SONOMA COUNTY HARVEST FAIR

LAST WEEKEND I WENT TO THE HARVEST FAIR WHEN IT WAS QUITE HOT. THEY HAD ALL KINDS OF ACTIVITIES INCLUDING A SCARECROW BUILDING CONTEST, PUMPKIN CARVING, CHEFS COOKING, VARIOUS APPLE TASTING, GIANT PUMPKIN WEIGH IN, PUMPKIN THROWING CONTEST, AN ART SHOW WITH LOCAL CRAFTS AND EXPERT PAINTERS, VARIOUS GRAPE STOMPERS, WEAVERS, BEE KEEPERS ASSOCIATION, A HALL OF FLOWERS WITH VARIOUS VENDORS, LIVESTOCK COMPETITIONS, SEVERAL TYPES OF BANDS, A LLAMA SHOW, SHEEP DOG TRIALS, A RIDE WITH STALLIONS PULLING A CARRIAGE, COW MILKING DEMOS, A COWGIRL WITH ROPE TRICKS, AND FLORA CULTURE EXHIBITS.

I EXPERIENCED ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES DURING TWO DAYS AS I LIKE TO BE OUTDOORS WHEN IT IS NICE. IT WAS ESPECIALLY INTERESTING TO MEET THE COWGIRL WHO WAS CRACKING JOKES AS SHE HAD SMALL CHILDREN COME TO THE STAGE AND GIVE HER A HAND IN HOW SHE USED SEVERAL ROPES FOR ENTERTAINING US. HER ONE ROPE WAS A VERY NOISY SLAP AS SHE WHIPPED IT ACROSS HER TO THE STAGE. SHE ASKED THE AUDIENCE WHY IT MADE SUCH A LOUD NOISE. ONE MAN SAID IT MOVED FASTER THAN THE SPEED OF SOUND. THEN SHE SHOWED US HOW TO MAKE A LASSO THAT SHE JUMPED ACROSS AND THREW OVER HER BODY. SHE MADE MANY MOVEMENTS AS SHE CIRCLED THE LASSO AROUND HER IN A LARGE CIRCLE. SHE GAVE THE CHILD WHO HELPED HER A SMALL ROPE. I ENJOYED SEEING THE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY ON DISPLAY IN THE KRAFT BUILDING. I MET SEVERAL WOMEN I KNEW HERE. THEY ALSO HAD A STROLLING BAND WHO PLAYED OLD WORLD MUSIC. I ENJOYED WATCHING THE THE LLAMA SHOW WHERE I MET ANOTHER MEDICINE LADY WHO HAD NAMED HER LLAMA A SHAMAN. THE VARIOUS LLAMA HAD BIG BEAUTIFUL EYES. I ASKED SEVERAL OWNERS WHAT THEY ATE AND THEY SAID THEIR STOMACHS ARE VERY EFFICIENT. THEY ONLY EAT ONE FLAKE OF HAY PER DAY! THEY HAD SOME FUN RACES WITH TWO OWNERS WITH THEIR LEGS TIED TOGETHER AS THEY CARRIED AN APPLE IN A LARGE SPOON. IT WAS JUST FOR FUN, SOME OF THE TIES CAME APART FROM THEIR LEGS AS THEY RACED!

I WATCHED YOUNG TODDLERS AND ADULTS THROW PUMPKINS FOR FUN. SOME OF THE STRONGER MEN TOSSED THEM 20 FEET! THE ART SHOW WAS JUDGED AND SOME OF THEM GOT VARIOUS RIBBONS. I WATCHED RABBITS AND GOATS GET JUDGED IN THE LIVESTOCK AREA. THEY ALSO HAD DRAFT AND SMALL PONIES AS WELL. AT THE PARK STAGE THEY HAD A NUMBER OF GOOD BANDS AD SINGERS. THE GRAPE STOMP I DID NOT REMEMBER FROM LAST YEAR, BUT IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE PEOPLE FULL OG PURPLE GRAPE JUICE AS THEY WORKED HARD TO FILL UP A GALLON ON JUICE AS THEY STOMPED! SOME OF THEM GOT TEE SHIRTS. THE PUMPKIN TOSS WAS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANTED CHALLENGES WITH THEIR ARMS AND BACKS. SOME WOMEN THREW THEM UNDERHAND, WHILE SOME MEN THREW THEM OVER THEIR HEADS BACKWARDS AS WELL AS SIDEWAYS. MANY PUMPKINS BROKE OPEN. THE CHEF DEMONSTRATIONS WERE PRETTY DIFFERENT. ONE CHEF MADE UNCOOKED TUNA SUSHI WHICH I DID NOT LIKE. ANOTHER CHEF THE NEXT DAY MADE MOZZERELLA CHEES FROM HAND AND HADE SEVERAL FOLKS HELP FROM THE AUDIENCE. I LIKED THE DISH THEY SERVED WITH CUCUMBERS. AT THE HALL OF FLOWERS THEY HAD MANY VENDER WHERE I MET FOLKS FROM WESTERN FARMS WHO WERE INTERESTED IN MY HIKES. THE FIRST DAY I CARVED A PUMPKIN WITH MANY KIDS AND OF COURSE I PLACED IT OUTSIDE BUT SOMEONE WANTED IT. I GOT A GLIMPSE OF THE SHEEP DOG TRIALS WHERE ONE DOG THAT TRADITIONALLY COMES FROM SCOTLAND HERDS THE SHEEP INTO A CERTAIN AREA OR A LARGE SHEEP TRUCK. IT WAS INTERESTING TO SEE HOW CLEVER THEY ARE.

I HAD NEVER WATCHED THEM WEIGH PUMPKINS. THEY HAD TO USE A FORKLIFT TO BRING THESE HUGE PUMKINS TO A PLACE WHERE THEY WERE PLACED NEAR THE SCALE. THEN A CREW PLACED A CHAIN AND ROPE FIXTURE OVER THE THE PUMPKIN AND WEIGHED THEM LIFTING THEM ONTO A LARGE SCALE. THE LARGEST WEIGHED 1100 POUNDS! THE GROWER GOT $1000, BUT HE SAID THE SEED COST HIM THAT MUCH, SO I GUESS FOLKS JUDST DO THIS FOR FUN.