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IN THE FIELD: OLEY VALLEY COMMUNITY FAIR
A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the Oley Valley Community Fair. This fair has been a community tradition for 72 years.
First a bit of history…
The Oley valley is a fertile farming area in southeastern Pennsylvania where all sorts of livestock is raised and crops are grown. The valley encompasses several townships. In fact the history of the Oley Valley goes way back to the first German settlers of the early 1700’s. The township of Oley was formed in 1740 and in 1983 the entire township was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Daniel Boone was born in the valley. His family had a small farm where he lived until his early teens.
There are some neat old homes in fine condition in the town of Oley and many historic farmsteads in the valley.
Now back to the fair. I visited on the second day of the fair just as the gates where opening. Good thing I did because several exhibiters I was chatting with, mentioned that in a few hours mobs of people would descend on the fairgrounds.
There were several buildings/exhibit halls filled with baked goods, home canned goods, quilts, crafts, photography, examples of veggies, fruit crops, and all sorts of plants and flowers, all grown or made by adults as well as children. Local business were represented in yet another building. Outside in the fairgrounds, tractors and farm equipment were on display as were other forms of recreational equipment such as boats and all terrain vehicles. Open air buildings and tents housed exhibits of sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and rabbits to be observed and even petted if you wished. Ribbons and some cash prizes were awarded for the best of the best.
There was a bandstand where one could sit and listen to various musical groups while resting one’s feet. Food is another big thing at this fair. I seriously doubt you could go hungry. The amusement rides and the tractor pulls were a big draw along with the antique and classic car show. I missed the really big tractor pulls which were held the day before, but it was still fun to watch the smaller ones. And by the way, what is a community fair with out a pumpkin growing contest? Well I have to admit I have never seen in person so many huge pumpkins. The winner was a huge 799 pounder.
It was a great day for meandering around the fairgrounds and I am looking forward to visiting again next year. Maybe I’ll even try some of the famous French fries…it was a little early in the morning this time around.
IN THE FIELD: A MONTH APART ll
So far this year this country has seen the whole gamut of weather. Good and bad. Some areas have had a relatively normal spring and summer.
Other areas not so much. There have been forest fires, tornados, rain, flooding, hurricanes, and in much higher elevations some snow.
Where I live we have seen more good than bad. Although, we did at times have an over abundance of rain and when the rains finally cleared out, we received a fair amount of sunshine. So most farmers crops grew like weeds.
Back in late spring and early summer I had taken a few photos of a nearby farm. I posted them a few entries ago. The first photo showed the fields ready for planting and the second photo showed that corn and soybean crops had been planted and were growing nicely. The photos in this post were taken in mid August and then again in mid September. In the second photo the corn, which is about seven feet tall, is ready to be harvested and the soybeans which are the green plants in the foreground will be ready to harvest any day now.
I wonder what comes next…fallow fields or maybe winter wheat. And then snow. Time will tell.
IN THE FIELD: A MONTH APART
In this part of southeastern Pennsylvania there are small towns and communities surrounded by farms. Interspersed among these farms are more farms. Corn, soybeans and wheat are the primary crops grown here. Most farms also raise various grasses which are grown for hay. Dairy farms are also prevalent. Whole milk and some wonderful cheeses are produced and sold in small co-ops. Organic veggies along with grass fed beef and pork can also be found in these small stores. And the eggs, oh the eggs…yummm!
On the way to and from work I often see folks out working the fields. And yes, they are up before sunrise. Watching the transition from fallow fields of late fall and winter, to lush crops of early spring and summer, for me, is a sight to see. Man and nature working together to the best of their abilities.
The farm in these photos is quite close to where I live. Literally about seven minutes away. I will be visiting from time to time to document the changes through the seasons.
These two photos were taken about one month apart this year. The first was taken on May 1 and the second on June 5.
INSPIRATION AND ASSIGNMENTS: TREES A SECOND APPEARANCE
I enjoy living in an area where there are distinct seasons. The scenery changes often enough and sometimes rapidly enough to have different visuals almost on a daily basis.
The photo of the lone tree illustrated in the previous post was taken on June 5 of this year. The photo of the same lone tree in this post was taken on May 1 of this year.
And in a few weeks time, the corn that has been planted in the foreground fields will be so tall that the tree will not be visible from this same vantage point.
Ya know…looking back, I wonder if I should have reversed the order of photos/posts. Oh well.
IN THE FIELD: Farm Fresh Sculpture
This past weekend we took a leisurely drive out in unexplored farm country. The rolling hills and pastures were covered in green grass and stands of corn waiting to be harvested.
As we drove along a winding road, we came across several fields of recently harvested hay which was formed into huge bales. Curiously, the hay bales were stacked three to a stack and seemed to be placed randomly throughout the fields.
My wife and I have been around farming communities most of our lives, but have never seen hay bales standing like sentinels in a field before.
These stacks of hay reminded us of the sculptures on Easter Island. Perhaps the farmer was in a creative mood the day of harvesting and was thinking the same thing.
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IN THE FIELD: Clouds And Sun
A couple of days ago, the forecast was for strong thunder storms and possible tornados in the afternoon. The valley where we live is the perfect runway for wind storms. Tornados are a rarity here, but small ones have been known to form.
When we first heard about the possible heavy storms, it seemed a little odd since it was a beautiful summer day. The skies were blue with a few puffy clouds scattered about. Then the clouds began to mass together and build in height. At first it was rather pretty. But as we watched the cumulonimbus clouds build to well over 30,000 feet, we started to get a little apprehensive. And wonder which corner of the basement would be the safest.
Luckily, it never did rain or do much of anything else. The menacing skies moved eastward and out of our view. But for a while there, it sure looked like the unfriendly clouds were going to swallow up the countryside.
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IN THE FIELD: You Know It’s Summertime When…
Saturday morning I visited the famers market here in town. It’s not a large market, but there are a nice variety of foods produced by local farmers and merchants.
The goods available included all natural grass fed beef, baked goods of many varieties, jams, jellies, preserved vegetables, eggs, cheeses, and milk straight from the farm with no processing. In addition to all this great food were two produce stands brimming with seasonal vegetables, fruits, berries and flowers.
I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a great foodie summer!
Apricots fresh from the tree that morning
IN THE FIELD: Gardener’s Retreat
Our next door neighbors have a love of gardening. So much so, at one time they owned a small farm where every year they grew six acres of flowers for cutting. Folks would come from far and wide to walk the fields and cut bouquets of flowers. About ten years ago our neighbors retired from the farm and downsized to a smaller home. They continue to cultivate and nurture their plantings to beautify their corner of our community.
The selection of plants surrounding their home includes rhododendrons, azaleas, lilies, iris’s, roses, hollyhocks, gladiolus, flowering shrubs, two wisteria plants that cover their pergola, and a wide variety of annuals and perennials. They have turned their intimate garden into an oasis of color, shape, and texture.
This is an old cart they kept from their farm, and now use it as a planter. The lady of the house loves the color blue, and one day she had an urge to paint something. The cart was the perfect candidate.
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IN THE FIELD: Dramatic Skies
Most of the land around where I live is either forest or farmland. When the ground begins to dry out a bit from the early spring rains, the farmers begin to work their fields. They use enormous equipment to cut the hay for feed, then start plowing to prepare for planting of their summer crops.
All this farming activity usually stirs up lots of dust. And when you combine all that dust, and mix it with a steady wind throughout the course of a sunny day…it’s a perfect recipe for a colorful sunset. Then it’s just a matter of waiting for evening and hoping a few clouds will stick around to add some drama.
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David Heilman 
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