Browsing Tag

fair

Before It Was Yarn: Cuddling the Animals at the Maryland Alpaca Festival

Alpacas at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

November 17, 2013 By Molly In the rabbit hole

A damp and foggy morning could not dissuade my neighbor and I from heading to the Howard County Fairgrounds to check out the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival. While I was successful in not drooling (too much!) on the amazing fibers for sale, it was impossible not to fall in love with the adorable alpacas penned in between many of the vendors. One owner very generously spent time chatting with us about the growth of his business. If I was still a kid, I would definitely be pulling on your sleeve and telling you all about how I wanted to raise alpacas when I grew up; being an adult, I’m having some trouble not doing the same thing.

I mean, can you resist these eyes?

Vendors at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Fleece for sale.

Vendors at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Angora rabbit demonstration

Flax spinning at the Maryland Alpacas and Fleece Festival

Flax spinning demonstration

On Goat Mountain: Maryland State Fair 2013

Midway rides at the Maryland State Fair 2013

September 2, 2013 By Molly In the rabbit hole

As a child, Labor Day was synonymous in my mind with the day before I was launched into another school year. Usually, wandering through the animal barns and staring wide-eyed at the midway attractions of the county fair provided a welcome distraction. (I still haven’t been able to get that mermaid in a jar out of my mind.) Now the date carries less stress-induced fanfare, but the nearby Maryland State Fair scratches my itchy nostalgic bent.

The only thing missing is the cafeteria with its rows of sliced lemon meringue pie and fresh-cut tomatoes stuffed with cottage cheese. These whippersnappers with their deep-fried Twinkies. Why, in my day…

Anyway, with the sun beating down hot enough to melt us all into the asphalt, I grabbed my camera and tried to capture a little piece of another summer closing up shop.

The duck game at the Maryland State Fair 2013

My favorite midway game of all time! (I was not a very competitive child.)

You Can Fry What?: Maryland State Fair 2010

September 5, 2010 By Molly In the rabbit hole, three points kitchen

Didn’t it seem like this year the weird and wild arena of things you can fry but probably shouldn’t caught major headlines? Since it was such a lovely Sunday, I grabbed my camera, braved the Bieber fans, and did a little recreational reconnaissance re: what was cooking at the Maryland State Fair.