Animal portraits

Dog

The animals that visitors see at the Clallam County Fair are raised and shown by various 4H clubs. Many of the dogs we saw last Saturday competed in agility trials.

Bunny

I know the bunnies were judged on their bunniness qualities but for me it was a walk down the Cute Animal isle.

Piglets

Mama swine had a passel of suckling piglets. While we visited her, 4H members who had raised pigs were moving them through their paces at an auction nearby. Many 4H livestock projects culminate at auctions at the fair. The animals they raise are auctioned and the “project” quickly becomes a commodity.

Rooster

This rooster had just finished a “cock-a-doodle-doo” serenade.

Calf

The cattle are really groomed for showing.

People and animals at the fair

Kid and kid

It can probably be argued that a county fair is a holdover from the days when agriculture was front and center in most communities across the U.S. and the business of agriculture — showing prized animals, stock auctions — was a community focal point. That’s less the case in many regions today, but the fair still has value. We need to remember — and children need to learn — where our food and fiber comes from. And maybe it’s because I’m an animal lover, but I believe that humans have a natural affinity for animals. Fairs give some of us a fleeting chance to touch skin to fur and feathers and see animals that aren’t part of our daily lives.

Bunny people

People line up to touch. They ooh and aah over softness or texture, snuggle where they can.

Calf boy

Children have a chance to see and learn, often with babies that are just the right size, without the typical “don’t touch!” warnings.

Goat bliss

And the interaction goes both ways.

Stock saw competition

Stock saw 1

Loggers, of course, use chainsaws, so no logging show is complete without firing up a couple of them. At the Clallam County Fair two chainsaws were calibrated with matching RPMs and then competitors were timed at how fast they could blast through equally sized logs. The chainsaws are called “stock” saws because they’re standard, off-the-shelf models. It looks like this fellow is taking a moment to pray before he starts but the competition begins with both hands pressed onto the log.

Stock saw 2

Ready. Set. Go! Grab the chainsaw and start cutting.

Stock saw 3

It’s over fast. Pine logs were used. Pine is a soft wood. Douglas fir, a harder wood, is also used but I don’t know where or when.

Easier said than done

Axe throw 1

Here’s a twist on the classic dart game: it’s the logger’s version. Grab a big axe, stand about 15 feet away from the target, cock back the axe, and give it a mighty throw.

Axe throw 2

This fellow made it look almost easy, but then he was the winner. Two women were part of the competition but neither had the broad shoulder leverage to pitch with the strength and accuracy this competition demands. I think it’s a Paul Bunyan kind of thing.

The logging show

Logging Ma n Pa2

This weekend is the Clallam County Fair and yesterday was the logging show. For the uninitiated (me, for instance), the show is focused on competitive skills: we watched sawing and axe throwing. What you see here is “Jack and Jill” two person manual sawing. Simply said, the couple is timed as they saw through a log as fast as possible. It’s like an instant snapshot metaphor of marriage in action.

Logging Ma n Pa

Logging is part of the local history and heritage here. I’ll show you more of the action tomorrow.