The Penistone Show

[panik]

is on today! Your one-stop shop for well-scrubbed pigs (maybe; not sure how the foot and mouth business has affected all that side of things), runaway dogs competing with small children on a sugar-high for most badly behaved in show; the scent of fried onions and candy-floss; vintage cars and face-painting; fudge stalls and baked potatoes; the Doctor Who travelling caravan display; the judging of home-baked pies, honey, jams and wines; enormous chrysanthemums and pert young carrots; WI Corruption in the cake-competition (my sister has never entered again; not since the Great Dali-cake outrage of 2004), corn-dollies, the carousel and the tunnel of goats...

Oh yes indeedy, tis that time of the year again! We were there early so my sister could enter her home-made wine; she cleans up most years, having taken the Big Silver 'You won more rosettes than anyone else here; Smug Git of the Show' cup two years running.

We met other victims of the Great Exhibit Theft of 2006 when setting out the displays this morning; a woman who lost an apple pie and a jar of lemon curd and a man who had a bottle of mead pinched; Hilary lost a bottle of damson wine. A filthy footpad made off with a ton of the exhibits after judging had closed - a large percentage of the first-prize edibles, in fact. This was Big Stuff for Penistone and made it on to the front page of the Chronicle. I'm amazed they didn't bring Special Branch in; amazed CCTV isn't installed this year. ::she smirked sarcastically::

Hoping the weather holds; 'tis very hot and humid, but clouding over ominously. I'm not going back till about 2pm when the horsey stuff comes to a close and the amateur dog shows begin. I may take pictures to bore dazzle you all with later.

ETA: We had a great time; ate fudge, took pix... Hilary's wine took 3 firsts, 2 seconds, a third, the trophy for best wine in show and, yup, the 'J.E. Depledge Perpetual Trophy' - again. ::Is looking forward to sampling some wine tonight::

Comments

[rainbowchicken.livejournal.com]

Oh, I haven't been to a County or State Fair in eons! Sounds like a blast!

[miwahni.livejournal.com]

I love agricultural shows! They're one of the things I miss since moving to a city. Yours sounds like a beauty.

[t-verano.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'd love pictures! Your description of this makes me green with envy.

And okay, what the *heck* is a 'tunnel of goats'? ::looks at you a little fearfully::

And WI Corruption; the Great Dali-cake outrage of 2004 -- you can't just leave that as a teaser...

"A woman who lost an apple pie and a jar of lemon curd..." -- I don't know why that tickles me so much -- I mean, the tragedy of it and all, I should be more respectful -- but somebody making off with a jar of lemon curd, well... (and I love lemon curd, that's not it, it's just, you know... oh forget it...:-)).

(Candy-floss is the same thing as cotton candy, right? And you have baked potatoes at a fair like this? Wow. I love the differences between what I grew up with at small-town and county fairs, and this. I really wish I could be there, soaking it all in...)

[slipperieslope.livejournal.com]

Have a wonderful time! I love a county fair and fair fare ; ) The saltier or sweeter and greasier the better! Oh! And our state fair has a carved butter exhibit! I wonder who will be immortalized (temporarily) in butter this year!

*twirls you*

Have a blast and eat something yummeh for me!

[snailbones.livejournal.com]

I have a deep, deep desire to know what a tunnel of goats is/looks like!

[luicat.livejournal.com]

These shows always remind me of watching 'All Creatures Great and Small' and James Herriott as they don't seem to have changed at all - such a blast from the past!
And I'm in need of knowing about the goats too...
:oD

[aerianya.livejournal.com]

We were at the State fair last weekend. Ours is more famous for giant cabbages and rutabagas than scandal. Pix as soon as I snag the camera back from kids. They've been taking pictures of their henna tats for Myspace"gag"
Must hear about the Great Dali-cake outrage! Spill!

[laurie-ky.livejournal.com]

Sounds a bit like aour county fairs, but we're in a dry county so no booze. If they did have a category for homemade beer , wine and moonshine, I know some folks hat would take the blue ribbons home. We have demolition derbies, too, where old cars crash noisly into each other.
Laurie

[arnie1967.livejournal.com]

Congratulations to your sister! And boo to last year's footpad - I hope he got indigestion.

Enjoy your wine though. :oD