Chuck the Writer does a Photo Day at the Altamont Fair

"Which of these goats did you milk?"

The question seemed innocuous enough; I was photographing a person who was milking a dairy goat, when another voice shouted from the other side of the dairy goat enclosure.

"This one and Pam," the milker responded.

"Pam? YOU MILKED PAM?!?"

"Yeah."

"You weren't supposed to milk Pam! She's supposed to be judged in an hour!!"

And with that, I learned - as a third party observing this whole battle - that one does not milk a dairy goat, thereby removing all definition from that goat's udders and frame, just before it is to be judged on its ability to produce milk.

That was just one of several stories I gathered while spending all day Sunday at the Altamont Fair, the local agrarian / amusement exhibition production. I decided to arrive as early as I possibly could, and stay as late as humanely possible - and photograph as much of the atmosphere and exhibits of the day.

The photo trip included visiting the various animal exhibits and demonstrations, the demolition derby, the safety demonstrations, and the traveling amusement park.

Of course, I made the STUPID decision to attempt this photo day on one of the hottest days this year, with a 91-degree temperature and partly cloudy atmosphere beating down on me. By noon, I was getting winded. By 2pm, I was drinking water and diet soda and wondering if I had just developed heat exhaustion or heat stroke. By the time I left the Fair at about 930pm, my head felt like Michael Flatley had put on a pair of football cleats and practiced a "Riverdance" routine on my skull. Ow... ow... ow...

Still, even with all that, I was able to get a great series of photos from the fair. Here's a slideshow:



And if anybody has some aspirin or linament to get rid of a sunburn that makes me look like a beet, I accept all donations... ow... oh my head... mercy...