Some things are universal

By
Jennifer Jacob
jjacob@themeridianstar.com

This is my first year to go to the Neshoba County Fair. I have to say that I didn't expect it to be what I expected, but after having it described to me by avid fair fans and seeing multitudes of fair photos, it turned out to be exactly as I had pictured it.

Hundreds of tiny cabins, most of which are similarly shaped but still look wildly different, are crammed together along narrow red dirt roads. It's hot, there's dirt everywhere, and you can find all manner of people running around the place.

All the cabins I've visited so far have been inhabited by very different people, but they all gave me the same greeting - "Can I get you something to drink?" When I sat them down to ask them about the fair, they all told me pretty much the same thing; that the fair is more about family and friends than horse races or political speeches, that anyone can get a free meal if they walk up to the right cabin, and that the true fair experience comes from staying at a cabin, not stopping by for a few hours to ride rides on the midway.

All the cabin-dwellers greeted me as if I were no stranger, and most tried to entice me to eat. I finally caved in and took some very delicious Neshoba County watermelon from a gentleman who I was interviewing about a huge party he throws at his cabin every year.

I've only spent one day at the fair so far, but it's been enough to learn that everything I've been told about it, good and bad, is true.

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