I have long loved county fairs. Well, until that one in the late '90s in Pleasanton on the 4th of July. Gang activity shut down the fair before the fireworks and we got stranded in the parking lot with scary idiots firing guns in the air. Yeah, that sucked. So from then until we moved, I boycotted county fairs. I'm sure you understand.
But all that has changed. Since moving to the boonies, I now mark my calendar a year in advance and try to avoid making any other plans during County Fair Week. People here take their Fair seriously. 4-H is huge and there are farm animals galore. And, yes, that does include my beloved llamas.
I also love, love, love fair food, so I try to fast for a few days prior to Fair Week so I can inhale all my favorites. Last year, Rob and I finally got smart and purchased enough discounted advance tickets for 3 visits. This year, we have 4 sets. This allows us to enjoy all the fun while also allowing me to pace myself on the food.
With that, here is the summary of the Fun, Animals Petted, and Food Consumed for Day 1 of County Fair 2007:
FUN:
- DockDogs -- owners trying to convince their dogs to jump into a huge inflatable pool of water. The pool had markings to 35 feet. We didn't see any jumps beyond 4 feet.
- Goat judging -- we watched 3 rounds. The Grand Champion had really good flanks. Or something like that. It was brown.
- Llama games -- llamas limbo-ing, llamas jumping, llamas playing musical rings. Llamas, llamas, llamas!
- Cow blowing -- OK, this isn't a sanctioned event, but I stood and watched for several minutes as two teenage boys used a small leaf blower on two cows, apparently either getting the cows un-hayed and pretty for competition or keeping them cool. Either way, neither the boys nor the cows looked the least bit embarrassed by the goings-on.
- A black llama named Blackeyes
- A 3-week old baby pygmy goat named Cinnamon
- Cinnamon's brother (9 year old 4-H-er uncommunicative)
- Jambalaya
- Fried green tomatoes
- French fries
- Bottled water
- Chocolate and vanilla swirl soft serve ice cream
- Yakisoba noodles
- Diet Pepsi (gotta watch those calories)
- Corn on the cob
- A plastic cup of Sangiovese from the very controversial "Wine and Beer Garden" (first year the fair has ever served alcohol)
- 3 varieties of beef jerky samples
- 6 varieties of marinated olive samples
8 comments:
Well I must say that enjoying county fairs must run in the family. score so far is:
Beth: 3 times in 2007
Rick: 1 time
Dad: 3 total times with a return visit on 1 of the days.
so who bought the spa?
Well, we were chatting seriously with a guy from Arctic Spa yesterday. Of course, we also took a very intent test drive on the Select Comfort bed. Oh, and we have confirmed that the magic pain relief of magnetic bracelets doesn't work on my back.
I remember the Alameda County fair incident vividly. But reports conflict on whether it was gang activity. San Jose Mercury news described the shooter as a parcel-service worker and single father or three, with an unclear motive that may have been related to an argument over a prize at the midway games. Other papers said he shot a rival gang member, but that's not quite consistent with 12 shots wounding eight different people.
I'm not sure the sounds we heard in the parking lot was gunfire. I suspect it was firecrackers. Nevertheless, it's very unnerving when your stuck in a huge crowd, after dark, when all you know is that the fair is closed because there has been a shooting.
I remember seeing the couple helicopters come to the grandstands to take out the injured, and I also remember a very panicked mom looking for her child since they had gotten separated when everyone ran out from the midway. As for the gunshots, I remember seeing a man standing about 100 feet from us as we were making our way to the car, pointing his gun in the air and firing it. You're right -- some of the other sounds could have been firecrackers -- but all I needed to see was that gun and I was terrified. I never paid attention to whether or not the Alameda County Fair made changes to prevent that from happening again. I sure hope so.
If you don't get the spa, you HAVE TO buy a "built in" bbq with faux granite counter.
And yes, Alameda Co. has made big changes in the wake of that horrible 4th. They no longer do fireworks at all, they close early on the 4th and everyone gets to have their bags searched and walk through a metal detector.
We, however, still go during the day and aside from the wierd looking carnival ride operators everything is very suburban :o)
Any fried twinkies or snickers?
Had a fried twinkie last year. Save your money for a funnel cake or an elephant ear.
Remember - Twinkie Good, Fried Twinkie Bad.
WOW -- you've got fancy stuff at your fair! Faux granite counter tops on BBQs??? Wow.
Fried Twinkies and Snickers are indeed offered. Rob tried the Twinkie last year and we were both shockingly disappointed. We obviously don't have hugely discerning taste when it comes to fair food, but the Twinkie was just icky.
Funny...at our fair, I can't tell whether or not the ride operators are from these parts. They blend in rather nicely with the locals.
Yep. It's quite a set-up. 42 different sizes and configurations and your choice of coordinating pretend rock or stucco facades. You can even buy an umbrella with those fringey banana leafy looking things (and yes, that is a technical term!)
As for the ride operators, the kids kept asking "What is wrong with him?" Well.... :o)
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