A fair night

Friday evening at the 2006 New Jersey State Fair Sussex County Farm and Horse Show is a swirl of colors, aromas, and sounds. The whirling Ferris wheel carries aloft its cargo of lovers young and old, anxious parents and giggling teenagers, and the shrieks of the giddy passengers of the Great Claw pierce the air. The golden face of an Egyptian pharaoh lures willing victims to a ride that promises to thrill and terrify. Coveys of pre-teens lick ice cream cones, chatter on cell phones and try to one-up one another with ball and balloon games. Tired parents push nodding infants in strollers or dry the tears of older toddlers overcome by the power of the lights and music. In a tug-of-war, teams of children vie to ground their competitors, and the losers tumble chortling onto the clean straw. A comely acrobat twists and whirls from a high wire. From nearby barns, the lowing of cattle, bleating of sheep and grunting of pigs hangs in the air. By the moment the fair ends on Aug. 13, more than a quarter-million people will have trod the grounds in Augusta; gorged on food both fast and exotic; sampled home-baked breads and jams and cakes; applauded racing pigs and showy horses; petted baby rabbits and donkeys; and gotten teary-eyed over nostalgic jazz. As one fairgoer said, there’s something timeless, something essentially American, something forever young and green and brilliant about the Sussex County Fair that takes people back to the fair’s roots in 1821. This is real county fair, people say, and a true celebration of the bounty and rural and agricultural heritage of Sussex County.