(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm SteveEmber.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. It is October – time for some of America'sthousands of agricultural fairs. Today we visit several of theseyearly events.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
All you need to enjoy yourself at an agricultural fair is a senseof history and a spirit of fun.
Music immediately surrounds you as you start your visit. It mightbe country music. Or it might be rock and roll, rap or heavy metal.You can go and enjoy the music. Or you can try the rides.
Children laugh and shout on theFerris wheel ride. Older boys and girls are holding hands as theyreach the top.
VOICE TWO:
You can see dogs guiding sheep together into herds. You can watchhorses giving birth, or llamas jumping like great Olympic athletes.You can look at new home products or farm equipment. At some fairs,you can watch cars race – or crash into each other on purpose atevents called demolition derbies.
Or maybe you just want to walk around and watch other people.
VOICE ONE:
It is easy to find a fair to attend in the United States. Severalthousand such events take place. Almost all fifty states have afair. They usually are held in August, September or October. Somefairs last up to three weeks. Local counties also hold fairs. Orseveral counties will join to organize a fair.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
Come with us now to the event known as America's first fair. TheYork Fair in York, Pennsylvania, was first held in seventeensixty-five. That was eleven years before the United States became anation.
Now that you are here, we hope you are hungry. Eating is one ofthe most important activities at a fair. People compete to preparethe best foods. Judges choose the best dishes, like pies and cakes.Then you can buy them.
Over there are waffles, a kind of cake prepared in a special ironheater. The waffles have ice cream and fruit on top. Try some. Nottoo far from the waffles are custards, sweet puddings made of milkand eggs. And you can also buy cotton candy. This candy is made fromcolored liquid and lots of sugar.
VOICE ONE:
After you pay, the seller will hand you the candy on a paperstick. You try to chew it with your teeth. But cotton candy seems todisappear in your mouth. You are left with a mouthful of air and avery sweet taste.
But you do not want to eat just sweet food. The York Fair alsohas salty pretzels. A pretzel is kind of bread shaped like a looseknot.
And there are baked potatoes with all kinds of toppings.
VOICE TWO:
Like most such events, the York Fair is holding competitions forthe best farm animals. More than ten thousand animals compete forawards at the nation's biggest fairs. Farmers whose animals winprizes can sell them for a lot of money. Young winners sometimes usethe money to go to college.
Many children and young people whose animals compete at state andcountry fairs belong to group called the Four-H Clubs of America.The term Four-H means head, heart, hands and health.
Millions of young Americans take part in group activities. Manyof them complete projects like raising and caring for a horse, cowor other animal.
Some of the animals that people see at the York Fair are nottraditional farm animals. Sea lions perform, and a beekeeper broughtalmost two thousand of the insects to show and talk about. In thefair's Horticultural Hall, he explained how the bees produce honey.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Some competitions at the York Fair are funny. For example, thereis judging for the strangest looking vegetable. This year, the awardwent to two carrots that grew together. They looked like a bigorange pretzel.
Many people commented about the winner of the competition for thebiggest pumpkin. This orange fruit grows on a vine and is atraditional part of the Halloween celebration in late October.York's winning pumpkin this year weighed four hundred fiftykilograms.
York Fair's animal races are also organized in the spirit of fun.You can watch pigs racing each other. Or, there are also duck races.But you may have to wait awhile to see who – or what – wins. This isbecause the competitors sometimes do not run in a straight line.
VOICE TWO:
One of the rides at the York Fair is a mechanical bull. Thisdevice looks like a male cow. It tries to throw off any rider whogets on. If riders can stay on for one and one-half minutes, theycan take home a big toy animal.
One of the most unusual shows at the fair is called "Masters ofthe Chainsaw." In a performance lasting less than one hour, morethan ten artists create sculptures from wood. They use only thesharp teeth of chainsaw cutting tools to produce these artworks.
Like many other American fairs,the York event has some famous entertainers. This year, the starperformers included Kid Rock, the country group Lonestar, LynyrdSkynyrd and Clay Aiken. This young singer became famous on the"American Idol" television program.
VOICE ONE:
Entertainers are not the only well-known people who attend fairs.Officials and political candidates often visit fairs, especiallyduring elections years. Both local and national candidates speak tothe crowds, shake hands and kiss babies.
For example, President Bush recently campaigned at the FarmProgress Show, a fair in Iowa. His Democratic opponent forpresident, Senator John Kerry, visited the Iowa State Fair.
VOICE TWO:
Food and animals are important parts of American agriculturalfairs. But some people attend fairs especially to watch the carraces. The DuQuoin State Fair is famous for such competition.
The fair opened in nineteen twenty-three in southern Illinois.Exciting auto racing has been part of its events since its earlydays. At first, the racers competed on a track of one point threekilometers. People watched from a seating area made of wood. At theend of World War Two, building began on a track of more than one andone half kilometers. A new area for people to sit in also was added.
VOICE ONE:
The organizers of the famous Indianapolis Five Hundred Mile Racerecognized DuQuoin's possibilities for major racing. By nineteenforty-eight, the American Automobile Association had awarded theDuQuoin track two national championship races. Today, people comefrom far away to watch the car races at the Illinois State Fair atDuQuoin.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
American fairs follow some of the traditions of fairs held inEurope in the eighteenth century. But the International Associationof Fairs and Expositions says fairs took place long before that. Theassociation says these events were held more than two thousandfive-hundred years ago.
The Latin word feria, written f-e-r-i-a, means holy day. This mayhave been the root of the word fair. It meant a time when manypeople would gather for prayer. Some of the biggest fairs were inthe ancient cities of Athens, Ninevah and Tyre.
VOICE ONE:
History played a big part in the recent New York State Fair. ACarriage Museum exhibited more than fifty vehicles pulled by horses.People acted the part of workers who made shoes for horses.
Visitors saw a camp like the ones cowboys had in theeighteen-eighties in the American West. American Indiansdemonstrated traditional dances and food preparation. Visitors wereinvited to taste the food. At the New York State Fair, like otherAmerican agricultural fairs, there was no reason why anyone shouldgo home hungry.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by CatyWeaver. I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I'm Faith Lapidus. To send us e-mail, write tospecial@voanews.com And listen again next week for THIS IS AMERICAin VOA Special English.