Just Musing: Fair season, Palace musical and an accident update

It’s fair season time. The Marion County Fair just wrapped up and several surrounding counties are gearing up for festivities in their location.

Being a 4-H kid growing up, and later as an advisor, I remember the hype to get ready for the fair — from putting finishing touches on your project prior to judging to decorating your club’s booth to style shows and cooking demonstrations during the fair and more. It is both a busy and exciting time for those in 4-H and FFA. Having your project chosen to be displayed at the Ohio State Fair was a big deal.

I send congratulations and kudos to all the kids that were at the fair this past week. It takes determination, perseverance, discipline and more to complete a project and then exhibit it. You are all winners in my book.

As a side note, my 4-year-old great-grandson, Waylon, participated in the PeeWee Showmanship with a friend’s pig at the Marion County Fair. Nothing like starting them young.

The annual summer musical opened last night (Saturday) at the historic and beautiful Marion Palace Theatre. I’ve seen this musical performed by two different high schools. Each of them had unique costumes, but I can’t wait to see what Clare Cooke, the director of the Palace production, has found to make a lasting impression of this musical. She is a master at locating spectacular costume rentals.

The musical continues at 2 p.m. today and again 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The final matinee is 2 p.m. Sunday, July 15. To the cast "break a leg."

You can grab a sandwich after the show and then head to McKinley Park for the Concert in the Park sponsored by the Marion Concert Band and featuring them tonight. Take a chair or blanket and enjoy this free summer tradition.

I received a few emails inquiring about my great nephew who was injured in a car vs. semi accident June 26. First, let me thank you all for your prayers. As I told Charley, it was only by the grace of God that he is alive and able to walk away from the accident. The accident was his fault. He had been to football conditioning (Indian Lake High School) and heading home. He stopped at the stop sign, didn’t see anything coming, (he said the sun blinded him) drove into the intersection and was broadsided by a westbound semi which then overturned. Other than a 9-inch laceration in his back where the steel from the caved roof cut him and bruises and contusions all over his body, he is doing well. I still get goosebumps from just seeing the car. I suggested he wear sunglasses from now on — if his parents get him another car.

I don’t know about the rest of you but when a holiday falls during the week — especially early in the week — I have too many Sundays and then Mondays to deal with. That’s what happens when you retire. You lose track of days when you don’t have the routine of going to work any longer. Thank God for smartphones that remind you of the day and date — if you remember to look at them.

Let me leave you with this quotation by C.S. Lewis: “You can’t go back in life and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Until next week. Be safe and be kind.

Brenda Donegan is a former Marion Star staffer. She may be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Fair season arrives along with the summer musical