As many times as I’ve been around the newspaper block, I’ve come to appreciate a little something about each of Chenango County’s many seasonal events and festivals. Taking advantage of our limited window of good weather, we sure do manage to pack a lot of fun into the summer months.

I’m pretty sure I’ve stated in this column before that my favorite of these events is Colorscape Chenango, and it is. But having spent quite a bit of time at the Chenango County Fair this week (and more today, on a field trip with my Evening Sun kids), I’ve come to a newfound respect for this event – and to a profound conclusion ...

While Colorscape represents everything I want Chenango to be – vibrant, creative, pretty and tasteful – the Fair is what Chenango really is – homegrown, scrappy, abundant and yes, even a little dirty. It is, perhaps, the best representation of who we are as a county on the whole – from Snob’s Knob to Poverty Pitch. Whether you go for five minutes or five days, there literally is something for everyone at the county fair.

I like going for the music – both the local and the farmed in. Les Dudek’s show Tuesday night was amazing, and free. (A quick shout out to the Chenango Blues Association here for their five weeks’ worth of free shows. Not only was the music top-notch, but the community spirit that an evening in the park engenders was priceless. It’s a shame, as one of my friends remarked, that it’s only socially acceptable to hang out in West Park when there’s a band playing. We really should do that more often.)