THE INSURGENCY CONTINUES TO SIMMER.

I've used the flag sale tents at threshing bees and county fairs as a barometer of sentiment far from where the coastal cosmopolitans roam.  Whether it's the confederacy of the frustrated or simple discontent with those high fuel prices and empty shelves where the baby formula or peanut butter should be, it's still out there.

That's the flag sales tent at the recently-concluded Winnebago County Fair.  Yes, Confederate battle flags are still on offer.  I didn't see anyone offering those "In this house we believe ..." yard signs.

The fair recently observed its centennial, which means that the Rockford and Interurban ran past this site until 1930.  None of the material I have on that interurban mentions specific service to the fair grounds, although cars on the Freeport line would stop on signal at any road crossing.

Did you know that "feeding frenzy" applies to sheep?

An orange dish pan in the hands of a biped means "food" and these pens were making quite the racket until they got theirs.

There's still cause to set up a side-show banner line and conduct a side-show.

Free admission, and, as the blurbs note, "family friendly."

Sorry, Elon Musk, somebody beat you to demonstrating a working hyper loop!

The 4-H animal presentations are anything but "udder confusion."

You don't just hook the cow up to the milking machine!

The milk likely goes to market, and at today's prices, it's good not to waste any.  Roasted ear of corn, $4; cream puff, $5; pork chop sandwich $6; elephant ear $9.

There's still summer to find a county fair and go to it, and enjoy that corn and that cream puff.