For the 4-H kids, the Washington County Fair is winding down. The cows have been penned up in stalls for nearly a week now, and they are getting grumpy and restless and a little stir-crazy. The kids work hard to keep them upright and moving and quelling rebellions. I think the 4-H competitions are the best part of the fair.

The cows and the kids are surrounded by a sea of junk food and junk carnie games. They are both refreshing and inspiring. Ed Gulley says when he was a kid, he and his friends would all go out at night and set all of the cows free, then watch the mad scramble as everyone raced around to get them back in their stalls.

Sometimes, he said, they switched the cows around, putting them in stalls where they didn’t belong. The good old days, said Ed, chuckling.