Photo Essays

A Week at the Fair- July 2026

There is the fair everyone sees.

The Ferris wheel turning above the midway. Food stands lining the road. Barns filled with animals. Kids leading livestock into the ring. Ribbons hanging from cages and stalls.

But spend enough time at the fair, and you begin to notice another side of it.

You notice the waiting.

Boots propped up after a long day. Animals resting quietly in their stalls. Kids sitting beside projects they have spent months feeding, training, and caring for. Parents and grandparents watching from outside the ring.

There is nervousness before the judge and relief when the class is over. There is disappointment and celebration. There are long hours interrupted by brief moments when everything seems to happen at once.

And then there are the moments in between.

A horse quietly watching from its stall.

Sunlight passing through the ear of a cow.

A tired kid stealing a nap in the barn.

Laughter from the seat of a cart.

A young rider smiling from the saddle.

Ordinary moments that are easy to walk past when you’re headed somewhere else.

Maybe that’s one of the gifts of carrying a camera.

It gives you a reason to stop.

To look a little longer.

To notice the people, the animals, the light, the laughter, the work, and the beauty that were already there whether anyone noticed them or not.

The fair is all packed up.  The animals have all left.  The midway has disappeared and the barns are quiet again.  But for a little while, this place was full of stories.

These are a few that I witnessed.