Do you love festivals and fairs? Well if you’re looking for a real old fashioned county fair I have one to highly recommend here in Florida. It’s the Manatee County Fair in Palmetto. It seems that many fairs recently have become little more than midways, this one however is the real McCoy.
I almost missed it. A friend asked if I was going and I didn’t even realize it was on, so thank you Carolyn, although it was a bit on the cold side (for Florida) I had a great time. This is a smaller fair, but it has all the elements of a true county fair and a beautiful setting to boot. As you enter the fairgrounds main gate you come into a large courtyard filled with majestic oaks dripping with moss and hanging flower baskets, absolutely wonderful!
To the left of the entrance is an exhibit building with commercial and community exhibits many of which did a great job of promoting this years theme of “What’s cookin’ at the 2008 Manatee County Fair”. I’d seen grange and 4H exhibits follow fair themes before, but haven’t often seen commercial and community exhibits do such a good job of it too. Of course they had a lot of competition from 4H exhibits in a nearby building.
A real treat for me was something that I hadn’t seen at a county fair since moving to Florida, farm animals! From roosters, to cute rabbits, cows, horses, and even a dog show, this is an important part what county fairs should be. The cute little rabbit pictured here is appropriately named Thumper. While taking some photos I got to talking with Thumper’s owner. She was a bit concerned as Thumper is a house rabbit and it was a bit cold. I hope that Thumper is adjusted well as I’m sure glad they this delightful rabbit to the fair to share him with others.
At Cattleman’s just outside the Arts and Crafts building I had the best hamburger that I’ve had since moving to Florida. Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration as the atmosphere of the fair certainly contributed to my enjoyment, regardless it was very good, as was the peach dumpling I had later while watching pig races.
Arts and crafts have always been one of my favorite parts of county fairs. This may not all be the “museum quality” art of professional artists. It doesn’t need to be, it is the expression of passion, creativity, and joy of peoples hobbies that I enjoy, and I feel that some of it is “museum quality”. You can always find some amazing talent at the arts and crafts section of county fairs. I also really liked how hanging quilts from the ceiling added to the festive atmosphere of this space.
While I delight to see fairs that are more than midways, it just wouldn’t be a county fair without one. Here again the folks in Manatee County have done an exceptional job. The midway has a great selection of rides for both the timid and daring, it is clean with a very nice paved walkway that has channels for electric cables to run under so that you aren’t tripping on them, and shade areas for people to get out of the sun. Very classy, better than some amusement parks!
This fair has some big name entertainment as well, I didn’t see any of that this year, but I very much enjoyed much of the other entertainment they have in many locations, including concert and bluegrass bands, a barbershop quartet, a high dive show and much more including a puppet show for kids. My personal favorite was Ed & Geraldine with their Old-Time Music. Ed & Geraldine absolutely got my toes tappin, hands clappin, and put a big grin on my face.
There is so much more going on at the Manatee County Fair that I missed You just can’t see it all in one visit, I had a great time and I highly recommend it. The fair is located in Palmetto FL and happens every Jan. So check their web site for specific dates and events and make a great day or two at a great fair. While in town I also recommend a few other things to do. I would not consider Palmetto to be a vacation destination, but if you like nature, history, and old houses, it is absolutely worth a side trip if you are vacationing nearby, such as on Anna Maria Island.
Emerson Point abounds with nature trails and some of the oldest human history on Florida‘s Gulf Coast. Located between the mouth of the Manatee River and Tampa Bay Emerson Point is a wonderful place to explore. Miles of trails and wooded walkways lead to the largest remaining Indian Mound on Florida’s west coast, a lookout with views of the Sunshine Skyway bridge, Anna Maria Island, and Tampa, plus mangroves along the waters edge with little hidden beaches. Bring water, food, family and friends, or do a solo excursion to take a breather and reconnect with yourself.
The Palmetto Historical Park is a delightful collection of historic area buildings and the old barn houses a very modern and nice agricultural museum. Manatee County has done a very nice job of preserving some of it’s history here and in a few other locations that I’ll cover in later posts.
The river front and marina in Palmetto is also very nice, with an events pavilion out on the water and great views of the river. Palmetto is a small town of around 12,000 residents that is in a prime growth location between Sarasota and Tampa Bay. City leaders are working hard to preserve and enhance it’s charm and character as the next big growth boom approaches. I wish them well in that effort as Palmetto is well worth preserving and visiting.
May your life’s travels be blessed.
Explorer Dave
