“Oh, it’s late! It’s about 9:30.” And here I was feeling old and guilty for leaving so early.
The Fair closes at 11:00 tonight but I just don’t have it in me to stay that long, especially with an early church morning tomorrow and then a full day stalking the incoming new Fair Court. I definitely need to be rested up for that.
Because we left so much earlier than typical, we are stuck in traffic leaving the parking lot. I didn’t know there could be this much traffic at the end of the day. That’s one benefit of leaving as all of the vendors are clipping tarps up to close their booths. But at least I can use the time productively. Yay little laptop in the passenger seat!
We have one more day of the Fair to go. I am both relieved and sad. It will be so much more of both tomorrow. But first, today.
Not only is Larissa on the Patrol, she is a former Fair Court Princess! I tried very hard to hold it together until I was out of earshot.
Our first stop after lunch was a set of barns out by the horse arena. I had seen them before but I always thought they were off-limits. The fact that there are signs in front reading “FAIR BOARD PARKING ONLY” suggested it might be a bit exclusive.
Much to my surprise, though, the barns are the home to the Fair’s Mounted Patrol. They are a 40 year tradition of volunteers on horseback who ride around the parking lots at night. They all wear red and white checkered shirts and matching cowboy hats. On any one night there are about 20 of them trotting about.
I saw them at the end of their patrol a few nights ago and, not knowing any better, assumed they were some sort of drill team practicing by moonlight. Natural conclusion, right? Except for the lack of music or flags or glitter...
Chatting with one of the younger members of the Patrol (thanks for the chat, Larissa!), I was relieved to find out that they spend most of their time helping people find their cars. Not surprising since the acres of grass all pretty much look the same, especially at night when the sugar crash is setting in.
Occasionally the horse riders find teenagers in the parking lot who are told to take their pre-or post-Fair partying elsewhere. Very rarely if ever are there issues of vandalism, theft, or other things the Patrol might need to radio out to the sheriff about. Perhaps the most unexpected service they provide, though, is closing car doors.
Yep, apparently it is not that unusual for people to be so excited to get to the Fair that they leave their car and forget to close the door behind them. While I would like to say I can’t imagine doing that, I can. And it’s quite possible I have done that and I would never know it since these nice people on horseys would have closed it for me.
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| Thanks for closing my car door, Larissa! |
One of these days I will remember to bring earplugs
We hung out for two unexpectedly long hours watching the Tuff Trucks show. It is basically a dirt obstacle course that people with chiropractors on speed dial try to drive their mostly banged up trucks through. The drivers’ goal is to finish the course in the shortest time. The audience’s goal is to see a truck flip, roll, or otherwise show us its tummy.
Three observations to give you a flavor of our county’s version the sport:
- Several trucks proudly displayed the Confederate flag and I think I am the only one even noting it
- The show was about an hour longer than anticipated because there were so many local farm boys wanting to hot dog their trucks in the dirt
- A 1990s Subaru almost won
Llama wrangling: the next generation, thank goodness
Because of my knee and back and utter exhaustion, Rob and I reluctantly begged out of competing in the Llama Obstacles today.
We’re old. We just aren’t up to crawling through a teepee, into a tunnel, and up and down ramps. By ourselves and especially not with a camelid. Plus, well, there was absolutely no way we could compete with this:
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| Dawwwww!!! Isn't she adorable?!? Her shirt rocks, too. |
It’s good to have friends bearing goodies
We had procured our dinners and were on our way to finding a table when a voice came up behind us, totally invaded my personal space, and said with strange excitement, “I feel like I just found Waldo at the Fair!!”
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| Hi, Lauralea! Thanks for the scones and the blog fodder! |
Turns out it was our dear friend Lauralea. The same Lauralea who won first place in the Fair’s scone baking contest this year. The same Lauralea who had apparently been hoping to find us today. The same Lauralea who blew my mind and then my taste buds by producing a freshly-made-this-morning award winning scone from her purse and offered it as dessert. I love Lauralea!
I typically don’t like scones. They are too dry and often don’t have enough flavor. But Lauralea’s scones are something different entirely. They are moist and hold together and actually taste like the flavors advertised.
Lauralea's blue ribbon scones were her own twist on a family recipe. As a nod to the traditional flavors of a county fair, she made a caramel apple scone peppered with sautéed caramelized apple chunks. Yeah, you’re right, she totally needs to start selling them.
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| Oooooh..... Caramel apple scone..... |
Stand up, wave your hands all over the place, and we'll point at you
We caught another hypnotist show tonight. Yes, it’s true, we’re hypnosis groupies.
About 10 minutes before the show started, two young teen boys sat next to us. On a hunch, I asked them if they planned to try to get on stage to get hypnotized. They were.
“Do you want some tips?”
Their eyes lit up and they listened very carefully as Rob and I explained how to get Jerry’s attention and get called up on stage. We noted that they were not in the ideal seats – aisle and in the front third of the audience is best. Nevertheless, we gave the eager volunteers some pointers that we assured them would work.
Annnd….score.
Rob and I are currently 4 for 4 on getting people noticed by Jerry and invited on stage. Like I said, groupies.
Fair Day Data
- Total walking logged on my pedometer: 2.35 miles (so much Tuff Trucks...)
- Time at which we saw today’s first set of Magic Brooms being carried around: 2:35pm
- Re-entry hand stamp: Holstein cow (those are the ones with the spots, right?)
Fair Food Feast Parade:
I was in a good food groove today and felt like I was keeping a good pace and then… my stomach magically realized we only have one day left of craziness. Sad face.
This happens every year and I have no idea how or why. But on the last two days, my appetite starts to fade and I start returning to my more typical food intake. It was rather sad to watch Rob eat a deep fried Twinkie tonight and have absolutely no desire to join him. BOO!!!
But did I mention I got to have one of Lauralea’s scones?? It was the last thing I ate today so at least my taste buds ended on a happy note.
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| Chicken Teriyaki Wrap from Sweet Al's near the horse arena. SO GOOD! I was concerned it might be a bit too healthy with the lettuce and cranberries but it was so worth it. Definitely a find. And Rob enjoyed the Teriyaki Bowl, too. |
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| Your basic 1/3 filled bag of potato chips that I won't allow myself to eat after tomorrow. |
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| Who needs a spoon for this Hawaiian Shave Ice? Two new flavors today -- strawberry and mango. I liked both and was pleased the strawberry flavor wasn't too strong. |
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| Back to my favorite ice cream bar snack. I shall miss these. |
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| Round 2 of the Yakisoba noodles from the Hawaiian Cafe. I feel like I am on some sort of farewell tour. :-( |
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| Strawberry lemonade from near the Grandstands. Waaay better than the stuff they sell in the Granstands themselves. Although those drinks are delivered to your seat so there is that... |
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| OK, this is not available for sale at the Fair but it should be. This is a caramel apple scone made fresh this morning by my friend Lauralea. Lauralea just happened to win first place in this year's Scone Baking Contest with this recipe and she was kind enough to let me sample one. OMG! I don't like scones and I loved this! Please tell Lauralea she needs to sell these. Thank you. |
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