A camptown fair

For eight days each summer, Neshoba County transforms into Mississippi's biggest house party.

Two steps lead up to the airy front porch of cabin 74. Inside the rustic wooden structure on the grounds of the Neshoba County Fair, Patsy Clark prepares a beef brisket with friends. A loud thud at the back door interrupts their conversation. Faint, knee-high knocks follow the noise. As Patsy opens the door she discovers four children.

"I'm sorry we hit your cabin with our ball," says the ponytailed leader. "My name is Lauren, and I live in cabin..." She pauses to read the number written in marker on her small soiled hand.

"Well, that's okay, darlin'," Patsy says, inviting the children inside for some cool refreshment on the hot day. Patsy hopes she will help spark a lifelong love of the Neshoba County Fair, which she herself first experienced as a child.

The fair, fondly called "Mississippi's Giant House Party," began in 1889 as a camp meeting. Today, it's 100 years of tradition squeezed into eight days of nonstop activity. It's a family reunion, county fair, political rally, and summer camp all happening at once in the steamy heat of a Mississippi July.

While the original campers' wagons and tents have disappeared, they've given way to neighborhoods of narrow, two-story, bunting-draped cabins that line sawdust streets with names such as Sunset Strip and Happy Hollow.

Owning a cabin becomes a family tradition, passed through generations of fairgoers. More than 600 cabins now accommodate the fair's residents for the event. Although some enjoy a bit of luxury in their cabins, most revel in eclectic decoration and rustic amenities.

Because the fair falls around election time, politicians work the crowds and give speeches at Founders Square Pavilion. Each is allowed a limited time at the podium, and the remainder of the campaigning takes place on porches.

Then there's the bustling midway, where an amusement company sets up carnival rides and various food and refreshment stands. Children race from the pirate ship to the Ferris wheel, and parents follow, stopping to taste chicken-- on-a-stick, funnel cakes, and other treats. In the exhibit hall, the county's finest fruits and vegetables are on display, the superior crops donning blue ribbons.

Adjacent to the midway lies the racetrack where the fair's harness races take place at the end of the week. As flush-- faced fans pack the grandstand and screams of laughter from carnival rides filter through the air, the drivers prepare their horses and sulkies for competition.

The announcer's voice silences the crowd, and the thunder of hooves and rattle of sulkies erupts. The aromas of onion blooms and smoked sausage drift from the midway and mingle with the scent of horses and red clay.

Elsewhere campers meander down the sawdust streets. Outside the Clarks' cabin, people gather, share stories, and fan themselves frantically in the Mississippi heat. The crowd buzzes with a honeybee commotion of long-anticipated reunions, neighborly chats, and what cabin residents call "porch-sittin'."

On the fair's second day, exhibitors display intriguing inventions at the "market" in Founders Square. Children get their faces painted while mothers linger over collectible dishes and wind chimes. Shoppers amble between the white-capped tents, trying on jewelry and other accessories. One models for her friends, and laughter thunders through a tent. Woodcrafters grind out their goods on-site, and other craftspeople beam with pride over their creations.

Near the pavilion, porch-sitters act as the big-league fans of a bush-league baseball game. Two teams of young boys start their own home-run race under several giant oaks. Using a plastic bat and political signs as bases, the youth play every ball as if it would land them the pennant.

The children hear their names being called to supper as the sun sets on the fairgrounds. Lights from carnival rides brighten the sky, and laughter and the aromas of home-cooked dinners permeate the air. "Come on in and eat" resounds from every porch. Neighbors and friends share recipes.

In cabin 74, Patsy pulls her brisket from the oven, welcomes her new friends, and invites another generation of fairgoers in to dinner.

Neshoba County Fair Association, Inc.:18800 State 21 South, Philadelphia, MS 39350; (601) 856-8480. Web site: www.neshobacountyfair.org. Philadelphia/Neshoba County Chamber of Commerce: P.O. Box 51, Philadelphia, MS 39350; (601) 656-1742.

Copyright Southern Progress Corporation Jul 2000
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