A TRIP BACK IN TIME
A couple of years ago my son loaded my electric wheel chair in the gooseneck with the show herd and we headed to the Iowa State fair which was having it’s one hundred fifty year anniversary. Boy what a time. He had taken along a herdsman and a grandson so I was free to roam with son till show day. That was when I became one of the “Old Geezers”. His display with the herd was pictures of me showing fifty years before. I was sitting in the exhibit and in a short time I was joined by four other “Old Geezers” seated on bales of hay, surrounded by listeners. Many good stories were shared since all of the “Old Geezers” had family member exhibiting cattle at this show. Some of the cattle had ancestors who had been here in the past.
The attendance had been huge with ten’s of thousand people milling on the fair grounds, it came time to load out on a Sunday afternoon.
The Superintendent came and told us “Since you have the farthest to travel you can move up to the barn to load first”. Easier said than done. Moving one half mile in that crowd from parking to barn was feat I was glad to miss. I moved from my chair to a bale of hay as the trailer was loaded with the tack.
Late in the afternoon we were released. Everyone got in Big D. Herdsman and Grandson in the backseat of crew cab and I got to ride shot gun. “My Gosh,” The crazy people. Thousands of them getting in the road in front of us.
Two deputy Sheriff, mounted on horses, got in front of us.
“Get up close and follow us” one of them said.
The crowd of people opened up as we wonder the half mile out of the fair grounds.
I remember how I had come to the fair, as a small boy. I remembered the many awards I had won. The great animals I had led into the show ring.
There was Toots and her daughter, Pamela, and twins Betty Ann, and Betsy Ann, there were Twinkle who was a grand champion.
There was the year I won the Livestock Judging Contest and our team was the Champion.
Finally, the traffic thinned out and son quit grabbing gears and Big D settled down to the steady hum of heading for home.
A couple of years ago my son loaded my electric wheel chair in the gooseneck with the show herd and we headed to the Iowa State fair which was having it’s one hundred fifty year anniversary. Boy what a time. He had taken along a herdsman and a grandson so I was free to roam with son till show day. That was when I became one of the “Old Geezers”. His display with the herd was pictures of me showing fifty years before. I was sitting in the exhibit and in a short time I was joined by four other “Old Geezers” seated on bales of hay, surrounded by listeners. Many good stories were shared since all of the “Old Geezers” had family member exhibiting cattle at this show. Some of the cattle had ancestors who had been here in the past.
The attendance had been huge with ten’s of thousand people milling on the fair grounds, it came time to load out on a Sunday afternoon.
The Superintendent came and told us “Since you have the farthest to travel you can move up to the barn to load first”. Easier said than done. Moving one half mile in that crowd from parking to barn was feat I was glad to miss. I moved from my chair to a bale of hay as the trailer was loaded with the tack.
Late in the afternoon we were released. Everyone got in Big D. Herdsman and Grandson in the backseat of crew cab and I got to ride shot gun. “My Gosh,” The crazy people. Thousands of them getting in the road in front of us.
Two deputy Sheriff, mounted on horses, got in front of us.
“Get up close and follow us” one of them said.
The crowd of people opened up as we wonder the half mile out of the fair grounds.
I remember how I had come to the fair, as a small boy. I remembered the many awards I had won. The great animals I had led into the show ring.
There was Toots and her daughter, Pamela, and twins Betty Ann, and Betsy Ann, there were Twinkle who was a grand champion.
There was the year I won the Livestock Judging Contest and our team was the Champion.
Finally, the traffic thinned out and son quit grabbing gears and Big D settled down to the steady hum of heading for home.
