"There's a bright, golden haze on the meadow.
The corn is as high as an elephant's eye
And it looks like it's climbing clear up to the sky.
Oh, what a beautiful Mornin'
Oh, what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feelin'
Everything's goin' my way. "
-from "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning" from the musical "Oklahoma!"
(Some time around the "high as an elephant's eye" mark, Summer 2009)
The corn gave it away. The corn always gives it away. Watching the corn grow over the span of a summer is one of my favorite things about summer in the USA. It’s the unofficial timeline for summer in the Midwest. “Knee high by the 4th of July” is what we say around here. No matter what is happening with you the corn is always there growing and reminding you just how much summer has elapsed and how much is left for living it up. Even though the field is bound to turn to dry brown stalks cut off at the shins…it’s still comforting to have the corn growing up around you in the summer. It’s “home” to me. I didn’t know I missed it until I saw a big field of tall ass corn in Vermont. It made me realize that even though I just came from winter into summer…the summer is almost gone! Better enjoy it while I can J
I’m currently speeding through the USA landscape on a train bound for Chicago. Soaking up corn fields. Thinking about how damn tall the corn is already as we pass each field. The national long distance train in the USA, Amtrak, takes an interesting path through the USA. Usually when I ride this train I feel like I am entering someone’s house from the back door they no longer use. You pass a lot of fields…I’ve seen grapes, corn, soybeans, horticulture plants, evergreens, and some other things I couldn’t identify. You pass through the forgotten railroad yards and industrial areas of days past…days when the train was king. You seem to go through a lot of peoples’ backyards. And tiny towns that have long been taken off the major car routes. It seems like the whole human landscape has its back turned to you when you take the train while the human infrastructure of the highway is openly inviting you to enter. Buy our gas. Buy our food. Stop here. You don’t get that on the train. You just pass through the backside of life. It gives you an interesting glimpse of America. A more relaxed and less pretentious look. Plus there are less crazy people and folks coming home from jail on the train. Always a bonus. Compared to Amtrak…taking Greyhound is sort of like travelling through the legitimate underbelly of America. Less than savory buses, passengers, and stations. But Amtrak is a little classier and you get the back door view…nice.
I started to think on summer cos in a few hours I’m going to be home to enjoy the tail end of summer with friends and family. County fairs, demo derbies, riding with the windows down, staying up too late cos the summer magic has got you, and other such nonsense fueled by that hot summer vibe.
The corn (and Julie) told me…it’s county fair time!
I think I talked about it before in an old post…but I’m most excited about the demo derby at the county fair. County fairs are local events that usually last a week and often happen in the late summer. People in the area show off their livestock, farm produce, baked goods, art, home craft work, and just about anything else you can enter into a contest. My favorite things to see here are the sheep, pigs (like to give a nice little slap on the backfat), and freaks of the farm (the tallest corn grown, etc). Usually there are carnival rides, games, and plenty of the worst (and most delicious) kind of food you can stuff your face with. You will find just about anything on a stick or fried at the county fair. I’ve had fried twinkies and seen many other interesting fried things (like pickles). Mmmm…funnel cakes are the best. It’s fried dough that is drizzled out of a cone into hot oil. When fried, it comes in the shape of an elephant’s ear (that’s the other name for it) made of one continuous fried dough worm and is covered with powdered sugar and other things. Delicious!
(Mmmmm...funnel cake...2010 Champaign County IL Fair)
But the real gem of any county fair, in my humble opinion, is the demolition derby. Or demo derby for short. The demo derby is a tournament involving cars that people enter as a team. The cars in the derby “battle” in rounds of about 10 cars each. They start in a blocked off area and just smash into each other until only a few cars are standing. The cars that are left go on to the next rounds (semifinals, etc) and compete until only 1 car is left standing. The cars are “fixed” up for the match, usually to make them more hardy and less dangerous. The gas tank is removed and placed somewhere else. All the glass is taken out of the car, etc. There are rules (like you can’t usually hit people head on, you have to hit people while backing up into them) and surprisingly I have never really witnessed anyone getting majorly hurt at one of these events. I have been to many demo derbies in my day and look forward to attending quite a few more. Friday I should be down for the Champaign County Fair Demo Derby and if I have my way then I’ll be soaking up a few more before the summer is out.
(2009 Lake County IL Fair's Demo Derby winner)
Last year at the Lake County Fair (the fair for my area) was the best for demo derby action. I met a young lady through random chatter and we ended up watching the rest of the derby together. It was great cos she was just as hardcore as me about the derby. We shouted at cars and got covered in mud together. She got us these radical seats in the front row about ½ way through the day so we really had it good for the final. Damn…that was a sweet derby…
(Me and my new friend Wendy...the 2009 demo queens!)
This year there is a special event going on with my friend. Her kids are showing horses, dogs, and chickens in the Kenosha County Fair up in Wisconsin and they are camping out for the whole week. She’s invited me to come hang out with her and the fam for the week. She enticed me with thoughts of how we could stumble home from the beer tent. Nice one, Julie…but you had me at “sleepover at the county fair.” Should be fun J I haven’t done the fair sleepover thing in a long long time.
Damn…headed into Toledo…5 hours behind schedule…which means I’m going to miss my chance to hit the Lake County Fair with my friend today. But at least I’m headed home…finally…via Chicago.
Hugs
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