Life in Liberty IS the Pursuit of Happiness

I got a great taste of small town America yesterday. There is nothing that can replace good old home grown fun in a small community of close-knit families who live close to their roots and the soil of this earth.

I love that no-one takes themselves too seriously here. No Hollywood-esque trappings for the parade or for daily life. Just a good healthy dose of love with some fun and creativity sprinkled in. Priceless. 

  There was something for everyone. 

Of course it wouldn't be the 4th of July without plenty of flags...or a parade.

Mutton Bustin' mostly had me bustin' a gut as the little boys and girls (and I do mean little...some of them were no more than 3 or 4 years old) tried to hang on for as long as possible...

This little cutie's pink boots belie her toughness...they were definitely not just for show and she wasn't the least bit worried about getting them dirty. She showed her resolve and made it a good long ride. You go, girl!!

This young man seems to have figured it out. Who says you have to ride facing forward?!

Even funnier than Mutton Bustin' was the Greased Pig Chase. I have to admit, I did feel a little sorry for the cute little pigs. But the winners got to take them home with them and hopefully they'll end up as pets rather than pork chops. 

 Poor little piglet... nothing like having the pee scared out of you.

 Gotcha, pig. Grease or no grease, you're comin' home with me!

The final "rodeo" event was the Chicken Catch... 

My guess is that if the chicken had known what was in store, it would have wanted a little Liberty of its own. 

Perhaps he was explaining to the little chicken herders that they should be nice to the chickens when tackling them.

This little guy was the proud winner for his age group. He told us that his chicken would become a pet, not dinner. "I'm not going to bake him," he told us. The chicken seemed to be quite happy (and relieved) with that announcement. (Oh, and my husband, lover of all animals, made a new friend...actually several, during the course of the day).

Next up, the Liberty Idol competition. No Simon Cowell in sight, but some pretty good talent, for sure.

 The judges took their work very seriously. 

 

The winner belted out an amazing rendition of Amazing Grace. Wow! She could definitely sing!!

 

Making more new friends.

Greased pigs earlier in the day, greased pole climbing later.

It was an event filled day...

 

...and ended as every Fourth of July celebration should...

 ..with fireworks. 

Life in Liberty is pretty sweet.

Note: to see the whole unedited collection of photos from the Liberty Days celebration, go to my Flickr account page.