Cows, quilts, and corn dogs

Southern Living, Oct 1999 by Vanhooser, Cassandra M

It's a Friday made for skipping school. At least that's what members of Mrs. McGoldrick's third-- grade class seem to think.

During their field trip to the Georgia National Fair in Perry, the gradeschoolers from St. Joseph's School in Macon pass on math and science for the day, choosing instead to soak up the sights and sounds of the annual harvest festival.

Three students-Clare Stiff, Mary Kea Huckabee, and David Patch-sit on a bench, exhibiting souvenirs and smiles. Each of the kids claims a fair favorite. David likes the animals. Clare loves the food. But the best part, says Mary Kea, is having fun with friends while missing social studies and computer class.

They don't realize it, of course, but they are actually learning a few things here too. Agriculture, still the country's leading industry, is well represented. "Stories of agriculture" centers scattered around the fairgrounds teach kids and adults about everything from beef to honey bees.

The Georgia National Fair has its share of old-fashioned pleasures too. A cloud of hickory smoke floats over the grounds, making mouths water for a taste of barbecue. Raffle tickets touting a chance to win a handmade quilt sell for just one dollar. City kids tiptoe through barns full of sheep, pigs, cattle, and horses, while the farm kids treat the animals like family.

Out on the midway, carnival music and laughter fill the air. Oldfashioned rides like Himalaya and Tilt-A-Whirl still thrill. And many a young lady takes home a stuffed animal proudly won by her beau.

A long, wavy slide entices the younger set. A blond-haired mother and son wait in line, then giggle wildly as they scoot down the length in tandem. "It's family time for us," she explains as her 2-year-old tugs her back toward the slide. "I'm in college and he's in day care, so we don't get that much time together." The two ride again and again, happy in each other's company.

Perhaps the biggest draw is pig racing. Kids, parents, and teachers jockey for the best seats more than 30 minutes before the races start. They sing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and cheer hysterically when their favorite contestant wins.

The pigs, it seems, are motivated by sheer greed. "It's just like life," the emcee announces. "The winners get the cookies; the losers get the crumbs." Cassandra M. Vanhooser

10th Anniversary Georgia National Fair: 401 Larry Walker Parkway, Perry, GA 31069; (912) 987- 3247. Web site: www.gnfa.com. Time: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. October 8-17. Admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors, ages 9 and under free with adult.