A harpist at the Faribault County Fair

It's county fair time again. Time for blue ribbons, gigantic farm machinery displays, agricultural exhibits, livestock judging. And harpists. Because everybody thinks "harpists" when they think "county fair" - right?

 Especially big guys like this longhorn steer. 

He had the best seat in the house - just 15 feet from the stage. 

Longhorn steers looooove harp music.

Harp music makes them soooooooooo sleepy. 

"I think I'll just lay my...horns...down and take a nap," this guy is thinking.

The Faribault County Fair has been working hard for several years to secure grant funding for a "Festival of the Arts Day" - and the Celtic Band and I we so honored to have been chosen as featured performers. We were scheduled to play right after the Good Time Band from Albert Lea (they were singing "The Wabash Cannonball" when we got there and, of course, I'm still singing it in my head...) After us, there were going to be dancers and then The Singing Slovenes from Duluth. Quite a varied line-up.

Harpist Amy Kortuem and her Celtic Band had a great crowd.

They clapped especially loudly when the longhorn steer punctuated my emotional Irish love songs

and the band's rollicking jigs with well-timed bellows.

"She stepped away from me and she moved through the fair..." I sang.

"Mrrrrrooooooooooooooaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!" said the longhorn steer.

Then the sweet and talented Megan Maloney did some Irish step dancing, to eveyone's delight.

Harpist fashion tip - these shoes, while really cute, are the wrong shoes to wear to the fair.

You could turn your ankle on the uneven ground and nearly spill your cheese curds.

And that would be a tragedy beyond measure.

We played my "Five-Dollar Goat and Chickens in the Yard" jig/slip jig set to end the show. The farmers in the crowd loved the story behind the jigs, but cautioned me that goats usually eat everything EXCEPT what you want them to eat.

Sir Loin (seriously, that was his name, according to the sign on his pen) was still looking

dreamy and relaxed when I packed up the harp and left.

Maybe my next composition should be "The Longhorn Lullaby?"
Stay tuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuned...