Today we went to the West End Fair in Gilbert, Pennsylvania, in the westernmost part of Monroe County. We go to this rural agricultural fair every year and always visit the Democratic Party booth there. This year there were so many people coming up to talk to the people working there that we had to pause in our discussion about volunteering several times. People came up to register to vote, others sorted through a basket of Obama buttons and got bumper stickers, and people took pictures with the lifesized cardboard Obama cutout.
More after the jump.
This is Red State country around here, even if the more heavily populated parts of the state tend to vote Democratic. However, the first thing greeting us in the parking lot as we walked to the front gate was this:
All right! we said and hurried in to enjoy the fair. We started with corn roasted in the husks and buttered and sprinkled with tasty spices. Then we paused to enjoy some rolicking bluegrass music and while tapping our feet to "Bad Moon on the Rise" spotted the Dems booth. They were pretty busy. We learned that the car with all the great stickers belonged to Ann, a dedicated Dem we've canvassed with in past elections. She was an Obama delegate at the convention and had just gotten back from Denver to work at the booth.
By contrast the Republican booth had been late to open and didn't have much business when they were:
Mr. Maven and I each took a picture with Barack. Boy, is Barack tall! Well, okay, the cutout was elevated a few inches. Here's Mr. NM:
We toured the barns, and saw prize-winning rabbits, Plymouth Rock roosters and hens, geese, goats, sheep, cattle and horses.
The fun ended with funnel cakes, real downhome greasy goodness, and we consider the day a success. We wore our new buttons with pride and had a few friendly conversations with strangers about the fair, the food, sports, and so on. The politics didn't come up, but it was there all along.
Yes We can!