Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sandy's digital exhibit “Our Country Fairs” will not open on Saturday, October 12, 2024 as planned. Please check www.sandylongphotos.com for updates.

Readers of this column are likely to associate me with nature photography for fairly obvious reasons. Few might guess what I here confess—a fascination with country fairs and the chaotic collision of collective community characteristics they deliver as dependably as cotton candy and funnel cakes.

For many years I’ve made my way through the lively landscapes of some of the country fairs that occur in the Upper Delaware River region, camera in hand, notebook and pen in pocket, attempting to gather up the essence of their offerings. 

Country fairs bring together a mix of cultures that can hold widely differing, deeply rooted beliefs. Folks of all ages and opinions find their way to these unique places, where boundaries of judgment that might otherwise lead to alienation are set aside for the wild ride we will experience when we pass through the portal of the entry gate.

At country fairs we usually agree to co-exist, cruising the midway madness of carnival rides and tricky games of chance, witnessing the violence and destruction of the demolition derby, sensing the dreams of fair queens and delighting in the crafts and cakes created by our neighbors.

We might indulge the lure of tasty treats we often avoid, but also learn what’s involved in sustaining our local farming and agriculture industry, be drawn to the glitz and glamour of the midway while wondering if it is masking a darker side, be awed by the impressive skills of the folks who wield saws and tend livestock.

The nature of our country fairs is in many ways entwined with the wild nature of our regional landscapes and the human nature of our interactions with both.  

Are you, too, a fan of country fairs? Have you found yourself wondering what you are witnessing while wandering around our regional fairgrounds, soaking up the sensory drench where communities gather in all their glory? 

Join me for my upcoming exhibit, “Our Country Fairs,” beginning Saturday, October 12 at the Union Digital Gallery in Narrowsburg, NY. It’s a photographic romp through our country fairs, where we will encounter Barbie dolls pressed under plastic, rattlesnake skins preserved across the top of a picnic table, photo essays on animal castration—even a bloody wedding cake and other interesting things you might not expect to find at the fair. 

Featured fairs include the Grahamsville Little World’s Fair, Greene-Dreher-Sterling Fair, Harford Fair, Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, and Wayne County Fair. Visit www.SandyLongPhotos.com for more information.