Solon Beef Days 2011

Solon Beef Days is like a little town fair, held the third week in July, in "little town" Iowa. In many ways it reminds me of the Warren City Fair, circa 1970's. Neighbors gather with a certain amount of expectation of seeing friends they haven't since, well, last Solon Beef Days.

Attending this celebration of all things beef (though locals refer to it jokingly as "Solon Beer Days", I'm sure you can guess why and correctly on your first attempt) has become one of my landmarks of fun during the year.

The first year I attended there was a really good Rod Stewart-Soundalike band.

Last night I got to watch my first "Hay Bale Toss Contest". It reminded me in a lot of ways of the first rodeo I had attended in Cheyenne, WY at Cheyenne Frontier Days. For a short while you're there watching, then wondering, what all the hoop and hollering is about, and before you know it, you're joining in the fun.

So it was last night as I found myself caught up in the groupthink atmosphere, soon cheering on a total stranger in the hopes he'd toss a bale of hay over (what appeared to be the local high school's pole vaulting equipment) 15 feet into the air. When he was done I found myself cheering with equal exuberance for another total stranger to do the same or best the previous attempt.

It was all good fun, complete with two pretty gals (much like the Rounds girl in a boxing match) to raise the bar during the competition.

It ended in a tie, by the way, when the two local farm boys simply could not out do each other any longer ... and with a hug these two beefy (remember it is "Solon BEEF Days") fellas, exhausted, clasped hands in a congratulatory salute that only the two competitors could fully understand.