Small Town Country Fair Mama

My youngest daughter looks at a cow at our first NW Montana Fair in 2005

 

Fair week is over in NW Montana and a good time was had by all.

 

The fair is an important summer event in this community. People gather from far and wide to share their crafts and craftsmanship. Colorful quilts, scrumptious homemade pies, perfectly canned goods, and many other handcrafted items were on display for the public‘s pleasure.

 

Beautiful handcrafted bowls from the woodworking shop.

 

It is also one of the few times we get to see Native Americans, the indigenous people of this great state, as many of them visit from east of the divide to enjoy a day of fun and fellowship with their families.

 

Colorful dahlias from the plant barn

 

We’ve been attending fair for years now, and also work the shooting sports booth to help raise money for the club. My girls always enter projects, and this year they displayed their skills in the form of photography, knitted and crocheted items, and pickled onions.

 

Lots of fair contestants enter their prized canned goods.

 

As any proud mama would do, I shared this information with my facebook friends. Best wishes and words of encouragement starting coming in, but the best was from my cousin.

 

She said, “Boy you really have turned into a small town country fair mama…tell the girls good luck.”

 

Well, this was just so much music to my ears – coming from my cousin, (a city gal from New Orleans) telling me (another city gal from New Orleans) that I had turned into a country fair mama. It was the sweetest comment of all and also touched my heart.

 

It meant that I had arrived – arrived at the status of a “real” Montanan living a small town life where county fairs have become an integral part of it.

 

It meant success. Success at having embraced a simpler lifestyle, one closer to nature – away from the hustle and bustle of big city life, and all of the undesirable things that go along with it. Success at finding a place where people understand what makes life rich – and it’s not what you do for money.

 

It meant satisfaction. The satisfaction of knowing that my husband and I are independent. We don’t follow the crowd – we follow our hearts. We had more kids, sold everything we owned, and made a new life.

 

It meant results. The results from planting a seed and watching it grow – where your deepest desires manifest into your wildest dreams.

 

Does this mean that somewhere deep inside of me, I wanted to become a country fair mama? I suppose so.

 

 

 

Everywhere you look, life is an adventure!

 

You may enjoy:

  • Reckless Abandon – David’s story of how we threw caution to the wind and moved to Montana.

 

 

 

 

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