# 325 - September 19th, 2012

Greetings one and all - if you are sitting comfortably then I shall begin... And I can think of no better place to do that than by getting straight to the topic of the week at The Three-Dot Lounge – The County Fair…

... Friday evening... It seemed to be a smaller crowd than in recent years – a sign of the times perhaps… Excellent victory for the A.V.H.S. Junior Varsity football; a not so happy result for the Varsity team… Rave reviews on the corn dogs (although the ‘after effects’ were felt by some I am reliably informed)... Lots of very loud screaming on the rides – hopefully not because the carnies were misbehaving! I feel I can say that because I once was a carnie myself, working the bumper cars on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, New Jersey, during the summer of 1980... Talking of which, the bumper cars returned after a one year absence (it’s not a real Fair without them) and while there was no clown to scare the kids (and many adults) there was Kellie Karl, the Las Vegas Hypnotist and Sadie the Balloon Lady - my personal favorite if only because I cannot help but admire just how incredibly excited she gets about her balloon creations… Good cheeseburger courtesy of the A.V. Volunteer Firefighters – gets my ‘Best Food at the Fair’ award once again, just beating out the teriyaki chicken-on-a-stick... Plenty of drinking by Valley folks in and around the Lions Club ‘Bar’... Lots of meeting and greeting of old friends and familiar faces...

... Saturday evening... Good crowd, perhaps above average for most Saturdays in recent years... Some wonderfully presented and cared for animals – particularly the pigs and sheep – I’ve never seen such large and well-kept yearling ewes... Some fine rodeo performances providing lots of excitement to the fans packed in the stands... Delicious looking prize-winning produce that was displayed in the exhibit halls and that was very difficult not to devour feverishly, but I restrained myself and only took a few bites... Shockingly, the wine ran out at 7.50pm!!! Unbelievable – I guess we need more wineries!(?)… Much smaller numbers than normal at the Sam Prather Dinner for the Fair’s volunteers and exhibitors – no idea why – the chicken and pulled pork were delicious… Lost of people heading out of the Fairgrounds at 9.30pm – many to the Dance in the Apple Hall featuring Dean Titus and the Coyote Cowboys, almost as many to the Boonville Saloon (formerly the Lodge) for some serious libations…

... Sunday morning/afternoon... In the Sheep Dog Trial, that featured some very ornery sheep, we saw a great first place performance by sheepdog Bren and her handler, my Master Shepherd friend, Kevin Owens of Yorkville. It was Kevin’s first win at the Fair after thirty years of competing and I’ve never seen him happier… I thought it was a more exciting Fair Parade than in recent times I must say, despite the fact that the well-known Bareologist of Boonville who normally flashes her mountainous mounds at various parade participants, particularly the County Sheriff, was not to be seen... A wide variety of interesting looking people passing by the A.V.A. booth – and quite a few stopping to chat... At the carnival, The Gravitron, The Wheel of Fire, and The Zipper looked less threatening in the daylight but still far too scary for me to risk so the bumper cars were easily my carnival highlight once again... On the food and drink front - a huge portion of curly fires – about the size of a small child, and a few pints of Boont Amber from the A.V. Brewery – which some might say led me to act like a small child… 

       I spent a few hours in the afternoon at the A.V.A. booth during which time we were visited by many people and even sold several t-shirts, books, and newspapers subscriptions. Those visitors included… Supervisor McCowen who stopped by for a chat which was very polite of him… Supervisor Dan Hamburg who sheepishly waved but for some reason did not stop and chat, which was not very polite - perhaps because he spotted the threatening sight of A.V.A. Supremo Bruce Anderson and faithful sidekick, Mark Scaramella, both sitting alongside me… Later in the afternoon Pilar Duran insisted that Bruce and I joined her in the photo booth for some intimate shots… Tim Bates from The Apple Farm generously bought me a beer for the second year in succession – what a good man… Many Valley folks waved and said ‘Hi’ but then walked on, preferring to eat corn dogs, watch the Rodeo, and enjoy rides rather than listen to the wise words of the A.V.A. staff – Go figure?!... All told, I had a wonderful time and left with a 5” corn dog – which was delicious and had no after-affects!... Fair Manager Jim Brown’s gut feeling late on Sunday afternoon, before any actual numerical count had been taken, was that numbers were down a little overall once again this year, with Friday definitely down, Saturday slightly down, and Sunday perhaps up... Nevertheless, it seemed to me that everyone there was having a wonderful time and on their behalf may I be so bold as to thank all of those concerned for their hard work in putting together “The Best Little Fair in the West”... 

       Public Service Announcements… Calendars and pens at the ready... #236 – The Vets from the Mendocino Animal Hospital continue to make regular visits to the Valley and they return here tomorrow, Thursday, Sept 20, when they will be at The A.V. Farm Supply from 2pm to 3.30pm. If you are a previous client you can call them 48 hours in advance (462-8833) to ensure that your pet’s charts are brought ‘over the hill’ and also order any medications your pet might need. New customers and their pets are always welcome… #237 - Libby's Restaurant in Philo is having for the Elder Home on Sunday, September 30. There will be two seatings, at 5:00 and 7:00 pm, each serving a three-course meal, with tickets going for $30 per person, drinks to be purchased separately. Seating limited so pre-purchase your ticket at Libby's, All That Good Stuff, Lemon's Market in Philo, or call the EH at 895-3889… #238 – The Boonville Farmer’s Market continues to offer loads of local produce and goodies every Saturday morning in the Boonville Hotel parking lot from 10am to 12.30pm… 

       And that’s about it for this post-Fair week, but this allows me the opportunity to give you a list of some of the Valley’s regular monthly events… Every Tuesday and Saturday sees The A.V. Lending Library run by The Unity Club at The Fairgrounds - Tues 1.30pm – 4.30pm and Saturday 2pm – 4pm… Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – The A.V Museum in the Little Red Schoolhouse is open from 1pm to 4pm... On Tuesday/Wednesday/Saturday/Sunday, the County Dump is open from 9am – 4pm each day… Every Tuesday and Thursday – Senior Center Lunch at 12.30pm, except on the 2nd Tuesday it’s Dinner and Bingo 6pm and 7pm, with the last (4th) Tuesday it’s dinner and games night starting at 6pm...

       I’m outta here… Until we talk again - ‘Keep the Faith’; be careful out there; stay out of the ditches; think good thoughts; please remember to keep your windows cracked if you have pets in your vehicle; and may your god go with you… Oh, and of course, one final request, “Let us prey”… Humbly yours, Turkey Vulture...

p.s. You can contact me with words of support/abuse either through the Letters Page or by e-mail at <turkeyvulture1@earthlink.net>

p.p.s. On the sheep, Grace...