Photos: Animals at the Fair Do Some People Watching

Long before the Tilt-o-Whirl, the Zipper, the Super Orbiter or the Vertigo, long before the long lines at the Cotton Candy stand, county fairs were all about the animals.

In fact, in many places, County Fairs are called Livestock Shows, or Agricultural Shows.

Thursday through Sunday, San Jose plays host to the Santa Clara County Fair on Tully Road, and though the numbers of animals are not as large as they might be in the San Joaquin Valley, they nonetheless represent the hard work of many 4H'ers, kids who spend many hours throughout the year prepping their goats, their pigs, their chickens and other livestock for one big weekend: The Fair.

If you look closely, each animal face seems to tell a story. They're all unique in their own way. They're all beautiful in very distinctive ways.

Some keep a close eye on us. Some look away. And for some: Oh, Bother!