The County Fair

Every year we get the booklet for the Harding County Fair. This is the first year that we were settled enough to think about participating. Ahlaam had virtually memorized the whole book and was planning what she would enter. Then a little confusion got in the mix. Shariyf came home telling us that the entries had to be in by 11 a.m. Friday. Ahlaam said the booklet stated all entries should be in by noon on Thursday. Only on Thursday morning, after fajr prayer, did we look at everything and realize that it was the pie contest that was on Friday, and that our entries needed to be in by noon that Thursday.

Needless to say, our morning was madness. The girls rushed to finish milking and feeding the chickens and came back to try to prepare anything to enter into the fair. Ahlaam made a lime buttermilk pound cake and wholewheat buttermilk dinner rolls. Khulood made brownies. Mama Mai made wholewheat bread and chocolate peanut butter cookies. The problem was having enough time to bake it all. In addition, Khulood sat down with an old sandal, drew it, and stuck it in a frame. Mai and Ahlaam grabbed a cabbage, strawberries, cayenne and jalapeno peppers, parsley, and oregano from the garden. This was not all they could find, but simply the nice-looking things that came quickly into sight.

The baking was precarious; Mai dropped Khulood’s brownies while taking them out of the oven. The bread was still too warm to seal up in a plastic bag, and with just 20 minutes to go before the noon deadline, Ahlaam’s cake was not finished. They piled into the car, leaving the cake in the oven and forgetting the oregano, to just make the deadline for entries. Although not expecting much with such a haphazard collection of entries, it was more about being a part of the event and having some fun.

Judging was from noon-7 p.m. and we figured we’d find out what happened on Saturday when we went to pick up our entries. However, Shariyf went after the judging to take pictures for the County website, and called to tell us the results for our entries. To our amazement, Khulood won a first-place ribbon for her drawing and second place for her fallen brownies. Ahlaam won first place for both her strawberries and dinner rolls. Mai won first place for her cookies, parsley, and cabbage, with the cabbage taking the big purple grand champion ribbon! The bread took second place, the peppers fourth and sixth place, masha’Allah. We realized afterwards that we mistakenly chose peppers that were smaller with beautiful form, but the larger ones were the ones that won. Point noted for next year. We already have ideas of a much wider variety of entries for next year, and hope to plan in advance for it.

The fair is probably the one yearly event that involves all the people who ranch, homestead, farm, and are avid homemakers. It was a huge confidence booster and motivator for our children.  We are, as always, grateful to Allah for the bright, cheerful blessing He brought into our lives through it. Allahu Akbar wa l’Illah il hamd!