up the beef jerky booth to find out how they can block leaves in their gutters.

The other vendor staple—at least in the past year or so—are the ones that sell precisely: barking toy dogs, bucket hats, and huggy wuggy knock offs. It’s not even that I see the same ones at each fair, but I see multiple ones at the same fair. This is where the Washington Country one shines, since while it does have plenty of these types, I can still find a bit more variety and stumble upon the vendor selling a bin of ‘historical German flags’ and be told that ‘the good ones already sold’.

The craft and display section is one thing that I like but is often passed over in favor of other, more traditional, fair activities. I’d argue that the amateur photography and plates of vanilla beans are as traditional as they get, but I suppose it isn’t terribly exciting. Recently, the addition of LEGO builds seems to be taking off in lieu of the usual dioramas. It’s a craft after all and fits in, so I’m all for it. At least they don’t smell like the rotting watermelon monster seen here.

Last, there are the rides. The pharaoh rocking ship and the Genesis twirly-lifter-thing have made appearances at many of the fairs. This one had a few odd additions, but I imagine it was mostly because they were from the 1970s and last serviced around that time. I’m half temped to try and dig up some historical photos, but the half of me that doesn’t want to bother has ultimately won.

The rocket twist thing is the one ride we chose. It creaked and was missing half its paint, and the ride attendant kept jamming his fingers in the locking deadbolt which then required a minute to recoup while he jumped around and waved his hands franticly.

The ride was fun though, and the gears seemed to keep the cabin more or less upright when at either the top or bottom, which is nice, but it was a harrowing experience nonetheless. I’ve added a first-person view below so you can get sick as well.

Until next year, not let’s get on to Halloween. Give last year’s recap a look while you’re at it.