THE BALLOON MAN

Madison County, Idaho Fair brings out heart of the community
Story Published: Aug 20, 2010
MADISON - Fairs really bring out the heart of the community. It's fun to see the people and the animals, along with the arts and crafts. But we have to tell you, one of the coolest things was some amazing face painting.
Jasmine Flores gets her face painted by Laura Pennock and becomes a character from the movie "Avatar." It's amazing what a little bit of blue paint can do for you, add some stripes, some dots, and well, you're no longer quite human.
"It's crazy and awesome," Flores said.
Coming back down to earth, here's one competition that pits child against beast. 9-year-old Kassidie Christiansen raised this 14-hundred pound steer.
"Kind of hard, because he is so much bigger than me. And I'm so much littler than him. I have to feed him 3 times a day everyday. I actually had to put him in a separate pen than my brothers, and I had to feed him by myself," said Christiansen.
And that steer amazingly did what Kassidie asked too.
"We enjoy watching the fair every year. This year we came out to see some of the show, the lamb and the cows, teach our children what hard work is all about," said Krista Gehmilch.
Others just come for the roping.
"Want to see some roping. Two cowboys kind of simulate a branding. They rope the cow, get her down, and let her back up and do it again," said Brett Reed.
But the fair is more about a few rides, or competition. As Carolyn Haroldsen proves, sometimes it's just love for animals that brings us out. These lambs are a part of the petting zoo.
"Lambs are just really really loveable. They are just innocent animals," said Haroldsen.
The fair continues on through Saturday. So if you want to become a creature from another planet, or just watch some roping on this one, you might consider checking it out.