At the Fair: Yet Another First

In Aleigha’s first year of life we’ve experienced lots of “firsts” this year. Remember her First Foods? Yesterday marked another “first” – first time going to the county fair!

Jason took a few hours off of work and we went to the Loudoun County Fair. Going to the fair with a child is oh-so-much more fun than going by ourselves.

After purchasing some lemonade, we pushed the stroller into the animal barn where the goats, sheep, rabbits, and chickens were caged. The goats greeted Aleigha with a loud “baaaaaaaaa.” She jumped and started to cry. We moved on to Jason’s favorite part: the chickens! She stared at the chickens…and then “waaaaaaah.” The clucking was too much for her. We moved to see more chickens, quieter chickens, but then she saw a fly buzzing around and became upset all over again (Aleigha’s been afraid of flies ever since a fly that landed on her highchair moved when she tried to eat it).

We left the barn to the next attraction. The Watermelon Eating Contest! I really wanted to watch this one. I’d never see a food-eating contest in person (that I can remember). I liked that the contest involved eating fruit and not pies or hot dogs.

We heard the announcer’s voice call for more participants: “We still have openings for ages 6 and under.” Wait—6 and under? Oh yes, Aleigha is certainly under 6 (indeed, she’s not even a one-year-old!) And, Aleigha really likes watermelon. She’s a champion watermelon eater at home and eats just as much as I eat (maybe more?) Every morning for us is a watermelon-eating marathon.

I knew she wouldn’t win, but she could certainly hold her own.  And did I mention she really likes watermelon? I wrote her name on the sign-up sheet.

While we waited for her name to be called, I took her shirt off and snapped a red bib around her neck. She sat on her blanket, holding a plastic spoon and waited expectantly for food. 

After her name was called, we picked up her chunk of watermelon and lined up with the contestants.

Every contestant must have been at least four-years-old. They stood in a line, clutching their watermelon chunks. Aleigha sat at the end of the row, clutching her spoon. 

Ready, set, GO!

I took the spoon from Aleigha and used it to scoop small, bit-sized chunks of melon for her. She ate them, one-by-one, while the crowd cheered and cheered.

An eight-year-old brother of the contestant next to us cheered his sister on. “Come on Ava! Big bites! Act like cookie monster!” She nibbled away as fast as she was able to, and in between bites called back to him, slightly annoyed “I’m trying to win a watermelon contest here!”

As Aleigha chewed she looked around thoughtfully, almost as though she couldn’t understand why there would be so much fuss about eating….breakfast? I didn’t want Aleigha to choke, so I gave her small, manageable pieces. About halfway through the contest though, I think she realized that she was supposed to be eating faster. When I didn’t give her the next piece fast enough, she grabbed a fistful of watermelon herself. I supplied the next bite quickly and prepared to cut up with chunk had in my hand. Aleigha grabbed it and shoved it into her mouth before I could take it back. After gulping it down, she took another, then another. She was eating almost as fast as the other contestants!

When the contest ended, I noticed she had consumed more watermelon than poor little Ava.  She continued to eat the melon even after the contest was over—who can pass up free watermelon?