Woodhaven Ramblings: 2014 Fair!! ~ Day 5

Tuesday is usually a slow day at the Fair. It is the "animal change-over day" which means that the animals that have been at the Fair since Opening Day are getting ready to home so new ones can arrive first thing on Wednesday morning. Pretty much all the 4-H animal competitions are done and the humans are pooped. So it makes it a good day to scout out non-livestock entertainment.

Scrounging for quarters
The new inside, walk-around exhibit this year is about toys. It was pretty interesting, although the build-up in the newspaper left me with pretty high expectations. The two-story, 20-foot doll house was actually one really boring story. And the World's Largest Etch-o-Sketch was indeed large but it didn't work. Not cool.

What didn't disappoint was the small collection of authentic arcade games from my youth. Sort of hidden in a corner, Rob and I played Pole Position, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man. Oh, if they had only had Centipede and Galaga!

I surprised myself by doing better on Pac-Man than I ever remember scoring back in the '80s. However, my Space Invadering was downright embarrassing on my first go. Just like in the bowling alley in 1982, I dug deep in my pockets looking for a dollar bill to change into quarters so I could play again for a more respectable score.

The area housing the toy exhibit also had a more modern gaming center set up. When we first walked in, I tsk-tsked that here all these kids were at the Fair on a beautiful day and they were sitting inside playing video games on plasma screens. And then 20 minutes later, there I was trying desperately to smooth out a dollar bill to feed into the change machine because I had almost reached the next level on Pac-Man. Pot, meet kettle. Oops.

My own personal mix-master
We interrupted our gaming to go watch a young friend do a 4-H demonstration. She was teaching the audience (and, more importantly, a judge) how to make a drink. Unfortunately, they started a little early and we arrived a little late (did I mention I had almost reached the next level?) so we missed the actual demonstration. Sad face.

However, Makayla was kind enough to mix up another drink for us so we could see the cool patriotic-ness of her red (strawberry juice), blue (Gatorade), and white (Sprite) beverage. Happy face! I got to try the drink, and then ended up finishing it because it was darn tasty. All the adults who had sampled it agreed that an even better white ingredient would be vodka. None of us shall ever be invited to be 4-H leaders. Cheers to that!

Makayla explained that the different sugar content of each ingredient was what kept them from mixing.
4-H rocks!

Bubbles change colors as they weaken
That was the most interesting factoid I learned at the new Bubble Show. The strongest bubbles have a red tinge. Then they turn blue-ish green-ish. Then right before they pop, they have a magenta hue. Fascinating, huh? I honestly learned more from Makayla.

The rest of the Bubble Show moved very quickly and included some explosions using Alka-Seltzer and Coke and Mentos (what is it about Mentos and science experiments?!). I was having a hard time keeping up with the fast-flowing info, but it didn't really seem to matter because none of the kids were really listening. They were just watching all the bubbles float around and doing their best to pop them.

Lack of learning aside, the end of the show was pure joy and fun. The Bubble People let loose with several bubble machines and a fishing net tied to two poles. Set to a catchy dance number from the early '90s, the bubble folk invited everyone to come dance in the soapiness. Rob and I just watched but even being spectators was a hoot! There were huge globs of bubbles everywhere. Kids were covered in soap. The music was blasting. I started having visions of what I want my 50th birthday to look like.

I actually might attend a second show and participate in the Bubble Dance Party. If nothing else, it might help get all the grease off me and my clothes.

Ghost pepper jerky, olive oil, and royal glitter
We dedicated a chunk of the afternoon to exploring the commercial side of the Exhibition Hall. You know, where you can get magic mops and pillows that never flatten and Cutco Knife Sets that have the potential of making you a frequent flyer at your local ER from all the cuts in the kitchen. Or maybe that's just me.

Sadly, we didn't need nearly as much time to peruse the offerings as in past years. There were noticeably fewer vendors, hardly any people handing out free food samples, and my game of trying to collect as many pens as possible yielded a whopping three. 3 pens! Geez! I did spin a wheel and win some free lip balm from our dentist, so I guess all was not lost.

OH! We did find a very sadly un-courted table off to the side. Royalty often sits there to greet folks. The Equestrian Fair Court Queen and her two Princesses were elsewhere, so I decided to sit in and be Queen for a Day. Or at least long enough to pose for a picture. Best part? The chairs were all glittery from the Court's sparkly outfits. I made sure some rubbed off on me.

All I'm missing is a horse, flowing hair, fringe, stage presence...

Watch me use a football reference!
We watched the rodeo tonight. It was a good show. Lots of guys actually stayed on their really angry livestock long enough to get scores, so that was very cool. What I found myself watching more, though, was the work of the Pick-Up Men. And no, we weren't at a bar.

Picking it up from the announcer, the Pick-Up Men are the two guys on horses whose job it is to convince the just-ridden horse or bull that their time in the ring is over and they need to skedaddle back into the pens. Sometimes the livestock is compliant, but often they are all worked up like Seattle's Marshawn Lynch after that playoff game against the 49ers last season. They have no interest in leaving the spotlight, so they need to be wrangled. Which can sometimes be an even better show than the game itself.

See how I did that? With the sports reference? Well, I'm impressed.

Stats
With proper pedometer placement, today yielded a much more respectable 4.10 miles. Finally!

The Flavor of the Day at the milkshake barn was blackberry.

The re-entry hand stamp animal was a pig.

Names on Rob's Diet Cokes: Joe and Cody.

I was happy with today's Fair Food Feast Parade until it was time to get my end-of-day deep-fried something. Unfortunately, the hypnosis show ran late, which was so worth it. The Toby Keith and Miley Cyrus impersonators made my stomach hurt from all my laughing. However, that meant that the Deep-Fried Heaven Truck had already closed for the night by the time we got there. Rob and I were both so sad! Guess we'll be having Deep Fried Oreos for breakfast tomorrow.

Starting the day off right with a baked potato with The Works (butter, cheese sauce, sausage, bacon, chives, sour cream). Any other time of the year, I only eat sweet potatoes. With salt. I LOVE THE FAIR!

Savoring the deliciousness of my corn on the cob. And I didn't wear any butter today!!

My friend Makayla made this drink for me. I like Makayla.

Chicken strips with ranch dressing! And Sriracha sauce! I got reprimanded by the lady at the Yakisoba Booth for using her sauce without buying anything from her booth. Fair enough. I'll get my sauce...and my yakisoba...elsewhere (Patrick's Hawaiian Cafe is way better and much friendlier).

Arrrghh, matey! I decided to try Kiwi on today's Hawaiian Shaved Ice. I won't be doing that again. Yuck! Luckily, the Cinnamon on the other side saved the day. Mmmm, Red Hots.

Reliving my childhood with Cherry-flavored Fun Dip. The white stick thing still tastes weird. Ahh, memories.

Waiting for the heat of the Ghost Pepper beef jerky to hit. It eventually came but it wasn't really that bad. But it was a free sample! Thank you, Beef Jerky People!

The only other free sample I found was this olive oil and balsamic vinegar guy. I think this was the Dark Chocolate Vinegar sample. We ended up buying a bottle of the Basil Parmesan Olive Oil. I think we were hungry.