Watch Your Language: HOLY COW

Watch Your Language: HOLY COW

From F This Movie! by fthismovie.com

June 8, 2026

About this episode

The episode reflects on the experiences of growing up in rural Illinois during summer fairs and agricultural events.

  by Rosalie Lewis Turns out, it ain’t easy being cheesy. Growing up in rural Illinois, summer brought familiar sights and smells and events. Corn and soybeans got planted. Tractors puttered down the road, requiring cars to slow down and yield to their 15-mile-per-hour max speed. The familiar pungent odors of animal waste-based fertilizer permeated the air when the wind blew off the fields from a certain direction. Neighbors and friends with beef and dairy farms geared up for a series of county and state fairs where they would bring their cows, sheep, goats, pigs, and other livestock to a barn on the fairgrounds. The fair meant a chance for kids and grownups to show the animals and hopefully win some trophies and ribbons that came with a bit of prize money and positive publicity for their farm. Kids I knew participated in 4-H from an early age, and teens would socialize (sometimes with some illicit alcohol, sometimes just running around looking at antique farm equipment and being goofballs) at night and retreat to the stall to catch a few hours of sleep before it was time to clean and prep their animals for inspection by a judge. During the day, tractor pulls and demolition…

Topics covered

  • rural life
  • county fairs
  • agriculture
  • youth activities
  • community events

Keywords

  • rural Illinois
  • county fairs
  • 4-H
  • agriculture
  • livestock
  • summer activities
  • community

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: 4-H

Products: Scooby Doo plushy

Places: Illinois

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