Howard County Fair

With Maura McGraw running beside her, Penny the French hound hurtles through the 24-foot-long tunnel of red nylon in her owners' backyard in Woodbine. And when the 7-year-old pooch races out the other end, Maura is there, waiting to heap on the praise. Not to be outdone, even at age 11, Bosco the yellow Labrador retriever takes his eagerly awaited turn with Maura, proving he still has what it takes. Both dogs also practice jumping hurdles and other skills. While cows, pigs, goats, horses and sheep all come to mind when 4-H is mentioned, dogs are doing their best to upstage the traditional livestock stars of the Howard County Fair.

If you want to live in Howard County, one of Maryland's fastest-growing jurisdictions, where it's competitive - and can be pricey - to buy a home, consider attending the 7th Annual Come Home to Howard County Housing Fair. The fair is expected to have more than 1,000 attendees and dozens of real estate professionals on hand for group and individual education sessions about buying and renting. The free event, sponsored by the Howard County government, is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Long Reach High School in Columbia.

Some families go to the beach or the mountains for summer vacation. Not the Bullock family.Parents Sue and Fred spend the summer with children Jamie of Glenelg High School, Curtis of Mount View Middle School and Emma of West Friendship Elementary School getting ready for the Howard County Fair.They began their four-year fair odyssey with one rabbit. Now 13-year-old Jamie has covered a wall in her room with Howard County Fair 4-H ribbons.Jamie, Curtis and Emma, members of the West Friendship Livestock 4-H Club, will show nine rabbits and five market lambs at this year's 50th Howard County Fair.

With Maura McGraw running beside her, Penny the French hound hurtles through the 24-foot-long tunnel of red nylon in her owners' backyard in Woodbine. And when the 7-year-old pooch races out the other end, Maura is there, waiting to heap on the praise. Not to be outdone, even at age 11, Bosco the yellow Labrador retriever takes his eagerly awaited turn with Maura, proving he still has what it takes. Both dogs also practice jumping hurdles and other skills. While cows, pigs, goats, horses and sheep all come to mind when 4-H is mentioned, dogs are doing their best to upstage the traditional livestock stars of the Howard County Fair.

The Howard County Fair kicks off its 59th year tomorrow in West Friendship, offering its customary mix of agriculture, education and entertainment through Aug. 14. Daily animal shows will give 4-H members and open class competitors an opportunity to compete with their cattle, swine, sheep, goats, poultry and rabbits. Ten horse shows will feature a variety of breeds, and a home arts competition will include more than 800 categories, including fine arts, crafts, baked goods, and flowers and herbs.

The fun, games, entertainment and more continue through midnight Saturday at the Howard County Fair.The fairgrounds open at 8 a.m., and today you can see horse and pony contests; swine, dairy cattle and rabbit judging; and the annual Amateur Variety Show Contest, which begins at 8 p.m.Tomorrow at 7 p.m. is the traditional Parade of Floats, and at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, parents will parade their infants and toddlers under-age 3 in decorated carriages, wagons...

Carrie Brown of Glenelg is the 1995 Howard County Fair farm queen. A recent Glenelg High School graduate, 17-year-old Carrie will study nursing at Frederick Community College next year.She will represent Howard County at the Maryland State Fair Farm Queen contest in September. Carrie, the daughter of James and Linda Brown of Triadelphia Lake View Farm, was a four-year varsity basketball player at Glenelg. She won ribbons this week for the two pigs she showed at the fair, and she will show her Jersey cow in the dairy cattle competition this morning.

The 49th annual Howard County Fair, a traditional fair featuring exhibits, animals, contests, craft demonstrations, food, entertainment and amusement, begins Aug. 13.The weeklong event will be open each day from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Animal exhibits and shows for open class and 4-H are scheduled each day. You will be able to see cattle, sheep, swine, horses, goats, rabbits, poultry and waterfowl. Pig races will be held daily. The petting zoo, which was new last year, will be open each day.This year, planners of the fair found an antique tractor collection, which will be on display all week.

Young and old in Western Howard County are preparing for the Howard County Fair, which will begin Aug. 12 at the fairgrounds in West Friendship.Have you thought about entering something in the fair? You don't have to raise animals or live on a farm to do so.Two years ago, I entered blueberry jam, whole wheat rolls and sweet pickles. I was delighted to win two ribbons.A 4-year-old showed me her dozen ribbons in August and told me about the ribbons her grandmother had won. There is no mystery to entering.

THE ANNUAL Howard County Fair is a pleasant reminder that agriculture remains alive in the fast-growing jurisdiction where large chunks of farmland increasingly have given way to suburbia.Every year, farmers from Howard and neighboring counties assemble at the county fairgrounds in West Friendship to display with pride their best cattle, pigs, goats and sheep. Young 4-H Club members, some elementary-school age, show their ability to handle farm animals that are several times their weight.

