Isn’t it fitting that this year’s Chilton County Fair fell on the first day of fall? I think so. It’s the one activity throughout the year that everyone can look forward to in the fall besides football, and the fair is in town all week until it leaves town again after Saturday night.

To be honest with you, I’ve never really had the opportunity to go to a true county fair until I came to Chilton County.

Sure, Jefferson County used to have a fair of its own, but it was always held in a bad part of town. Thus, my family really never went to the fair that much.

The one time I do remember going to the fair was about the rides and nothing else. You never had the things like you have here. You didn’t have a Family Farm Night like the Chilton County Fair did Monday night.

While the fairgrounds in Birmingham were right next to the Birmingham International Raceway, there wasn’t a demolition derby where you just put up some barricades and let the cars loose. That sounds like more fun to me.

I also don’t really remember having animal shows like the lamb and goat show last night or the steer show tomorrow night. That might be partially because our school wasn’t active at all with FFA or 4-H as many schools are here.

And of course, the entertainment included acts that I knew or I’ve never heard of before. I’ve had the opportunity to see the Blast From the Past show, and I am familiar with some of the artists who are performing at the Fair’s Gospel Night. One of them even lives in the apartment underneath mine.

Although I haven’t gotten to enjoy the fair like most others who have went, I still enjoy the fair. It’s a new animal for me – no pun intended there.

You might not think having a County Fair is a big deal, but it is to me.