It rained today! And it was wonderful! The crowds were light, the food lines were short, the pace was slower, and kids had a blast stomping around in puddles. Because it’s the Pacific Northwest, I didn’t see any umbrellas. Everyone just came wearing their October gear and Faired on. Damp Fair Joy!
I arrived about 90 minutes after Rob because I had some
things to take care of at home. Like washing the two Free Carwash passes I neglected
to remove from yesterday’s shorts before doing late-night laundry. Oops.
I also was waiting for the magic of Amazon Prime to drop inspiration on my doorstep mere hours after the need was identified. I was SO excited when it arrived, I totally forgot to take a photo. So here’s Amazon’s version.
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| I love the sparkles and the self-inking pad so much, I'm ignoring the fact its locking feature doesn't work. |
We realized yesterday that some 4H kids were trying to game the system to reuse Passports and thus accumulate way more Beanie Babies than is really sporting. I mean, not all kids get to live at the Fairgrounds for days on end with time to come up with ways to outsmart helpful but harried adults. We need to make sure we have enough Canada and Germany Bears for everyone! So somewhere near the Pirate Parrot Ship, Rob and I decided a celebratory stamp to commemorate hard scavenging work would fittingly allow us to void any Passport reuse.
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| Isn't that fun?? That spot looks like it was just waiting for celebration! |
Next up: figuring out how to limit the kids to one Passport
per day, since there are two shifts of volunteers which the kids have deftly figured out. Rob and I had a chat
with the 4H Rabbit Folks, as they have one especially enthusiastic Beanie Baby
collector. We got to know The Collector quite well last year and eventually had
to cut him off. He arrived at the Fair this morning for the first time this
year and beelined it over to the Gazebo to start adding to his collection. We are
hoping our convo with the Rabbit Superintendent reels him in a bit. If not, I
am not above making up a Wanted Poster to tape inside the Gazebo.
Ah, Gazebo Emergencies!
After lunch, Rob and I decided to work on the non-animal
part of our Passport Departments spreadsheet, it being rainy and most of those
departments being inside. By the end of the day we had accomplished our goal,
but it took longer than we anticipated. Because in addition to today being Rain
Day, it was also Senior Day. And it turns out a lot of our friends are seniors.
We bumped into lots of people and had fun chats and catch-ups. I loved it! Some of my favorite times at my Fair are running into friends and chatting about animals and Fair food and events that happen in the dirt. I love finding out about new careers and kids going off to college and seeing photos of new pets and getting hugs from little kids who are excited to see me outside of church. I love not being rushed and not having anywhere else to be and just being able to sit a spell and enjoy the community that defines my life here. So much Fair Joy!
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| So fun to run into Steve! He has a lifetime pass to the Clark County Fair. This is the definition of hashtag lifegoals. |
We watched both Demolition Derby shows. The evening one was even more fun since the dirt arena was a bit muddy from a burst of rain mid-Derby. Rob and I were absolutely astounded by one entry. It was a Honda CR-V that had been painted for derbyness but looked enough like the 2004 CR-V that we sold in February that we seriously wondered if it was in fact our old car banging around the arena. We eventually noticed the interior of the Derby CR-V was tan; ours was dark grey. I was sentimentally relieved.
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| The CR-V was in pretty good shape at the beginning of the afternoon derby. |
What astounded us, though, was how freaking sturdy that painted CR-V was. It just would not die! It won all three heats in the afternoon show. It returned for the evening show with only 3 wheels and still nearly won. We absolutely loved our little silver CR-V and were sad to have to replace it a few months ago. We can only hope our 2025 Subaru is as apparently unbreakable as the old CR-V. (Not a paid advertisement for Honda.)
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| The CR-V near the end of the evening Derby. Click here to see it motor around on 3 wheels. |
Between Derbies, we spent some time in the Canning and Dehydrating Department oohing and ahhhing yet again at the amazing transformation that department has made since Superintendent Rock Star Debbie took over a couple of years ago. Looking at a bunch of Ball jars should be super boring. But Debbie has made it one of the coolest, most exciting areas to visit in the Big Air Conditioned Building. Although on a hot day, the Clark Public Utilities booth giving away ice cold water is tough to beat…
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| Professional signage, pretty curtains, fancy ribbons neatly arranged, rows of display jars...it just looks so pretty and inviting! I am sure there are MANY spreadsheets behind this setup. |
This year, the Canning department has a scavenger hunt amongst the many jars of sauces and jams and salsas and dried veggies and beans and desserts. Apparently, a Ms. Morticia Addams is quite the canner and entered 11 different creepy creations to be judged this year. The goal of the hunt is to find all 11 entries, note the correct entry number, and get entered to win some canning supplies. Rob and I worked separately, although I assume he would share his bounty with me if he were to win.
