Kansas State Fair After Hours

I'm not very good at math. (Let's not tell the Kansas Master Farm Homemakers, shall we? I'm currently serving as their treasurer, which begins the rotation through all the offices. I told them I'd be secretary three times if I didn't have to be treasurer, but they didn't go for it.)

Oh well, I may not be very good at math. But after Charlie Daniels told us that he was 5 years old in 1941, I eventually figured out he was 81 years old. (He revealed his age during his prelude to performing a song in tribute to our military, something he's found important since growing up during World War II.)

Charlie Daniels performed at the Kansas State Fair Tuesday night, and we Kansas Master Farmers and Homemakers had the chance to go to the concert.

He and his entire band are quite the instrumentalists. I may not have been singing every word to their songs. In fact, I'm not sure I recognized any of them except "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," though he did do a rendition of "How Great Thou Art." I could definitely sing along with that one after my growing-up years at Byers United Methodist Church, when it seemed we sang it every week while waiting for the preacher to arrive from his first service in Iuka.

But even if his "brand" of music isn't my usual go-to, I was thoroughly impressed with his musicianship and that of his band. He played fiddle and guitar. The band members' fingers flew over complicated riffs. I'm lucky if I can hit all the notes represented on a page of piano music.

It made me a little ashamed that I was feeling my age after a day of exploring the fairgrounds. And Randy and I are still trying to figure out who is going to tell Jill that we need a "time out" when we're at the fair with her family tomorrow.

Back when I worked for The Hutchinson News, I was there every single day. I was much younger then!

Afterwards, I snapped a couple of photos from the grandstand before we left for the night.

There's just something magical about the scene - even if you never set foot on a ride.

I think rides will be on the agenda on Friday. However, Kinley and Brooke will be doing the riding, though I wouldn't mind a trip on the State Fair Railroad or a view from above on the tram. I don't think we'll make it to dark again though. Time will tell.