faith

The old country churches age along with their membership, and as the younger generation goes to college and moves away, parishoners find it difficult to maintain the old buildings.

There are two churches in the tiny town of Creston, Illinois, just west of DeKalb. This is the United Methodist Church which is a typical design for the area. Church bells do not call the faithful to worship in Creston. The bell has fallen out of its mounting, and lies askew in the bell tower. Just two blocks away it seems that the bell in the Lutheran church has suffered the same fate. The bell tower has been enclosed and the entrance to the sanctuary seems to have been moved to the side of the building.

As I was photographing a man walked down the street to attend services. He stopped and commented, "Lovely little church, isn't it?"

It is, indeed, lovely.

a friendly game of cards

Playing cards was the chosen form of killing time for the teenagers. Each of the barns is divided into two sections with an open area in the middle. The young people created a sort of social zone in the center of the barn.

Curiously, just out of the frame, the younger kids have been relegated to sitting on a set of low bleachers. The group of teenagers were surrounded by a force field that the pre-teens and younger didn't dare attempt to enter. Oh how I remember being in that painful position of being a geeky outsider and longingly wanting to belong to the older group.

They gave me a look as I passed by and snapped a few shots. It's always a good idea to hang around for awhile, until the novelty of your presence and your camera wears off. Soon they forget about the camera and return to their animated game.

I wanted to tell them to lock this moment in their hearts, for these happy times will nourish them in the future when times get tough.

marking time

It's day four of the fair, and it's 98 degrees. Huge industrial fans are set up in the barns in an attempt to keep the livestock cool. The days are long, 7 am till 10 at night, and the animals must be tended, watered and fed. It simply becomes too much for some of the younger kids.

They've spent their allowance on the midway, eaten the food and now bide their time trying to keep cool. They're hot and bored and the initial excitement of the fair has tarnished. Later in the evening fair officials will make the decision to release all the animals, except for the prize winners who will be auctioned off on Sunday.

sweet nothings

There's just something about hogs. There's the absolutely horrid smell of a hog production farm, but still there's something about hogs.

Chickens are noisy and gossipy, roosters are mean, and turkeys are dumb as rocks. Dairy cows are nice and I love the smell of a dairy farm and silage. The thing about hogs is that they're generally agreeable animals and they always have this goofy-happy look on their faces. And they seem to be touchy/feeley, always wanting to lay all over each other. Just when you get they all cleaned up for the show ring they roll around in the wood shavings again.

This hog was steadily moving it's snout and mouth as if whispering sweet nothings in it's barn-mates ear. Sorry....it's sappy, but I just had to post "sweet nothings".

lemon shake up

This young gentleman is enjoying the best part of the county fair - lemon shake ups. If you go back to the entry on the fried oreos, and look behind and to the left of the chef you'll see a heavy duty juicer and a stack of lemons.......that's a lemon shake up waiting to happen.

Fresh lemons are squeezed, mixed with a little sugar and some ice cold water. The mixture is poured into a large mixing cup with some chopped ice and then they shake, shake, shake. It's absolutely fantastic, nothing like fresh squeezed lemon juice to tingle your parched mouth.

The barn was hot as the blazes and this youngsters family was just a few steps away "detailing" a steer. More on that later.

milking maid

The exhibits open very early and I arrived sometime after 7:30 to find Elizabeth milking her goat. Some of the goats were being milked by automatic electrified milking machines, but this had such a nice feel to it, the milk maid keeping a mesmerizing rhythm. You will notice that she's wearing an earpiece which allows her to hold a phone conversation with a friend as she works.

I handed her my card before I left, so perhaps she'll check out the website and see the picture of her at work.

curiosity

All the animals at the fair display curiosity about the streams of people wandering past their pens. Some are more curious than others, and the goats seems most curious of all. They're know to be little sneak theives also, so be careful what's sticking out of your back pocket because they just might help themselves to a possible meal. Goats will try to eat just about anything, including advertising flyers hastily jammed in a pocket.

county fair - 4-H ready for the ring

What would you say if I asked you to characterize the expression on the young men's faces in this photograph? Think about it for a minute before you read further.

These two 4-H members are ready to enter the show ring, but alot has happened to get them to this place. The young people are required to have the animals at the fair and in their stalls (exhibits) by 9 p.m. on Tuesday. This requires the help of family and friends to transport, unload, prepare the stalls with straw bedding and provide feeding equipment. The fair is over on Sunday, and for five full days they must feed, water, provide fans in the heat, and muck the stalls......translation - shovel and remove all waste materials. All the time they're responsible for their livestock entered in the fair they also have chores and responsibilities at home, unless they've made arrangements otherwise.

Many of the animals require more attention than others, so the 4-H members in the milking goat barn usually set up cots and sleep in the barn with their animals. The goats need to be milked very early in the morning. Others groups showing different animals take turns staying in the barn and keeping an eye on the club entries.

This photo was taken on Saturday morning, about 9:45 a.m. and it's already 96 degrees. They've been up since probably 5:30 or 6:00 a.m., getting dressed, driving with their families for up to anywhere up to an hour. The steers need to be prepared for show, and that is a lengthy process with entire families pitching in to vacuum, spray, comb, trim, fluff and otherwise "beautify" the beasts! (More on that later).

So there you have it. Two very tired and stressed young men waiting to enter the show ring, and a chance at not only winning a blue ribbon, but the opportunity to auction off their steer and raise enough to pay for a semester at college. My highest regard for all their hard work.

Special Note to Human Resource and Hiring Managers - You might want to take a close look if you see "4-H member" on an applicants resume. They're no stranger to hard work, responsibility and organization.

over the top

It seems that each year at the fair they seem to come up with some over-the-top treat that is as bizarre as it is ridiculous. Sometimes you order just to say you've tried it. The staple at all local fairs is the funnel cake. Milk, egg and flour goodness in a squiggly circular shape. Lightly dusted with powdered sugar and eaten hot, steaming and beautifully browned.

A couple years ago they came up with fried Snickers bars. WHOA. They were the small individual Snickers coated with batter and fried. They were way too sweet for my taste, but this year they've come up with a winner - - fried Oreos!!!

Yes, oreos dipped in funnel cake batter and fried quickly in very hot oil, and again dusted with powdered sugar. They were quite delicious. The oreo loses it's hard crunchy texture and becomes a warm chocolately cake delight. The creamy center melts and creates an inner glaze. The chef gladly posed serving the creation.

fair food still life

Fair food traditionally has a bad reputation for being greasy and unhealthy, but everything I saw being prepared was at the very least fresh. Corn dogs are delicious, and are not those hard as rocks frozen numbers sold in the food store. The hot dogs are dipped into freshly mixed corn meal batter and yes...they're fried.

This still life shows a mountain of freshly sliced onions and peppers steaming on a very large grill. They're preparing to cozy up to a nice Italian sausage. Other offerings include chicken or traditional beef and lamb gyros, the ubiquitous midwestern pork chop sandwich and more.

county fair food

The food wagons at the county fair are self-contained kitchens on wheels that travel all over the country. This years contract went to a company out of Florida and their wagons were spotless. I arrived each morning at the fair very early and the employees were scrubbing down the units inside and out.

I'm drawn like a moth to a flame by the bold colors and over-the-top patterns of the carnival midway design genre. It's a designer best and worst nightmare.

Whereas the previous photo was done in black and white, this one was treated to obtain an old photo look, with deeply saturated and aged colors.

come to the fair

This evening marked the close of the county fair. As fairs go I prefer these small gatherings to the huge state fair in Springfield. Have you ever been to fair? If not, join along with me. I've gathered together a collection of photos that depict the activites, the people and the food.

Let's have some fun. I know my band of loyal readers will join along, but how about asking someone you know who's never been to a fair. How about a street photographer or urban blogger?

On Saturday I arrived very early in order to get some photos of the food trailers before the crowds arrived. Luckily clouds had rolled in to alleviate some of the horrible heat we're experience in Northern Illinois - along with the largest severe drought area in the U.S., according to this mornings newspaper.

So, let's go to the fair.

faith

Although we have a St. Charles mailing address, we actually live in the tiny village of Lily Lake. If you're ever driving up Route 47 in northern Illinois just remember not to blink because you'll miss it. There's no "town", no stores, only a gas station down on the corner at the edge of the village. My husband serves in his spare time as the village treasurer, and he claims the population numbers 750. I'm very doubtful of that figure, unless of course it includes pets and livestock....then maybe.

Even with that small census figure we have two churches, literally just a couple thousand feet from each other. The Congregational church has been featured before, and this is Grace Lutheran church. The small fellowship hall around the back on the lower level also serves as our voting place, and since there's no funeral home around the dead can be waked in the sanctuary, as was the case for Cody's funeral.

Attendance was very light this morning as you can see. Anyone with kids in 4-H were at the fair to prepare for the livestock auction......and anyway it's 100 degrees with 35% humidity and that equals 108 degrees......and the church is NOT air conditioned!!!! Needless to say the sign out front indicates they are going to be building a new facility.

attractive

The Kane County fair continues through this weekend, ending tomorrow. The fair exibits open at 7 a.m., but I slept in a bit, arriving at 7:30. It was good to walk around early, before the midway came to life.

