we like pigs

 Festival season is here and the kids couldn't be happier about it.  They love a festival because they associate festivals with rides and bouncy houses.  The adults associate festivals with bribing kids to behave in order to get to ride rides and play in bouncy houses. 

Friday we did the first festival of the season, Squealin' on the Square.  That's Blue up there doing what he does when you tell him to smile.  The boy smiles 23 hours of each day but if you tell him to smile he contorts his face into that strained display of teeth.  It drives his mother crazy.

 Small towns are great.  I like looking at the old buildings on the square and seeing all the crazy booths selling and giving away random items. 

 Blue got to shake hands with Spongebob.  Who knew Spongebob knew Laurens existed?

 Blue got scary things painted on his face.

 Violet got cute things painted on her face.

 And since they behaved while we people-watched and while we ate, they got to do the bouncy things.

 As we were getting ready to leave, Mac Arnold and the Plate Full of Blues were getting ready to play.  Mac Arnold plays these awesome homemade guitars made from old metal gas cans. 

 Some of the buildings on the square seem to be on the verge of falling in.  Their outer shells hold in the stories of their past.  You can see the history stains running down from the bricks below the windows.

There was such an entertaining mix of people there.  Rebel flags, camo clothes, entire families in matching college outfits, politicians, farmers, tattooed folks, tea-totalers, cops and Steelers fans were all walking around smiling and talking to each other.  The BBQ was great but the visual feast was even better.