East of Cincinnati, in the village of Rarden…
…people were parking in the hills…
…and congregating at Rarden Community Park…
…where the Whitetail Deer Festival was taking place.
But although there were plenty of children activities…
…like inflatables, playgrounds…
…and the cute Lil’ Buck & Lil’ Miss Doe Contest…
…only the deer paintball target game…
…accurately reflected the festival’s purpose…
…to prepare for the hunt.
Taking place shortly before deer hunting season (archery), the Whitetail Deer Festival was like the Back-to-School Sale for hunters.
Here, many vendors…
…one who arrived in a military vehicle…
…came to offer arms…
…bows…
…and manufactured lures.
Of course, there were other types of items sold…
…whether deer-related…
…or not…
…but you were often reminded of the real reason you came.
Even among the various food booths…
…there was that reminder…
…in the form of a delicious grilled elk bologna sandwich.
This, I should state, is one of the real reasons I came.
When done shopping and eating, the festival had other attractions.
In the exhibition tent…
…festival goers learned about fish, snakes…
…and Native American relics.
And in the Trophy Tent…
…a wall of deer heads waited inside.
For the most part, they seemed attentive as you strolled by…
…but a few did look bored, sleepy…
…or just interested in other things.
One of the deer even looked irritated as hell…
…but I think he was only experiencing withdrawal.