Steer judging started just after the vegetables were judged, about 9 a.m. The barns were a flurry of activity as each steer was spray and combed and fluffed and "detailed" for the judging ring. It was a busy, busy place.

This is my entry for this weeks Photo Friday challenge - "Attractive". There's probably nothing more attractive than a woman that can handle a 1,600 lb. steer. Attitude - yes! I have reasonable expectations that my bandwidth will be gobbled up like a billy goat with this entry, and perhaps those ChicagoPhotoblogger guys will realize the value of a trip out to the country for a photoshoot.

hot pink

A honeybee does what he does best - collecting nectar. I watched for quite awhile as the bee crawled across the beautiful hot pink Monarda blooms, his wings tightly locked together. This plant is otherwise known as Bee Balm and secretes a large amount of nectar, which makes it a favorite with bees.

corn rows

A day after the brief downpour the soil between the corn rows is damp and cushy. The bottom most leaves of the corn plant drapes itself across the secret passageway.

If I was smaller, and younger, the bower of corn plants would make a secret place to play.

When the movie "Signs" was released we all rushed to see it, depicting as it did a rural farmhouse surrounded by corn fields. An audible chuckle could be heard each time the characters rushed into rows of corn. Anyone who lives in farm country knows that you don't go running willy nilly into a fully grown corn field....unless you have the better part of a day to figure out how to get out! One of the most popular activities in the fall is to navigate a corn maze. More on that later........

perfect cradle

After the storm had passed I walked along the edge of our property assessing damage by the winds. A birds nest had been dislodged from the shelter of a large evergreen that stands at the far edge near the roadway. The nest was empty and there were no broken eggs or baby birds lying nearby. It created a beautiful still life, sitting on a cushion of discarded pine needles and surrounded by walnut sized pine cones. Unfortunately the light was failing and a decent picture was out of the question.

I picked up the nest and was surprised at it's weight. The bottom portion had two distinct grooves where the base, heavy with a dried mud substance was formed around two branches. My impromptu photo studio consisted of a piece of matte photographic paper placed beneath the nest, and bathroom lighting overhead.

I love images of natural forms removed from their settings and placed in stark backdrops. They become a piece of art with nothing to detract from their simple construction and beauty. A perfect cradle for the fragile egg.

precipitation

Just before noon clouds gathered in the west. At this point we are almost afraid to hope for the much needed rain. Storms have moved across the central plains only to skirt our area, or move sharply to the north.

As I passed this construction site the clouds had darkened and within 10 minutes the skies opened up and drenched the parched ground. Unfortunately the rain only lasted about 30 minutes, followed a little later by another short cloudburst.

Driving home I noticed the corn which only yesterday had assumed a frightening posture - leaves extended skyward in a contorted plea, had relaxed with the gift of moisture. Water, traveling up the stalk to the leaves had filled the cells and relaxed the leaves. They now arch gracefully back towards the ground. More rain is promised for this weekend and that, as Martha would say, is a good thing.

rust

The windmill rusts in the afternoon sun. This is the barn on Empire Road and the final days are here. My husband, who serves as the village treasurer, informed me that last night at the village meeting the contract was approved to dismantle the barn. He didn't have a date, but it's slated for August. That means I have a few weeks to fill a 1 gig card with as many images of the old space as I can. And then it will be nothing but history and a kiddie playground for the 3/4 million dollar homes planted in the former cornfield.

I've decided to settle on something as a memento of my photographic relationship with the place. I don't know what though. Maybe a length of old chain, or a block and tackle, or perhaps I could take a small saw and remove the initials carved in the side of the hayloft.

Or perhaps I'll just take my memories, and the stories of concocted about the barns former life. I'm not sure.

5 b's catering

My conservative estimates on the amount of food served at Saturday nights Barn Dance is 5,000 pork chops and 2,000 chickens. The midwest is a prime pork producer and local caterers have refined the grilling of pork chops down to a science.

Like I said before, I always find the peripheral people at an event eminently more interesting than those holding court on the stage. So as the organizers of the event thanked everyone involved (long, long list) I snuck behind the tent searching for the "chop grillers", who had cooked everything fresh that evening. Here's the crew from 5 B's Catering. They deserve a free plug, although the barbecue pit boss is blocking their phone number, I'm sure they're located in northern Illinois or southern Wisconsin. The large grills are being cleaned out, the coals shoveled into large metal cans. It was an oppressively hot evening and this crew stood over the grills and cooked 7,000 pieces of meat.

It was awesome guys...thanks!