Today started a little rough. While we were on our way to the Fairgrounds, I got a couple of texts that reminded me of The World Outside the Fair. Nothing terrible and nothing actually urgent, but still enough to snatch me out of my Fair Bubble for an hour or two and make me a little grumpy. While I am tempted to go into Airplane Mode for the 10 days of Fair, I would miss the very definitely urgent texts from friends wanting to know where the best corn dogs are or if we can meet up for an elephant ear. First World Fair Problems.
Once I got back in the Fair Zone, we had a lovely day. We chatted with friends, we ate, we enjoyed the civilized mid-80s temperatures before they get all wackadoodle over the weekend.
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| Back home in My Happy Place! |
The main event in the Grandstands was Tuff Trucks. This is an annual favorite for all involved, as the participants are predominantly local rednecky teenagers and twenty-somethings. They drive their trucks through a dirt obstacle course to see who can make it through the fastest, while the audience hopes for rollovers and busted head gaskets from the dirt mounds and mud ponds the trucks have to navigate. I suspect this sort of entertainment happens organically throughout the summer in the woods and forests of north Clark County. So it is not surprising that a few years ago, Tuff Trucks became a two-day event to accommodate all the eager Amboy-Yacolt-Battle Ground-La Center yahoos with lifted trucks.
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| Lots of popped tires, some broken radiators, some busted head gaskets, one full 360 degree rollover, and one 90 degree rollover. Drivers were fine! |
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| It was not raining. The mud was from the pool of water in the bottom of the photo. It was wonderfully messy obstacle. |
We finally took a stroll through the commercial side of the
Big Air Conditioned Building. Although still not full to capacity with politicians
and gadget hawkers like pre-Covid days, there were a lot fewer empty booths
this year. We’re getting there!
I took a little breather on a Purple Mattress made of
plastic honeycombs while the salesguy – who unbeknownst to me was holding a
remote control – made my feet and head go up and down and then creeped me out
by making the bed vibrate. We elected not to make a purchase, despite it
possibly being the best ride at the Fair.
We tasted some locally marketed tea, learned about virtual reality escape rooms, got some tips how to level out some patio pavers, waved off a lady who promised her scary massager would eliminate my back pain (been there, done that, still hurt), and noted where the booth is for my annual End-Of-Fair Ring Cleaning on Sunday.
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| Rob and I are seriously considering trying out a real live escape room sometime in the depths of winter when we want to escape the rain. |
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| Love this new vendor! I've seen all sorts of teenagers carrying around succulents and small plants purchased from this guy. His booth is a peaceful little oasis of calm and green. |
We also finally decided to check out the Butterfly Room. This free exhibit has been at our Fair for years and for some reason, I never thought to wander in. Silly me! It was so fun! It was just a tent filled with flower pots and plants and butterflies flitting about. But it also had lots of lightly breezy fans and shade and grade school kids giggling and trying hard to move slowly so as not to frighten the butterflies. There was energy and excitement, but also whispers and the summoning of every ounce of self-control a 6-year-old body can manage. I found myself quietly giggling as butterflies tickled my leg and then my neck as one decided my popcorn earring might actually be real (it is not). What a great reminder that there is ALWAYS something new to discover at our Fair!
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| Maybe I should send this photo to my favorite shoe company for a promotional shot. I have a small addiction to this brand. They are Fairing extremely well! |
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| It tickled so much! I was vibrating trying to contain my giggles and slight terror. |
FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE!
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| TOP ROW: Arnold Palmer Spindrift (half tea, half lemonade) Peach Pear Smasher! Glad I tried the competition yesterday in Tillamook so I could report back my findings. Team Washington Smasher all the way! Chicken strips from the Lions Booth. Much better than the ones from the Boppin' Bo's stand. Bigger, better batter, not as slimy. But I forgot my Sriracha at home and had only Ranch dressing to douse them with. Aaaargh!! Crinkle fries from the Lions Booth that came with Rob's cheeseburger. Very tasty and I ate them with lots of ketchup to pretend I'm getting some fruits and veggies in my Fair diet. MIDDLE ROW: Red Vine licorice from the Candy Truck next to the Slingshot. The woman working the truck said she had just gotten them so they were nice and fresh. She had already had two of them. My vine was gone before dinner. Root beer! I wasn't planning to have this, but the booth I ordered dinner from was having issues with their corn and offered me a drink instead of waiting yet many more minutes for my meal. It was tasty, but I prefer my bubbles to be more watery. OMG. That was a LOT of chicken! The menu said it was a 1/4 lb of chicken, not 1/4 of a chicken. Nevertheless, it was VERY tasty! Moist meat, the skin was flavorful and BBQ'd just right. It was hard to eat, so I just used the leg as a handle. I didn't quite finish it, but I quite enjoyed it. From the BBQ stand next door to the Milkshake Barn. They also have turkey legs for $11 instead of $20 at other booths...for those who care. Accompanying coleslaw. MUCH better than the slaw at Daddy D's. Tangier, crunchier, coleslawier. BOTTOM ROW: Hush Puppies from Daddy D's BBQ. Rob ordered them as a snack and I helped inhale them. By far the best thing at Daddy D's. Great texture, good spices, no need for the accompanying honey packet. Deep Fried Cookie Dough from the Sweet Cheeks truck. Honestly, not all that good. I'm guessing it wasn't fresh even though I asked (they were pretty swamped). It tasted sort of chemically instead of sweet. A reminder to always make sure your fried fair food is fresh! Deep Fried Oreos. MUCH better! Deliciously warm and soft Oreos snuggled in donut batter. We shared an order with some friends...which proves how much we love Emma and Zane. Peach Milkshake to cap off the day! Honestly, not my favorite. Yes, I know peach is THE flavor to have since the peaches are fresh and local. But there just wasn't enough of them so my shake tasted more vanilla than peach. Either I need to order double peach or I just need to eat a peach and skip the ice cream. On Monday -- not now! Because who eats fresh, unadulterated fruit during Fair?!? |
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| A number of years ago, I used some White Cheddar kettle corn to fashion some homemade earrings. They lasted a frighteningly long time. Ooked out, I decided to find some plastic ones. Despite these clearly being popcorn earrings. one weird guy hawking insurance thought they were teeth. |
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| Proudly wearing my Tillamook County Fair Pig-n-Ford Commemorative T-Shirt! Because some fairs sell stuff like that. Grrrr. |
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