Nostalgia? Thrills? Fantasy? Food? Crafts? Livestock and crops? What was my reason for going to the Jackson County Blue Ribbon Fair this week? Some things have changed, yet, it seems very much the same as it did when I was a kid. New buildings have replaced the old barn and church food booths, but the gumbo is still delicious and the livestock is still aromatic. Vinson Amusements has replaced tickets with a credit card system, but there still remains the sounds of the rides and that specially blended smell of cotton candy, funnel cakes, popcorn, and more than a dozen other treats.
As long-term residents of Jackson County get older, we certainly attend for the nostalgia and food, the barn and the crafts, but there is no doubt that our youngest family members love the fantasy and the thrills. The faces of my grandchildren said it all. This ride is exciting, I’m really driving a race car.
If you don’t live daily along with the entire breadth of Jackson County, as I do with home, work, and family, Gulf Hills may seem a world apart from the fairgrounds in Pascagoula. But this event adds to the great things that come with living in Gulf Hills.
For more information on the 100th anniversary of the Jackson County Fair and look to next year, you can visit their website at https://www.co.jackson.ms.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=858.
