I couldn’t join the Mansion residents these past two days on their journey to the County Fair, but Activities Director Bonnie English was kind enough to send me some photographs. These photos almost brought me to tears, knowing how much an outing like this meant to people cooped up for several years by a devastating pandemic.

They all adore animals, and the chance to touch them and see them was a wonderful gift.

I suppose it’s ironic that I got sick when the residents were safe enough to go out into the sunshine, see and touch animals, hang out at the 4-H trials and eat some good and fresh farm food at the 4-H food tent.

The Mansion did an excellent job protecting the residents from the virus, and a part of that was keeping me and all outsiders, including family,  away until just a few months ago.

I was able to help out from a distance, but there wasn’t all that much we could do besides sending music, masks, disinfectant sprays, movie DVDs, and art supplies. The isolation and anxiety took its toll.

Now, we can help them again in the sun and into the world. This is so critical for people on the edge of life living in assisted care.

Many of the residents are farm people, and the chance to revisit the Washington County Fair, one of the last agricultural fairs in New York, had a lot of meaning.

Good people from the Army Of Good made this possible with their contributions to the Mansion Fund that got them transported, ticketed, accompanied, and fed. I can’t tell you how much this means to them, how badly they wanted to go, and how grateful they are that they go out into the sunshine to see this fascinating and welcoming world.

Thanks to the County Fair for providing free tickets. I so wish I had been there. We also paid for the food.

Here are the images Bonnie sent over to me this morning. There were two separate trips, one yesterday and one today. This outing meant a lot and was a complete success. There were a lot of smiles.

The fair is a deep tradition in this area; it has cows, sheep, carnival rides, corn dogs, pizza, farm supplies, and scores of trailers and tents where farm kids sleep to be with the animals they are competing for the ribbons their families prize so much.

The fair has poultry, cow, sheep, goat exhibits, horses, tractor races, and a wholly blown carnival, which a few of the r residents hoped to go on. It is pure joy to help make this happen. Gerry and Claudia loved the baby ducks and chicks that are a massive part of the fair.

Farm kids have very different lives than urban and suburban kids. They spend little time on Facebook or computers; they work for months to prepare their animals for show competition and sleep out at the fair to keep them company. Often, they sleep right next to them.

This outing had a special meaning for the residents who could go. Many could not. The new Activity Room will help them by offering access to online messaging, entertainment, and games.

We hope to keep this outing program going, primarily to smaller and closer venues. Transportation is a difficult and expensive problem, so we’re considering small groups going to nearby parks, exhibits, and restaurants. They can be driven in approved, insured cars, and I will try to raise the money for food and any other costs, which should be small.

It is so important that they get a chance to get out and into the world, especially before winter sets in when outings become difficult or impossible. We are compiling some good and sensible ideas.

Contributions for outings and Mansion support can be made via Paypal, [email protected] or Venmo, Jon-Katz@Jon-Katz-23, or by check, Jon Katz, the Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.