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| Creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, and all together ooky! |
On my first pass, I just looked for things that looked creepy
and made my stomach turn. When I was down to 4 blank lines, I then searched the
participant cards for Ms. Addams’ name. It wasn't hard but it wasn't super easy either. Just the right balance of challenging to be fun but not frustrating.
The first entry I spotted was the Pickled Dragon Eyes. Then some fingers, then some ears. It was a hoot! And it made me wonder what people who don’t know about the scavenger hunt might think! Hopefully they are mortified and curious enough to look at who would enter such grossness as Freeze-Dried Fairy Fingers and quickly realize something fun is afoot (thankfully no feet were canned, although there were some toes…)!
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| Lots to see in the Canning Department this year! |
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| I hear the Canning Department has a cool game this year! |
I am 57 years old and I had a blast and a half searching for jars of creepy stuff among the Canning Entries! In fact, it was my neighbor of approximately the same age that excitedly told us there was a fun activity we needed to check out in Canning. What an amazingly creative and interactive way to get people to actually LOOK at what is in the jars! I plan to return before Fair’s end to spend more time looking at the real entries. And I can’t wait to see what Debbie comes up with for next year!
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| Holly, not Morticia made this. It was such an odd color, I had to know what it was. Any guesses? Mt. Dew Jelly. |
On my way home, I was finally able to call my dad to wish him a happy birthday. He turned 80 years old today, which blows my mind. He certainly does not look 80! We plan to celebrate in person post-Fair. Happy Birthday, Dad!
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| 20 years per candle on a favorite dessert - Pumpkin Pie. Happy Birthday, Dad! |
FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE!
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| Clockwise from Top Left: Fried Chicken Sandwich with Mac n Cheese from Daddy D's Mac Shack. The Mac Shack is new this year and I had heard some mixed reviews. I would agree the mac n cheese isn't really all that special. It's fine but it didn't have a lot of flavor and was sort of forgettable, other than it was carby and man, I've missed carbs! The fried chicken, though - THAT was really tasty! The breading was full of spices and was perfectly crunchy and the chicken was moist and tender. I would totally get the fried chicken sandwich again without the added mac and cheese. And honestly, ditch the bun and just eat the chicken. Pretzel from the concession in the back of the Big Air Conditioned Building. Weirdly, this is the only place I've found pretzels (I don't go to the rides area, so maybe they are there, too?). I decided today was a Carb Day and I loved this soft pretzel. The accompanying queso didn't look appetizing but it was really good - cheesy with a little kick. Super happy with this snack! I decided I needed some carbonation so this is a Sprite fountain drink from the same concession as the pretzel. I usually just drink flavored seltzer water, so this Sprite was really sweet and I finished every last drop. Elephant Ear from the Chuck Wagon at the far end of the Fair next to the Green Gate. The best at the Fair! And I'm not the only one that thinks so! Veggie Yakisoba Noodles from the Noodle House. Rob and I decided to do a comparison, so he got the same thing for dinner but from the other Yakisoba booth (the red one) in the Food Court. Verdict: Noodle House (mine) for the win! Both versions had the same ingredients and noodle texture. However, Rob's tasted like the noodles had been cooked in a beef or ramen broth. Mine tasted a bit lighter and a touch sweeter, as if in a chicken broth. I preferred the lighter flavor. And I REALLY preferred mine being a full $6 cheaper. Day-old Pineapple Scone from the Church Ladies Pie Booth. My friend Terri clued me in that each morning, the Pie Booth sells the leftover scones from the prior day for $1.50. This pineapple scone was SO GOOD! The breading was moist and the pineapple chunks were big. I had no idea this inexpensive delicious pastry was available! Mind blown! THANKS, TERRI! Icee Dippin' Dots! I wanted a snack while waiting for the Demo Derby, so Rob fetched me some Dippin' Dots from outside the Grandstands while I saved our seats. I told him to surprise me with the flavor, so he got Cherry and Blue Raspberry. I can't remember the last decade I had Dippin' Dots. These were so fun! And I really liked the Icee flavor -- it wasn't nearly as sweet as I would have expected. I might get this again! |
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