Labor Day Traditions

I love holiday traditions. Our family has established a number of them that are unique to each holiday. Labor Day may be one of our most favorite because we go to the "Great" Geauga County Fair. We have attended a number of fairs over the years, but this one always stands out. I don't know what in particular in might be, but I suspect it is a number of things. Geauga County is a mostly rural county so you get an interesting mix of people from Amish to yuppies.

Then there are the animals - lots of them. Barn after barn of them. We also enjoy relishing in the food that is really bad for you, but we eat once a year. At the Geauga County Fair, we eat onion rings and 4-H milkshakes. We used to eat gyros too but now that seems just a little over the top. We usually went on Monday and got there early before it was crowded. This year, we went on Saturday and there were a lot of people and it was hot. Our tradition was to go counter-clockwise starting in the agricultural exhibits, then winding our way through the animals. The kids would start bugging as at that time to eat. After the animals, it was the gorging on the food. Finally, we would end up in the book barn where we would indulge in buying older library books for $1 a bag. On the way back, we would stop in the arts and crafts building.

I love the traditions of family. Now that are kids and grown and scattered, I see no reason to stop. While we vary it up a little (going Saturday and starting with the onion rings), we still follow the path we set out long ago and relish in the past and the current. Usually we see people we know but for whatever reason yesterday we didn't. It is a time to enjoy family and the blessings of life in NE Ohio.