Seen and heard at the Kane County Fair Saturday

Seen and heard at the Kane County Fair Saturday:

• In what world is it a good idea to wear open-toed sandals with 4-inch heels to an agricultural fair, as was spotted on a mom? First, there's the risk of stepping in what animals leave behind. And although the midway lanes are paved, the parking lots are gravel. With big stones. And they are dusty.

• Don't stand too near the goats, because legend is true: They will eat anything. While interviewing a goat farmer, one of his creatures tried to grab a pen sticking out of my shorts pocket.

• Etiquette question: Is it polite to eat an ice cream cone while watching cows being milked? It's not like they can see you, because their backsides are turned to the glass window in the milking display room, right next to the stand where the 4-H raises money by selling ice cream. But still ...

• Saturday's gray skies and temperatures in the 70s had some fairgoers wearing jackets, but misting fans were still turned on in the barns housing the steers. Of course, when you weight 2,000 or more pounds, you just don't notice the chill like relatively skinny humans do.

• 4-H is an equal opportunity enterprise: Fifteen-year-old Scott Mann, of the Groovy Clovers club, was selected to represent Kane County at the Illinois State Fair in the "food preservation" category for his cooked strawberry jam and apple-cinnamon syrup. Groovy Clovers serves the Burlington and Plato Center area.