THE FINAL FAIR DAY

We were about 75% of the way home last night when the first tear finally eked out. By the time we arrived in Woodhaven’s garage, my mascara was smeared down my cheeks. I should have remembered to wear the waterproof stuff on the Final Fair Day.

I surprised myself last year by not crying at the end of My Beloved Fair. I concluded it was because I wasn’t utterly exhausted and had finally figured out how to Fair Well. Always dedicated to being a good student, I took last year’s fairing lessons to heart and therefore did not expect to be a sobbing mess in the passenger seat last night. And yet.

I ended up staying up until about 1:00am. I didn't want to go to bed because I didn't want the day to end and for My Fair to be over. Even after finally tucking myself in and getting a solid 8 hours of sleep, I’m still mopey and wistful. I tried to cheer myself up with a pedicure today, and I’ve promised myself a healthy, fibery entrée salad for dinner. But I’m still truly sad and teary that My Fair is over. I am not ready to return to The Real World and adulting just yet.

As we were saying goodbye last night to Adam the Great (a magician who fills my Instagram feed with energy and fun @adamthegreatmagic), Adam said he was heading off to northern Idaho for the Coeur d’Alene Fair. A big part of me was ready to pack up and follow him. I’m exhausted, I feel puffy, quite an array of body parts ache, I have bruises I don’t remember acquiring, my fingernails are a disaster, and I forgot what my hair looks like without a baseball hat. But I don’t want it to end!

My Fair is a wonderful escape. It is simple. It is sweet. It is traditions. It is kids and animals and homemade creations. It is laughter and cheering. It is strolls through animal barns and respites on benches. It is sunsets and warm evening breezes. It is seeing old friends. It is making new ones. Every year, I become more a part of My Fair and it nuzzles deeper into my heart. My adoration grows each year, making saying goodbye that much harder.

We spent yesterday wandering around trying not to melt, and were quite happy to have the 2:00pm – 6:00pm shift in the Crafts & Hobbies department. A chair, air conditioning, artsy craftsy things to look at…pretty cool volunteer gig on a 100-degree day!

Hey, there's my hair! Definitely 
NOT blonde despite what that
Influencer Sunglasses Woman claimed.

We made some new friends yesterday! We shared a lunch table in the Wizard’s area with Janet and Roy (btw, the Wizard’s area was a home run! There were people in there all fair long, having a blast! Including in that awful vortex thingy.) Janet and Roy are both probably about 80 years old and have lived in Clark County pretty much their whole lives. I LOVED hearing where old roads and buildings and businesses used to be in my not-as-small-as-it-used-to-be town, and how Janet’s dad helped build some of the barns on the Fairgrounds. I told the couple that, having now been in Clark County for over 19 years, I often feel like an old-timer, especially with so many new people moving into all the new homes that are replacing fields and pastures. But hearing their stories and descriptions of how things really used to be – and knowing people who now have roads named after them – I realize I am still a total newbie.

It's been a while since the Feature
Exhibit was consistently so lively
and popular! Only thing that would
have made it better was hand-washing
stations. Wizards touch a lot of stuff.

I also was completely caught off guard to meet Jason. Jason politely came over as Rob and I were plotting our next meander and introduced himself as a big fan and follower of my “It’s the Fair” Instagram account. I’m pretty sure I just blinked at him as I tried to process what he was telling me. He then went on to say he actually works for the Fair and relies on my posts to see how things are going. MIND BLOWN!! We’re already connected on Instagram and I desperately hope we get to Talk Fair all year long, especially in the cold, drippy depths of winter.

I'm reaaallly hoping Jason doesn't
regret introducing himself.
 I'm also super excited to have a new
friend named Linda who also follows
my Fair posts and might be an even
bigger Fair Fan than I am! Next year
we'll get a photo and you can see 
what I mean. Spoiler alert: Tattoo! 

We closed out the Fair with both of Jerry Harris’s hypnosis shows. ALWAYS a great time. I will forever be grateful for Jerry – and for the Fine Fair Folks for inviting him as entertainment year after year. Watching Jerry’s shows and learning about the benefits of hypnosis eventually gave me the courage to find a local hypnotherapist to tackle my chronic back pain some years ago. Hypnosis didn’t eliminate my pain, but it made a huge dent in it and gave me portions of my life back that I thought were gone forever. THANK YOU, JERRY!  THANK YOU FINE FAIR FOLKS!

Our last task of the night was going on a 4-H Scavenger hunt for our neighbor Karoline. Out-of-state commitments prevented the 15-year-old from being able to pick up all her exhibits and ribbons at the end of the Fair, so we volunteered to collect them for her. She gave us an easy-to-follow list and we had quite a fun time scurrying from Photography to Baking to Garden to Sewing to gather Karoline’s hard work and the many colorful ribbons to show for it.

A few folks who clearly do not know
me asked me if I had made the dress.
The only thing I make with a sewing
machine is knots of thread and 
unladylike comments.

GREAT JOB, FINE FAIR FOLKS!

There were a number of things this year that were new that I REALLY appreciated.

