Retirement Countdown: Mini Buckwheat Festival

I love the Buckwheat Festival. I have loved it since I moved here 30 years ago. I have been through my phase of Frenzied Festival Worker and now I am just an avid enjoyer.
Because I love it so much, I want to share the joy with my little ones. We have a Mini Buckwheat Festival in our classroom the day before we get a really long weekend off for the Festival...yes, even doctor's offices close for this big event!
So, a few days before the event we begin talking about what a good King Buckwheat and Queen Ceres should be like...helpful, nice, good...and on the morning of the Mini BWF, they each get to come up and tell me who they want to be our King and Queen. Only one child said he wanted it to be him...although he said it in the 3rd person, hoping I wouldn't notice it was him???? Anyway, there were several votes for several of the kids. Interesting to see how they think. The winners were Dalaynie and Ryder. Both deserving of the honor. Dalaynie especially was thrilled! Look at that smile....that's what we work for.

Can you feel her joy?

After the selection of our royalty, the class goes to tour the fair grounds and I judge all of their entries in the Pet (stuffed only) Show, Plant Show and Art Show. Each child gets a ribbon for each entry, so, the judge has to get pretty creative with the prize categories! There were ribbons for shortest and tallest plants, best marker, best paint, best crayon and most colorful art. There was an award for the Most unusual...a paper mache volcano! The pets are always the most plentiful...most fluffy, most squeezable, smallest, softest, smartest, most talkative (a parrot puppet), best golden eyes...you get the idea.

When they get back from their tour we march back to class to shake off as much barn "dirt" as possible before they came in the classroom. Using the Queen's scepter was a nice touch, I thought.

They all want to see what they won, but it's lunch time so off they go, only knowing they got a ribbon, but not what for. They were happy to find out who got what after recess.
The afternoon is when we have buckwheat cakes, that we make in our room, and applesauce to eat. They have to use tickets that they were given to "buy" the food and drink and an extra snack. Some of them ate 4 or 5 buckwheat cakes! The last event of the day is our own version of the midway games. They use the rest of their tickets to play games and win prizes! It is a fast and fabulous day...did I mention "exhausting"?

Hanging out on the "Midway" between prize winning games.

So, for the ones that won't get to come to the real BWF, they had a taste. For the ones who do come to the real BWF, their appetites were whetted. I can't wait to hear the tales they will have to tell on Tuesday...I did mention that it was a nice LONG weekend, right?
What's your favorite part of the BWF or your local festival wherever you are?