It was a great week in Harrisburg

By ROSE MORIAN

As I write this I sit in an Applebee’s parking lot on our way home from Harrisburg, Pa., following the All-American Dairy Show. And what a week it was! Although we didn’t take cows down, it was still a week of fun and excitement. My feet did not necessarily appreciate all the walking we had to do and the miles we put on, but other than that it was a fabulous week. Everyone knows how good the cows at Harrisburg are, but not everyone knows how awesome the people there are. It is truly a place to meet new friends and reconnect with old ones.

This year Michelle was working for several people doing fitting and what not. And since we didn’t have cows there and Michelle was working, I was free to wander around and cause trouble (in a good way, of course). I helped a couple people I know get their cows ready for the show, and then pack up before they headed home. And I also was free to torment my poor cousin to no end, along with the milkshake stand people and the ones working the toasted cheese booth. At one point my cousin wanted to order 25 toasted cheese sandwiches; I was willing, but we decided not to do that once we realized we couldn’t eat them all. The waitress at one restaurant where we ate asked us if we had cows at the show and if the extra order was for the person back at the complex watching them! She must have seen a lot of cow people there that week.

As I have said, I am very pleased to be sitting in the truck right now. This may sound a little weird, because isn’t it normal to sit in the truck rather than say, on the roof or the hood? Well, that is true, normally. But due to the fact that I didn’t ride down with Michelle (I went down later), the truck was so full that I was wondering if there would be room for me on the ride home or not! Consequently, we threw some of the huge amount of stuff already in the truck into the back so there was room for me in the cab. I think it would have been a cold ride for the five and a half hours it takes to get home.

I stayed home until Saturday this year, rather than going down Thursday with Michelle, because we classified Jerseys on Friday. That was a fun time, due to the fact that, even though we were only scoring six, I was the one in charge, while Mom and Dad helped with whatever I asked. I stayed up until 3 a.m. the morning of classification so that I could milk the cows at the proper times, which offered a few opportunities. First, I finished all the school I could do for the week of Harrisburg, so I wouldn’t have to do much while I was there, which was very exciting! Secondly, I was able to meet our new milk man. He comes in the wee hours of the morning, so I had never gotten to meet or talk to him before that night. It was great fun!

Whether staying up into the late hours or going five hours away, meeting and reconnecting with friends keeps life fun and interesting. Going down is nice, but it’s nice to come home too. Despite the fact that Harrisburg is normally tormented by a bunch of cow-crazy people, I think the people down there are used to it. Even the waiters and waitresses in the restaurants know there is a cow show in town and pick up things about it!