Are you planning to attend the 66th annual Howard County Fair Aug. 6-13? When I was a kid growing up in western Howard County, almost everyone looked forward to the fair. For kids it was a time to see old friends that we hadn't seen for two months. (The county fair use to be a week later in August.) Of course, the rides and the food were also a big attraction. As I got older, I enjoyed seeing all the exhibits (sewing, bake goods, and crafts) that were on display. When my children were young, we'd walk through the animal barns and they would beg to pet the variety of animals.

A fair comes to vivid life at night. Sure, there's plenty to do during the day at the Howard County Fair, running through Satuday at the fairgrounds in West Friendship. There are livestock shows, racing pigs, chain saw carving contests and a couple dozen elected and would-be elected officials prowling about, almost impossible to avoid, looking to shake your hand and solicit your vote. Come dusk, however, the fair really takes off. Young parents bring their kids for an adventurous night out, teens compete with each other to see who can ride the Cliff Hanger the most times and barkers will say just about anything to get you to try that game of skill and chance you just know you'll never win. Here are a half-dozen experiences not to be missed during your night at the fair.

The National More than 250 dealers in sports memorabilia — everything from baseball cards to game-used footballs and even relics from long-gone stadiums — have been packed into the Baltimore Convention Center since Wednesday for the 2010 National Sports Collectors Convention. There are also a few dozen baseball, football and hockey greats signing autographs (for fees ranging from $25-$300), including Willie Mays, Randy Johnson, Joe Montana, Y.A. Tittle and Gordie Howe — plus Orioles Hall-of-Famers Frank and Brooks Robinson , Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver , Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. today and Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Maneuvering on a zero-turn mower is surely not your run-of-the-mill contest. But this newest entry to the schedule of events for the 65th annual Howard County Fair stands out amid the field of unusual and wacky physical games making a comeback on network TV this summer. Then again, the county fair is not your usual festival. Opening at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 7, and running through Aug. 14, this year's weeklong celebration of the county's agricultural roots brings back all the beloved events, from pie-eating to pretty babies to cow-milking.

As the Howard County Fair celebrates its 64th season this year, it still puts the emphasis on farming and a simpler way of life. "We strive very hard to maintain our agricultural roots," said H. Mitchell Day, fair association president. "Children born here now don't have as much opportunity to know about farming firsthand." At the fair, which started Saturday and continues through this coming Saturday, there will be a wealth of shows with horses, ponies, sheep, rabbits, cattle, mules, swine and goats, as well as dogs and other pets.

Record-setting temperatures depressed attendance at this year's Howard County Fair. The eight-day event, which ended Saturday, drew 10,000 to 20,000 fewer visitors than last year's estimated attendance of 100,000, according to organizers. As a result of the heat, fair officials plugged in additional fans, refrigerated prize-winning baked goods, loosened uniform requirements for 4-H members and allowed some animals to go home early. Two people fainted from heat stroke but declined to go to a hospital, said Chief Mickey Day of the West Friendship Volunteer Fire Department.

"The youngsters are the reason we produce the Howard County Fair each year," says Fair Board President Rob Moxley of West Friendship.The fair's organizers work year-round to give young and old a chance to show their projects, which range from livestock to farm crops to food, arts, clothing, crafts and flowers.The extensive 4-H department has special categories this year to commemorate this 50th Howard County Fair. Contestants from the 4-H will submit cakes decorated for the 50th anniversary, arts projects with a Howard County Fair theme, photographs of previous Howard County fairs and Howard County Fair 50th anniversary flower arrangements.

It's Howard County fair time again, that annual rite that celebrates the fruits (vegetables and livestock, too) of the spring and summer. It is a reminder that the summer is winding down and school is just around the corner.Many of us tend to look at holidays and other annual events as markers by which we measure the passage of our lives. It gives us a time to look back at time gone by and remember what we were doing at that period in our lives in previous years. Thinking back also tells us how we have changed or how our perspective toward things has changed.

At the Howard County Fair, it seems as though every third person is sporting a bright-green 4-H T-shirt. Teens wearing the shirts are showing off their pigs and goats. Adults are keeping an eye on their children or hovering near the animal stalls. Though farms and farming families have declined over the decades in Howard County, the 4-H Club is alive and well. The county organization has about 650 members, a number that has stayed constant over the years, said Sheryl Burdette, the 4-H extension coordinator.

Competitions, both serious and silly, are as much a part of the Howard County Fair as funnel cakes and Ferris wheels. From prettiest animal to fastest pie-eater, new winners are crowned every day. And watching can be nearly as much fun as competing. Winning milkmaid To celebrate the 25th annual Cow-Milking Contest, organizers Charles and Judy Iager did something different this year. Normally, they invite members of the audience to try their hands at pulling milk from the patient bovine participants.