Hilarious Punishment For ‘Sneaking In’ To The Rochester Fairgrounds?

With 'The Granite State Fair' open the next two weeks at The Rochester Fairgrounds, I remember how back in the day there was a hilarious punishment for any kid that dared 'sneaking in'.

Horse Manure

As any lifelong resident of The Lilac City will tell you, there used to be a couple sections of the chain link fence that paralleled Brock Street that afforded just enough room to scoot under when nobody was looking.

Unfortunately, for any kid that hoped to pull this feat off, this area was located in close proximity to the stables that housed the race horses. After a couple days, stable workers would shovel the manure directly in the illegal entry trenches under the fence.

When I was a kid, my cousins and I used to sneak in utilizing a "Trojan Horse" method, which, at the time, seemed brilliant, but in retrospect was almost just as stupid.

My parents would always put in a large amount of vegetables and flower arrangements in the agricultural barns every year, in hopes of winning blue ribbons, some cash and perpetual glory.

They'd load up our largest farm truck with all the gourds and flowers and several bales of hay, and that's where we would hide.

We were never caught.

Of course, there was a good reason for that.

The evening when they accepted the agricultural displays was THE DAY BEFORE the fair officially opened.

For whatever reason, I didn't make the connection that this wasn't really the perfect crime until I was much older.

Sneaking in to that hallowed ground, and to do it manure free?

Ah! The sweet smell of success!