Girl From the Suburbs Goes To The County Fair (Lowville, Ny: Tuesday)

I would call myself a country girl at heart, though I didn’t grow up in the country (I just wish I did) but I’m not a city girl either (by no means!) I fall somewhere in between, the neither here nor there, the suburbs.

This past weekend one of my FLI classmates got married, the wedding was about two hours away from my house, so afterwards a bunch of the fellow FLI-ers came back to spend the weekend. We did everything we loved, shared deep philosophical discussions, light hearted joking, watched movies, and just enjoyed each others company.

All too soon it was time for everyone to leave. We said our “see ya later”’s and ended our time with prayer and a song of Holy, Holy, Holy.

But my time with some of these friends wasn’t over yet! I joined Meg and Katie in Katie's car and we made to drive to New York State. We spent the night at Katie's lovely apartment, met some of her friends and hung out. The next morning Meg and I loaded up the van, said goodbye to Katie, and set out for the final part of our journey.

No sooner had we hit the road, than we passed a small park. “Do you want to stop and swing?” Meg asked me. As if she needed to ask!

After our short adventure we once again were on the road, with one last stop at the mall so I could buy some new Teva sandals…and of course I ride on the carousel!

Then we finally arrived in Lowville New York! I watched out the window as we passed through the rolling hills covered in beautiful farmland. Hundreds of windmills dotted the landscape, waving hello.

We didn’t go straight to Meg’s house, rather we detoured to the library where she works (an adorable establishment!) then on to the county fair! Meg had told me so much about the fair, I was excited to be able to be there to see it!

We got there and went directly to the horse track, where we met up with Meg’s mom and brother, and then were spotted by a group of Meg's friends, and thus the whirlwind of introductions Meg was warning me about began!

We watched harness racing for a bit (something I’d never seen before) then decided to make a quick trip to the house to unload before the parade that night.

Note to self, I love this house! It’s a classic farmhouse, in the shade of many large trees, inside is just the right size (not too big, not too small) with many windows to let in the sunshine. Meg took me on a tour, showing me how the personalities and interests of her and her brothers are displayed so well in the way they decorate their rooms.

After a bit we headed back to the fair. We walked around a little, and hung out on the blanket spread in “their spot” and waited for the parade to start, marking the first day of the Lewis County Fair. Meg had bragged that the parade was “the best in the world”, and I was not disappointed. True, it was not Macy’s Thanksgiving parade, but I found so much more excitement and joy in the small, yet very long precession of tractors and pick up trucks, wagons and home made floats. As the different displays passed by, Meg and her friends and family gathered around would share stories of past parades, and they waved to and pointed out friends as they passed by.

After the long precession ended, we relocated to the football field in the middle of the tack where I was again introduced to many faces (sorry people if I don’t remember your name!) then we settled in for the show. It was a great fireworks show, the field was full of “oo!”s and “ahh!”s at all the proper times.

After the show, we headed back home, tired and ready for sleep. But I was excited to see what else this trip to the country would bring me, and I was refreshed by the small town community I was able to experience through the life of my friend.