Fall Fest v. Ham Fest

So, it really is no secret that things are done a little different here in Tennessee than back home in Virginia.

In Virginia we went to a fall festival steeped in rich heritage of early colonial days. There we would make dip candles, emboss leather, watch them stir large iron pots of homemade applesauce over open fire pits.

We would explore a corn maze, gather up a pumpkin or two, and drink some apple cider as we milled around the historical cite.

In Tennessee, well, once the weather gets that chilly edge and the leaves just start turning, they hold the Ham Fest. That would be ham as in all things "pig".

The Ham Fest included endless hours of fun for kids in bouncy houses and batting cages, local business mascots walking around in full costume, and monster truck rides.

Yes, the huge, rip roaring, monster-tired trucks, which the boys loved. Jefferson clapped and yelled, "Yay!" during his turn around the track.

But one thing Tennessee can do pretty well is food. And the line of wood smokers tantalizing us with their pit barbeque offerings reeled every single one of us in for some really good lunch.

And right behind our lunch table was the pig petting zoo. I didn't have the heart to tell a giggling Jefferson and pig wrestling Harrison what they had just finished eating, but it sure was an experience I'm glad we had. It made for a fun day of stories, fellowship with good friends, and some of the best barbeque I think you could find.