COME TO THE FAIR

Where Lila Perl surveyed a variety of state and local fairs in America Goes to the Fair (1974), Distad confines her account to the week-long South Dakota State Fair in Huron. There she introduces readers to 4-H members Marty Pearson, thirteen, who is showing both sheep and pigs and has already paid for a motorcycle with his livestock projects; to Shelly McFarland, eleven, who wakes up with ""butterflies in her stomach"" on the day she's to cook Hamburger Delight in the junior special foods competition; to Jeff Moser, drummer in a high school band performing at the fair, who is also giving an entomology talk called ""What Bugs You"" (all the talks have cute names); and to other youngsters involved in horse and dog shows, photo-judging competitions, and other pursuits to which they all seem earnestly committed. (Maybe that's because we only meet winners.) Toward the end there are ""many somber faces"" at the livestock auction (""It's just like selling a member of the family,"" one mother explains) and later, ""wall-to-wall teenagers"" dancing to a rock band. No doubt these kids have earned the right to some attention, but Distad doesn't put much life into the proceedings--nor does her narrower focus give us a deeper acquaintance with the participants than did Perl's somewhat less lackluster entry.