Dear friends, pets, and embarrassed family members,
In case you didn’t know, in New Zealand they have this thing called the “Young Farmer Contest” in which several young farmers from around the country compete for hefty prizes, scholarships and a manly vehicle of some sort–and it’s all televised. Kind of like American Idol, except for farmers.
Whereas your average American Idol participant doesn’t really know what “idol” means and thinks that that is kind of a big word even though it only has four letters, these young kiwi farmers have serious competitions in which contestants may have to build a fence, run a portable sawmill, vaccinate a herd of sheep, or fix a tractor or some other piece of equipment within a certain period of time. The quiz portion of the show even includes math questions.
Let’s just say there would be a lot fewer contestants for Simon Cowell to send home crying, or at least a higher proportion of nerds to send home crying, if aspiring American Idols had to take a math quiz.
While it is true that we have no idea how well the young kiwi farmers can sing, we can at least be reasonably sure that they do not need J-Lo to guest coach their wardrobe selection, and so far none of them have mentioned anything publicly about pants on the ground.
The reason we are talking about farmers is that this Saturday, and pretty much every Saturday (and every Wednesday) this summer, you have a chance to meet some real farmers, right here in Watauga County, at the aptly named Watauga County Farmers’ Market. And while the probability is low that any of them are from New Zealand, and while not all of them are young, they do know a thing or two about growing things (or fixing a tractor). You can also meet some fine craftspeople, nurseryfolk, caffeinated beverage purveyors, online calendar celebrities, and your neighbors (who really would like to have a word with you about your propensity to spy on their consumption habits and who have been saying around town that your “cloth” grocery bag is really made out of polypropylene).
And this Saturday, June 12th, from about 8:30 AM to about 11:00 AM, you can also meet (or hurry past at a safe distance) some local folk-indie-rock musicians, some of whom are us. Don’t ask us any math questions, and we won’t sing about pants–deal?
Hope to see you there.
Your pals,
The Worthless Son-in-Laws