Ever since they were babies, two of our granddaughters have come across the pond every August to spend Island County Fair weekend with us. One of them just graduated from high school, so you can surmise from that how many years of fair going togetherness we’re talking about.

We always watched the Barnyard Scramble (some of you will remember that particular event, I’m sure), and then, one year when they were old enough to participate, they went home with a sweet little tan bunny.

Sweet little tan bunny turned into the largest, meanest, most aggressive rabbit I’ve ever encountered, a rabbit that had to be herded into the bathroom and shut in while the girls cleaned her cage. She lived to be a very old rabbit and never changed her ways.

I, for one, was not truly sorry when she finally went to rabbit heaven, or wherever mean rabbits go.

The animals, large and small, have always been the main attraction as far as the girls are concerned, and when they were old enough to figure out that they, too, could enter a critter or two and perhaps win a ribbon, we began the “haul the animals around” phase of fair-going. Every year, black-and-white rabbits rode the ferry back and forth to the island, joined for a few years by a sweet-tempered guinea pig named Harley, who loved being dressed up and performing in the guinea pig costume contest.

And then there was the year one of the granddaughters decided to try her hand at winning a small, emerald-green iguana one carnie gamester had as a prize. It was a penny-pitching game, and I told her she was wasting her fair money and would never win. She decided to try anyway and, much to their parents’ dismay, they went home with the iguana.

They had no idea, nor did I, what sex the creature was, so they named it Phoebe. (No, I don’t know where that name came from.)

Dad made Phoebe a nice wire cage, and she made herself at home, happily munching on various vegetable offerings the girls gave her. And Phoebe throve, and grew, and grew, and grew. Dad kept making larger and larger cages and, as the cages got larger, so did Phoebe.

Phoebe also developed an impressive, colorful, intimidating crest, very sharp talons, and an attitude. It became very apparent that Phoebe was not really a Phoebe, and I figured the bad attitude was probably resentment at being called Phoebe instead of Genghis Kahn or Attila the Hun.

Phoebe was three-plus feet long and fearsome, a neighborhood phenomenon, and about as scary as having a crocodile residing in the living room, when he developed an esophageal ailment not uncommon in captive reptiles. Phoebe was taken (no easy task) to a vet, but not much could be done at that point and, just a short time ago, after a long and very colorful life, Phoebe went to a better place. The girls miss him still; I don’t.

And now the fair is about to come around again, and so are the girls.

No animals this year, which will make it a very strange af-Fair for us, but I can’t say I’m rueful about that. They do have entries in other categories, which is always fun, and we’ll all enjoy visiting the animal barns, as usual. We won’t, however, be going home with any of them.

See you at the fair.

RECIPES

Fair food is fun, and I always look forward to my once a year indulgence in food that isn’t good for me, like curly fries, blooming onions, nachos, elephant ears and other such guilty pleasures. Most of these I’d never make at home, but there are some fair treats that are better when made at home than they ever are at the fair.

Nachos, for example. I’m not sure what that orange substance they pour all over the chips actually is, but it shouldn’t legally be called cheese, and fair nachos bear no resemblance to true Mexican nachos. Try these instead, at home.

NACHOS PERFECTO

1 T. vegetable oil

½ onion, chopped

1 t. minced garlic

1 cup (more, if desired) canned black beans, rinsed and drained

2 t. chili powder (I use Mexican arbol, sometimes available in Hispanic food section)

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced (you need about 1 cup)

3 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced

2 green (spring) onions, chopped

3 dozen tortilla chips

1 cup (packed) grated cheddar cheese

1 cup (packed) grated Monterey Jack cheese

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a heavy skillet over med. heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is translucent, about 4 min., and being careful not to burn the garlic. Reduce heat to low; add beans and chili powder and sauté until flavors are combined, about 5 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Mix tomatoes, jalapenos and green onions in a small bowl. Arrange tortilla chips on 2 large baking sheets. Top each chip with a generous teaspoon of bean mixture and a scant teaspoon of tomato mixture. Combine cheddar and Jack cheeses in a bowl, then sprinkle evenly over the chips.

Bake nachos in a preheated 475-degree oven until the cheese melts, about 5 min. Use a spatula to transfer nachos to a platter and garnish with avocado and cilantro; serve immediately. Makes 36 nacho chips.

Roasted corn is another popular fair food that is easily done at home, but only when you can buy the freshest ears of locally grown corn, which should be just about now, or very soon. Here is but one of many ways to enjoy that juicy, tender ear of buttery corn.

HERB ROASTED CORN

½ cup softened unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

1¼ t. minced fresh basil

½ t. dried oregano, crumbled

¼ t. salt

Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

4 ears of corn, husked and rinsed

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

In a small bowl, beat together butter, garlic, basil, salt and pepper until well blended. Spread mixture on ears of corn, dividing evenly. Wrap each ear tightly in aluminum foil. Grill 4 inches from coals, turning every

5 min., until tender, about

15 min. Or, bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 20 min., or until corn is tender.

To serve, unwrap corn and sprinkle with cheese. Eat immediately.

There is no county fair, festival, street fair or swap meet without someone selling popcorn, but it’s another treat that somehow always seems to taste better freshly made, at home in the evening, with a good movie — or whatever computer or video game you happen to be engrossed in.

PARMESAN GARLIC POPCORN

2 ½ qts. popped popcorn, buttered

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. dried parsley flakes

½ t. dill weed

Place popcorn in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, parsley and dill. Sprinkle over popcorn and toss lightly. Eat immediately.

And for a crowd:

CARAMEL CORN

12 qts. Plain popped popcorn

1 lb. peanuts

2 cups butter

2 lbs. brown sugar

½ cup dark corn syrup

½ cup molasses

Place popcorn in two large bowls. Mix ½ lb. nuts into each bowl.

In a large saucepan, combine remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil over med. heat; boil and stir for 5 min. Pour half of the syrup over each bowl of popcorn and stir to coat. Turn coated popcorn into a large roasting pan and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hr. Remove from oven and break apart while warm. Cool. Serve immediately, or store in airtight containers. Makes 12 qts.