Escape to the Pork Festival

I had been studying the book of Daniel intensively for four years. It is all I talked about. I really don't know how my wife could stand it. After awhile I couldn't stand it.

I had a uniform jacket I wore as a night shift security guard. I kept a book on Daniel in it. I would even read by parking lot lights on my rounds. Not that I did not love the subject, but after four years I felt I could use a little diversion.

My wife wanted to go to a fair she had heard about, a pork festival, a county away. Maybe she was thinking it could divert my mania. I love fairs, the junk food, the exhibits, the family crowds so innocent and polite. We happily drove there, far away from commerce and, for awhile, I thought, the study of Daniel.

We watched a parade, with a great band and marchers. This was the year's top event in the county and these folks were good! Behind the band there were drum majorets. Although a light rain had begun, a lady hurled her baton high in the air and caught it. She was that good.

When the parade had passed, racks of meat were brought into grills in the street. Soon they were cooking. Smoke filled the air. Hundreds of pounds of chops and sausages were prepared by men who knew what they were doing. We both tried them. They were perfect.

When we could eat no more, we walked onto the fairgrounds to look at the displays. A large collection of antique engines were on display and their owners had them running. Beautifully polished and painted, they looked like new. I was particularly interested in the old hit or miss single cylinder engines with their heavy flywheels.

We walked into a large tent for hobbyists and collectors. The first exhibit was of ancient coins. In prominent display was one of the first coins struck with a die, instead of being poured. It was silver, and showed a man wearing a ram's head helmet. It was of Alexander the Great, right out of Daniel, chapter 8, verse 3.

Oh, Jonah, did you think you could run away from your mission to Ninevah? And, oh, lowly security guard, did you think you could get away from the Book of Daniel?