Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Silky & other items of interest



Silky & other items of interest

The Great Darke County Fair is moving quickly… a little too quickly, to the end of its 154th year. I’ve made three trips, so far, and will likely make a couple more.
How about you?
Every year I see the same mistakes being made by people wanting a “free ride” but I also see some new and interesting things.
For instance, Silky the chicken.


Ever see a chicken with hair? Check her out at the chicken barn. I guess she’s not all that unusual, but I’d never heard of a chicken with hair.
You can buy one for $10 or $20, and I was told $15 worth of feed will last a year.
Set her on the ground and she’s satisfied hanging around your feet, pecking at the dirt. She makes little or no noise. She lays eggs, but they are small – you’d need two or three to match one egg from a regular hen.


If you can get past the “purple” skin and its toughness, the meat is supposed to be good… about the size of a medium to large Cornish hen.
As always, there were people by the thousands. Lots of rides, great fair food, interesting sights, a variety of unusual products to drain your pocketbook, some of the best agricultural livestock and produce available anywhere in the world… and people trying to beat the system.


While I was on Gate 5 with Kiwanis Friday, two things happened.
Some kids were racing through the gate, ignoring the ticket takers (I was one of them) and only stopped when Darke County Deputy Sheriff Curtis yelled at them… this gentleman is NOT someone you want to ignore.
“Why didn’t you stop when you were told to?”
“We’re cheerleaders.”
“You are also driving too fast, talking on your cell phones and not paying any attention to the people at the gate.”
They went through, but they got a good tongue-lashing first. They will likely pay more attention in the future.
Then Deputy Curtis noticed two adults buying week-long passes, signing them as required, then moving away from the gate and giving them to two kids. When the kids start to come through the gate with “their” passes, Curtis stopped them.
“These yours?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah.”
“They’re signed… can I see your I.D.s?”
They stood there with a dumb look on their faces and watched as Curtis tore up the passes and put them in the trash. They left.
A little later, the adults came back.
“Did you tear up our tickets?”
“Yep.”
“Then we’d like a refund.”
“Nope. I suggest you consider yourself lucky you don’t have to go to court for trespassing on private property or attempting to perpetrate a fraud.”
They left.
I guess we’ve always had people – young and old – who can’t see beyond themselves, like our young cheerleaders, or want to cheat the system, like the two adults setting a lousy example for two kids…
But I don’t suggest they do it at the Great Darke County Fair.
Our Sheriff’s Patrol is on the job.
Thanks, guys and gals.
 







Bob Robinson is the retired editor of The Daily Advocate, Greenville, Ohio. If you wish to receive notification of his comments, opinions and reports when they are posted, send your email address to: opinionsbybob@gmail.com. Feel free to express your views.

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