“In middle school and high school, I really enjoyed going to the local county fair, Topsfield County fair. The fair is in Mid-October, around Columbus Day, so we’d have the day off from school to go. I enjoyed it, and my friends and I made it a sort of tradition to go to the festival! There were a lot of good food options, a lot of fried food, exhibitions in barns, etc. Also, there was a pumpkin weighing contest, where people, usually farmers, would bring in pumpkins that were outrageously large (weighing hundreds of pounds) and everyone loved to stick around and check out who won!”

Context:

I had this conversation with a friend of mine over the phone, through video call, so I was able to record and later transcribe what was said

Interpretation:

County fairs or state fairs are quintessentially American, and usually happen sometime in the summer, acting as a perfect ritual to transition from the school year to a relaxing summer, for students. It’s also a way for entertainment and commercial endeavors to be exhibited together (in the forms of merchants, rides, and other forms of amusement) to reach a wide audience! This particular fair is the oldest in the US, being a few hundred years old, standing as a testament to the long history of these events in American culture.