Evolving fair still has value

It would be easy — in this 21st century era of Twitter and YouTube and more nonsense and distractions anyone could imagine coming at us over the Internet — to dismiss an event like the Jay County Fair as an anachronism.
What’s an anachronism?
Something that’s conspicuously old fashioned.
But guess what? Nobody bothered to tell the kids.
Old fashioned or not, they’re up to their necks in the Jay County Fair. Judging for 4-H entries started Saturday and will continue much of this week. Kids are engaged. They’re taking care of their animals. They’re competing. And they’re having fun.
Sure, along the way, they may be sending “selfies” to a Twitter feed or posting a silly video of one of their buddies to YouTube.
But they are successfully managing to be in two eras at once.
They are participating in a tradition that dates locally back to the middle of the 19th century, and they are participating in the latest trends of the 21st century at the same time.
So while the county fair might look like an anachronism to some, the reality is that it’s simply evolving into something new, while holding onto something old and valuable.
And this is one of those cases where the kids know best.
They’ve learned to set aside the distractions of technology in order to enjoy the face-to-face, one-on-one connection that can only occur when “virtual reality” is replaced by reality itself.
For those of us beyond the age of 4-H, the call is to follow their lead.
Turn off some of that technology this week. Put it aside. Don’t let the distractions keep you from focusing on what’s real and what’s important and what’s meaningful.
Get off the couch. Turn off the computer. Ignore your cable TV or satellite signal for a bit.
Go to the fair.
Talk with your neighbors, even those you don’t like very much. Make some new friends.
Eat something that may not be good for you. Do something you’ve never done before. Re-connect.
And most of all, enjoy yourself. Then, if you want to post something on Twitter or YouTube or Facebook or whatever, that’s up to you. —J.R.[[In-content Ad]]