folk festival

I went to the folk festival in Richmond Va. this past weekend. It was incredible! I had no idea Richmond has such a gem of an activity. I watched and listed to acts all the way from reggae to fiddle traditions to Japanese shadow puppetry. It was really spectacular how the festival utilized the whole island (brown island) to promote journeys throughout each stage. The only downside was that i got a gyro which was really gross and ice cream that tasted like frozen butter. If they brought up their quality of food i think it would attract more people, such as the New Orleans Jazz Festival.

Virginia State Fair

If you are looking for a cultural experience find out when your state fair is. It is a melting pot of people and activities. I even saw a demolition derby! To win the derby the drivers had to make their opponents' cars stop running. I did not even know that was a legal sport!

Some things at the fair did make me sad. There was a booth that you could pay 50 cents to see the world's smallest woman. I did not pay to see her, but my friends did. They said it was just a dwarf woman sitting in a little box painted to look like a house. This exploitation made me feel uneasy. I also saw a chimpanzee dressed like a little boy. This whole experience made me wonder what state fairs were like in the past. Were state fairs really they place that made freak shows famous or was it the circus? Where is the line here?

Me, Tatiana, Meredith

Demolition Derby