Whoever said "second place is the first loser" didn't have the seed-spitting contest at the Deerfield Valley Fair in mind.
My daughter Margot, who is no more than 2, proudly took home the first prize she ever won, capturing the coveted silver medal (red ribbon) for the seed-spit in the ages 1-4 category. The competition was fierce (OK, not), but Margot calmly persevered and took home second with a "spit" of 6 and 1/4 inches.
In the interest of full disclosure, I will say that there were only two entrants in the age group, and I will also say that Margot did not technically "spit" her seed. The first seed the judges gave her, she popped in her mouth and promptly chewed it up and swallowed it. Given a second seed, Margot immediately crunched that, but then took it out of her mouth and flicked it — 6 1/4 inches for her prizewinning distance.
Through it all, Margot wore an expression of befuddlement, and I don't blame her. Why on earth were these strange grown-ups handing her a seed to put in her mouth, and why the heck were they then telling her to spit it out, and what was all the fuss about anyway?
But she bore it like a trooper and was pretty pleased when the folks at the fair handed her a bright red ribbon. She then celebrated with a few sips of snow cone and some waves of the balloon creature Robin Zegge had made for her.
I say all this not to trumpet the seed-spitting talents of my daughter. It's too early for that. The story is just indicative of the simple pleasures to be found at the Deerfield Valley Fair and fairs like it.
We ran a story in Monday's Brattleboro Reformer about the decline of small agricultural fairs, and I hope it's a trend that doesn't continue. There's not a thing wrong, not even the slightest hassle, about the Deerfield Valley Fair. Our kids enjoyed pony rides, cotton candy, carnival rides and games, the horse pull and just all the sites, sounds and smells. My other daughter, Marielle, came home with a red ribbon, too, earned, perhaps more legitimately, after a thrilling sack race. Margot also took home a giant inflatable "Nemo" fish that was bigger than she is — and that she insisted on taking into the tub with her. All this for about $30.
Long live the little ag fair. Now, if we could just convince Margot to stop spitting her food.