So there I was, driving to the Pierce County Fairgrounds. You know it's a small town when I asked what the address was and Don said he didn't know. Pulling up, I had no idea where I was to go or what I was going to be doing. I certainly didn't pack any "farm" clothes on my trip. After finding my way over to Don, I introduced myself. He was an older man, soft spoken, seemingly preoccupied with a hidden quick wit as seen by some of his texts and comments. He told me right away I could start tying old giant feed bags so they could re-use them as trash bags. (Sure feed bags,I’m totally used to working with those.) He then ushered me over to the barn and told me about boards he wanted to paint and use around the fair to block less attractive items like cement barriers. I suggested making them fun and eye-catching and suddenly he looked at me and said "so you are an artist". He spent the rest of the morning introducing me as the artist.
I spent the next 5 hours painting several giant 2.5 ft by 3.5 ft signs white then painting fair-related things like "corn dogs" and "pie eating contest". Several other volunteers (much older than I) also arrived at the fairground and did work to help prepare for the county fair. As they passed by me, several commented on my creativity and artistry. The boards, though they came out pretty great, were basic and elementary. Honestly, many people could do the work I did. However, Don and these other Pierce County enthusiasts made me feel appreciated and honestly, like I was some sort of rockstar for doing what I did. Don said he liked the signs so much they would use them in years to come. He even asked me later if he could get a picture with me and the signs so he could remember me. So if you are ever in the area around July 4th, swing by Rugby, ND for their annual county fair (and check out my cool signs!).
Throughout my experience today, I kept thinking of the red tape that would exist to do something this simple in places I have lived. I imagine things would have to get approved by a board before getting a budget (which would also need to be approved) before the supplies could be bought and the sign could actually be made. (Do we even have county fairs?) I went to my township meeting once where the board approved the renewal of the summer's farmers market, but only after the coordinator had created and presented a powerpoint (and handouts for the board) about the success of it in previous years and the new suggestions for the upcoming summer.
We played BINGO at a local Eagles club. I won the full board BINGO, a first for me. I never win BINGO. Perhaps it is because when I have gone - there are 50-100 people filling the hall. My chances were much greater when there were only 8 people playing. Regardless, I won $25 fair and square. Of course that paid for the 2 rounds we did, the 2 blotters we had to buy and the tips we left - but it was fun nonetheless. I wonder how much money people spend there. The local eagle club offers BINGO 5 days a week, 4 rounds a day (we only did 2). So Alex and I could spend $40 every night (plus drinks). That's $200/week. There is NO way I'm getting that money back. Sure, it's a fun way to spend 2 hours but $40?! Besides that - their nightlife is slim. The movie theater is only open on weekends. There are few bars. One of which we went to the Saturday night we got here and it only had maybe 10 people inside. We noticed few people out when we were walking. There were ball games going on and we wonder if people who don't even have kids are invested in the local sports. There is some beauty in that, the lack of entertainment and busyness. What could someone do with that? Would they succumb to laziness and just watch TV all night? Would they work to develop themselves through hobbies? Work to create relationships with neighbors? Or are they so busy driving 30 minutes - 1 hour to get to amenities their town does not have?
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