By Michael S. Hopkins Correspondent After the pandemic upended so much, even the weirdest things – pig races, machete juggling, fried banana stands – are normalizing. Yes, we’re talking about the fair, here again after a pandemic-induced hiatus. And if not in your county or state, perhaps the next one over. Fairs are one of humanity’s oldest traditions, and for those making the trek to attend one, it can invoke “archetypal narratives that we intuitively crave, the tale of leaving town and encountering ‘the other.’ It’s the story of the hero’s metamorphosis,” writes our correspondent. We sent him to the San Diego County Fair, where, among the carnival barkers and wild-animal whisperers, he found Americans who, with their newfound freedom, rushed into crowds, driven by the desire to feel communal again. To rub shoulders with strangers heedlessly under a warm sky. To rejoin life en masse.
A day at the fair during America's summer of reopening csmonitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from csmonitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The Christian Science Monitor Daily for July 26, 2021 csmonitor.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from csmonitor.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Franklin County Fair organizers reviving ’80s-era Tug of Towns > Three children dance around at the 2019 Franklin County Fair. This year’s fair will take place Sept. 9 to 12 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds. Staff File Photo/PAUL FRANZ > Pigs race out of the gate at the 2019 Franklin County Fair in Greenfield. Fan favorites, including the Swifty Swine racing pigs, will make a return this year. STAFF FILE PHOTO/DAN LITTLE Published: 7/21/2021 6:43:23 PM GREENFIELD Organizers of the annual Franklin County Fair are reviving an event from the 1980s, hoping to inspire a little town pride from years past. The Tug of the Towns on Sept. 12 will be a tug of war contest between towns, with teams made up of public employees police, fire or public works officials, for example representing their respective communities.