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on the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving. The Festival had plenty of game booths and raffles and contests, and even a few carnival rides. The local residents set up tables to sell handcrafted items and homemade baked goods and preserves. There was a farm show, with prizes for the largest produce and the healthiest animals. On Saturday night there was a big dance called the Festival Frolic.
    In Stevie’s opinion the best part of the fair was the amateur horse show that was held on Sunday afternoon. Actually, it was part horse show, part rodeo, part free-for-all—and all fun. The entrants ranged from five-year-olds on Shetland ponies to experienced riders on Thoroughbreds to little old ladies riding sidesaddle on giant farm horses.
    The most popular event in the show was undoubtedly the costume parade. The audience had to guess what each horse and rider was supposed to be, and then vote on the best costumes. The previous year the blue ribbonhad gone to a girl a little younger than Stevie. She had ridden out into the ring dressed all in red, with fronds of greenery sprouting from her hard hat. Stevie had been the first to figure out that the girl was supposed to be a radish—and that because she was on horseback, naturally that made her a horseradish! Stevie was pretty sure that her aunt had appreciated the girl’s costume, too. After all, radishes were one of her favorite vegetables.
    All in all, Stevie thought that there were only a couple of bad things about the costume parade and the other equestrian events. One was that she couldn’t participate in them herself, since her relatives didn’t own any horses. The other was that Carole and Lisa couldn’t be there to enjoy it with her. Still, the Festival was one of the things that made Thanksgiving special to Stevie.
    “I wish I could be in the costume contest,” Stevie remarked wistfully. “I’d win first prize for sure. I have a million great ideas.”
    Her twin brother, Alex, snorted. “You and your one-track mind. There’s more to the Festival than the horse show, you know. For instance, you can watch me win all the prizes at the dart-balloon booth.” He pretended to wind up and throw a dart, aiming at Stevie’s head.
    “In your dreams,” Stevie shot back. “You know I beat you at that booth every time we played last year.” It was true. Stevie had ended up with a giant stuffed bear, while Alex had only been able to win some plastic cars and a key chain.
    “I like the duck game the best,” announced Michael, Stevie’s youngest brother. “It’s easy to win.”
    “Right,” Stevie said. “All you have to do to win a prize is pick up a plastic duck. Maybe Alex should try it. Even he couldn’t lose.”
    “Funny,” Alex said. Checking to make sure Mr. and Mrs. Lake weren’t looking, he opened his mouth as wide as he could, displaying the partially chewed contents to Stevie. Michael and Chad, Stevie’s oldest brother, laughed.
    She ignored them. “Mom, what’s your favorite part of the Festival?” she asked, putting some more salad onto her plate.
    “Well, I do like the dance,” she said. “But the best part of the weekend for me isn’t the Festival, it’s seeing your aunt. Considering that we don’t live very far apart, it seems as though I hardly ever get to spend time with her.”
    “Who says we don’t live far apart?” Alex protested. “All I know is it takes practically forever to get to their house.”
    “It certainly seems to take forever when I have to spend the whole trip trapped in the car with them,” Stevie said, gesturing at her brothers.
    “I don’t even care if I have to sit by Stevie the whole way. The trip is going to be a blast this year. I can’t wait to get there,” said Chad dreamily. Chad was two years older than Stevie, and the year before, he had met a girlnamed Ellen, who was a friend of their cousin Mia’s. Chad and Ellen had really hit it off, and they had been exchanging letters and phone calls for