Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Last week I headed down to the southeast corner of New Mexico, to the Lea County Fair and Rodeo, held at the Jake McClure Arena in Lovington. As a city slicker from Cleveland, it was by no means something I would normally attend, which made it all the more incredible of an experience.
Fairs in general are an otherwordly experience. There are the bright lights and tinkling, repetitive sounds of the Midway. The sickeningly alluring odors of deep fried twinkies, roast turkey legs, funnel cakes, and other things you probably shouldn’t eat but are too intrigued to resist. Not to mention odors that are just plain sickening without being alluring – overflowing trash bins, port-a-potties, and the livestock yards.
Ah, livestock. This is one part of the county fair to which I’ve never had much exposure. Down in Lea County, though, livestock is a way of life.
Lovington is just a few miles away from Texas, and it shows; it feels much more like the Lone Star State than it feels like New Mexico.
See the entire photo gallery here.
Tags: fair, farm, Lea County, Lovington, photo, rodeo