A few weeks ago I attended opening day of the Humboldt County Fair in rural Ferndale, California, on the state’s northwest coast. I hadn’t been to a county fair in quite a few years, but experiencing this one reminded me to search for local county fairs when I’m traveling – it’s a great way to learn about a region’s people, culture and economy, and it’s a lot of fun!

I also took the opportunity to play around with a couple of new iPhone camera lens attachments, including wide angle and macro lenses. That’s why some of the images look distorted, but I think the effect was interesting given the variety of scenes and subjects.

On opening day it seemed like not all the animals were there yet, but there were still plenty to see and hear.

A variety of musical acts entertained in Friendship Square.

A glass of regional wine went nicely with the music.

The Dairy Princess scooped out free ice cream samples.

The equestrian act was a crowd favorite.

Typical fair food was plentiful, but some really good options were also available, like Mexican food from a local Ferndale restaurant, or grilled kabobs.

Locals contributed homemade canned goods for judging.

Others contributed flower specimens… … and homegrown produce…

…or entries in the potato decorating contest.

And, of course, the midway and the rides were full of color and motion.

Summer is winding down, but fairs in many California locations continue to occur well into the autumn months. In fact, according the the California Department of Food and Agriculture Division of Fairs and Expositions, 15 California county fairs are scheduled for September and five in October. The Los Angeles County Fair, for example, opened on September 4 in Pomona and runs until September 27.

And now, one final image from the Humboldt County Fair, shot with a macro lens attachment on an iPhone – can you tell what it is?