I LOVED the new, sturdy plastic benches that I hope are slowly replacing the rickety wooden yellow ones. The new benches were wisely placed in the shade near a mister, which made them very popular. Sadly, I only got to sit on a new bench once, but it was super comfy. Nevertheless. I desperately hope to purchase one of those old yellow benches for Woodhaven someday. Having a little piece of the Fair next to our barn would make me giddy! And yes, I’ve mentioned this heart’s desire to a few Fine Fair Folks. Fingers crossed!

As much as I love the old yellow benches,
these new ones sort of elevated the vibe
and also looked less scary to sit on

I also loved the new signage. Although I didn’t need directions, I loved the arrow pointers scattered around the Fairgrounds to help newbies get around. Please never put one next to the Gazebo, though, Fine Fair Folks. I don’t want to be out of a job!

Nice touch! Helpful yet unobtrusive.

Having Curly the Camel on the Fairgrounds was a blast! I visited him often, just to gaze and say hello. I also loved seeing the wide eyes of excitement when I asked kids who stopped by the Gazebo if they had seen the camel yet. I SO hope he’s a repeat resident!

How adorable is that sign?! Almost
as adorable as Curly himself.

He's such a good boy! And quite
busy during December as part of a
live Nativity. Can't wait to see him again! 

And, as always, My Beloved Fair is the cleanest Fair I have seen. They must hire a summer camp’s worth of teenagers to haul trash, clean tables, and restock bathrooms. The kids do a great job and we do our best to thank them throughout the Fair.

They work really hard! Thank you
Cleaning Crew!

BOO!

I was heartbroken not to see the Harbor Patrol Dixieland Band this year. This band of old guys playing horns and clarinets and some strings has been one of the things I always listen for at My Beloved Fair. The purely Americana music wafting around the midway is Perfectly Fair, and I deeply missed stopping for a spell to listen to songs that make me want to wear a gingham dress and bake a cherry pie.

I took this photo at last year's Fair. I fear I might
not see them again. I've actually been listening to
Dixieland music on YouTube while writing today.
That may or may not have been a good idea.

Ok, so I totally understand the need to save seats in the Grandstands. You want to make sure all your favorite people gather ‘round you to watch cars and trucks break apart in the dirt. And not everybody arrives at the same time. I get it. I save seats, too. And I have some VERY kind friends (I’m looking at you, Shelley) who often save seats for me when I get delayed in a food line.

But saving seats using a duct-taped blanket and then showing up later is not very sporting. Moseying into the Grandstands in the middle of the day when nobody is there, taping down your blanket, and then waltzing in for the show after the crowd is assembled is kinda sorta really very much rudely arrogant. Worse? Taping down your blanket and then never showing up. What the heck, people?!?

In my Fair world, if you want to save seats, you must have at least one representative in person holding down the fort. Claiming your own personally reserved seats for your own use on your whim is not nice. And not Fair. Personally, I think there needs to be a rule – and SIGNS – that say 7 simple words: “SOMEONE MUST BE PRESENT TO SAVE SEATS.”  I’ll even help put them up for next year!

See all those empty seats around me?
That's because we arrived EARLY
and STAYED there to get the seats I
 need to keep my back happy.
Speaking of happy, look at those carbs! Mmmm!

I don’t want to end on a rant, so instead I will end as I have the previous 9 days: with food and earrings.

Thank you all, dear readers, for coming along with me for the past 10 days of utter fun, laughs, calories, and the sweet escape of time with friends and cute animals. And thank you to my most favorite Fair Buddy – the man who carries my stuff, buys me food, reminds me to sleep, drives while I edit photos, and smiles at me with pure love when he sees me soaking in every drop of My Beloved Fair. Thank you for fairing with me, Rob. I’m the luckiest.

Holding back the tears as we left
last night. I am so grateful for this life.

Spotted in Tillamook.
 Oh, to have his-n-hers t-shirts!

  FINAL FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE

TOP ROW:
Water with a Watermelon rapid hydration
packet mixed in. It worked! No insane headache
all day!

Bahn Mi Salad with extra spice. Yes, a salad. 
And yes, it verged on healthy. But it was SO
GOOD! It was also $19 and totally overpriced.
I should have gotten the Kid's portion for half 
the price. Still, hope they come back next year!

MIDDLE ROW:
Strawberry Smasher! The last one of the year, 
unless I want to go to Bingen in September for the
Huckleberry Festival... Hmmm.

Chocolate Cookies n Cream Milkshake!
Very good and very chocolatey...but I 
surprisingly (for me) prefer the strawberry
version instead. Also note the cup from a
Fair of Years Past. They ran out of cups for
this year. YAY MILKSHAKE BARN!

BOTTOM ROW:
Old timey pastrami sandwich from the
Church Ladies Pie booth. I wanted something
downhomey and simple for dinner. Nailed it!

Three-Berry Pie -- blackberry, blueberry, and
raspberry. SO GOOD! Those church ladies 
never disappoint.

Fairwell elephant ear from the stand next
to the milkshake barn. Our only one of the year
and it was worth the wait. Doughy, buttery,
lots of sugar and cinnamon. The perfect ending.

 

LAST DAY’S EARRINGS

I consider these earrings the most "adult"
of my collection. Easing back into Real Life.