Day at the Fair

Miguel's been taking half-days at work on Wednesdays for the last few weeks, coming home by 10 in the morning so we can have a family fun day.  We've spent such days at the beach, the water park and the zoo.  This week's adventure was the Warren County Farmers' Fair which also happens to host the Annual Hot Air Balloon Festival.  Though smaller than the Sussex County Fair, it was also much more affordable and we had some fun. 

The kids enjoyed a few rides, (after all, what's a fair without rides?) and some arts and crafts and magic in the Kids Corral. We walked the livestock barns and sheds with enthusiasm.  The horses were gorgeous and the bunnies and chickens adorable.  We even saw baby goats that were as cute as can be.  But the best part was the balloon launch.

We wandered over to the balloon field at a bit before 6:30 and watched the teams lay out their balloons -- massive lengths of nylon streched out and inflated before our very eyes.  We saw every pattern imaginable, from standard V shaped designs to horizontal stripes and checker boards to elephants and dinosaurs.  There was even a strawberry.  It was amazing to watch the ballons fill with heated air and then rise above our heads, floating ever farther from us. 

I took more pictures than I probably should have, but that's the beauty of digital photography.  You can delete the excess and pretend it never happened!

Though we had fun, I think we'll try the Sussex County Fair next year.