Fun Fun Fun At The Fair

by Tom & Lynn Crowell

If we had our way, this song would become THE anthem for all fairs everywhere! Especially when you get to the chorus, it is pure ear candy – singable, memorable, and downright fun. You know. Like the fair! Just about everyone has some kind of fair near them, with one of the more common being the state fair. There is so much to do and see, and we tried our best to fit as much as we could into this country rock homage.

Mostly, what you need to know is to let your kids sing out with joy. Turn the volume way up on the recording to encourage them. You will note that there is a cool breakdown section at measure 70. Everything drops out but kids and big ol' drums. Hand claps enter on beat 4 of every bar during this section. (We can just see them clapping over their heads, can't you?) After the breakdown, when the band comes back in, the clapping continues on beats 2 and 4 all the way to the end. It will feel like everyone is at a concert, in the bleachers, at the fair. It would be great fun to get your audience to join in, too!

Fun fact - At one point, the lyrics read, "Wooly sheep. Yeah, that'll do." Some of you may have heard livestock farmers and/or owners of herding dogs say, "That'll do!" What does it mean? Are they just quoting the movie, Babe? Depending on its exact context, it's a herding command/compliment for the dog that was just working/herding the sheep, cows, ducks, or goats. It means that the dog is done working, and the person is calling the dog back to him/her. If the dog did well, the tone will be very sweet. At some fairs, there may be a sheep/cattle herding demonstration or competition, so that's why we included this tidbit in the song. Also, one of the writers of this song (Lynn) competes in some of these fair events in the Midwest. And her border collies have the ribbons to prove it!

Text is taken from Music K-8 magazine.