FAIR 2024 - Day 8!

What a fun Fair day!! And goodness, is my back telling me allllll about it!

We were super excited to arrive a little before noon to find our favorite parking lot (yes, we have one)  more crowded than we had seen since Opening Day. YAY! Although I do appreciate not having to wait in line for corn dogs or a milkshake, I much more prefer a Fairgrounds buzzing with energy and laughter and excitement. It was wonderful to share my beloved Fair with so many fun-seeking folks yesterday. WHOOO HOOO!!!  PEOPLE!

Redneck boys and their trucks

The big event of the day was Tuff Trucks. It is such a big draw, a few years ago the Fine Fair Folks decided to expand it to a two-day event. Why is it so popular? Because the participants are mostly locals, many of the redneck variety, and there are a LOT of them here in these parts. I do adore living amongst them!

The general concept of Tuff Trucks is there is an obstacle course in the dirt arena that you have to (get to??) race your vehicle around as fast as you can. It’s a timed event – with one vehicle on the track at a time. The fastest completion takes home the prize. I’m pretty sure there is money involved, but I think even more important are the bragging rights.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this guy
around town. And yes, the flag
is a permanent feature.

The vehicles are typically trucks, usually modified to be tall and noisy, often etched with dirt and memories. They are also likely missing things like bumpers or windows or air bags. The daily drivers are often the pride and joy of their adolescent owners – predominately male and not yet old enough to rent a car and with all the confidence and certain knowledge of the world that comes with that adorable age.

Dirt ramps + redneck truck + poor judgement + pursuit of bragging rights = hours of unpredictable fun!

Far as we can tell, all of these cars will compete
in all 4 shows as long as they don't bust something
in the process. And, yeah, tired of the wildfire smoke.

Rob and I attended both the afternoon and evening Tuff Truck shows. With 80 participants, the shows were LONG. Hence my very chatty back. The 2:00pm show lasted nearly 2 hours. That was due in large part to many drivers learning on the job, getting stuck in the mud, busting drive shafts and axel rods, popping tires and radiators – all the awesome things! There were two tow trucks onsite and they were HOPPIN’ during the afternoon.

The evening show was much more lively and about 30 minutes shorter. Some rigs had been eliminated beyond repair in the afternoon, and some drivers had learned fast that a secret is to drive fast. Fast is great! Fewer requests for the tow trucks and more truck parts fly off! A couple overly speedy guys rolled their rigs, with adrenaline-fueled fist pumps in the dirt-filled air signaling a great story they will be telling their rest of their lives. If I happen to spot one of these survivors in the local Walmart parking lot, I will ask to hear their story and will listen with much appreciation and bemusement.

Driver dangling from the seat belt, fist
pumping. He emerged victorious and AMPED UP!

If you want to see a video of how it’s done, click here! It is the guy who won last year – he might repeat! If you want to see a video of a Demolition Derby car giving the track a try, click here!

156 years and counting!

Needing to not sit for a while, Rob and I meandered over to the Grange Barn between the two Tuff Trucks show. We had heard there was a new exhibit there about the history of the Clark County Fair. What a fantastic display! It even included some of those old, rickety, iconic, yellow wooden benches that I still dream of lovingly tending at Woodhaven someday. 

The benches apparently came from an amusement park over in
 Portland that was long ago transformed into a shopping center,
so they are OLD! And blessedly being replaced by much sturdier,
much comfier, much less death-trappy plastic benches. YAY!
Thank you for the sitting safety, Fine Fair Folks!

Donning my reading glasses, I read almost all of the fine print and stared in awe at all the old photos. It was fascinating seeing the evolution of the Fairgrounds and fair-going fashions (polyester for the win!). I loved realizing that the big pole that is always in the way of my photo ops at the Milkshake barn used to have two phone booths attached to it! And that the Llama Greenway was once FFA Cow Central! And that headliners like Weird Al and Willie Nelson and Roy Clark and Sherrie Lewis and Lambchop and Styx and LASSIE!! all graced the Clark County Fair stage (which has gone through its own metamorphosis over the 156 years). 

I really hope that the history display becomes a permanent feature AND that old-timers donate fun Fair mementoes to it to help the exhibit grow in the years to come. Super fun would be a display of all the different souvenir milkshake cups over the years! And some of the Fair Court outfits! And little bios of the Harbor Patrol Jazz Band members! And the cost of a corn dog over the years!  Oooh, just ask me -- I've got LOTS of ideas!!

Phone booths! TWO of them! With the older
Milkshake stand to the right. And wow, a 
white dress at the Fair? She must be a very tidy eater.

Photo caption reads: "Under a shower of sawdust, Paul Graff 
and Linda Darham leave one-room church on Clark County
Fairgrounds Thursday after being married there during the fair"

If Rob and I were ever to renew our wedding vows, I would lobby
to turn the Food Court into a chapel for the day.

Those canners can can!

The Canning Department ROCKS this year! I heard there’s a new Superintendent? If so, it shows!

The Canning display has always been a fun place for me to daydream about what it would be like to be competent in the kitchen. And wonder how many Zombie Apocalypse preppers I live amongst. But mostly it was a space with a lot of glass jars sitting on wooden shelves.

This year, though, the Canning Department looks…professional? There’s new signage, the shelving looks spruced up, there’s tons of color, the awards have their own display beautifully backdropped with black drapes. It just looks so pretty and modern and inviting. Like, I want to can now!

Isn't this gorgeous?? I so hope it inspires other
departments to look at their displays with new 
eyes. And maybe find a good local print shop.

And the entries! There’s TONS of them! And in categories I don’t remember from past years, like Freeze Drying and Meals in a Jar. Either the end of the world is coming faster than I realize, or there was a LOT of communication and encouragement to find new participants who know their way around headspaces. Either way, the Canning Department is now full of energy and excitement and totally looks all glowed up. WELL DONE, CANNING PEOPLE!!

I'm suspicious -- and intrigued --
about a jar containing a full meal.
But they sure do look pretty! They sort
of remind me of those groovy sugar/salt
landscapes scenes people sold in the '70s.

WOW!!! HOW?!? Good gracious, 
those are some mighty impressive
carrots! The headspace looked perfect, too.

FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE – DAY 8! 

• I miss my bubbly water! Grapeade Spindrift seemed like an appropriate beverage for driving to the Fairgrounds. Plus, the can matched my shirt!
  
  
• Strawberry Pineapple Smasher! The Pineapple finally came back! And now I've decided I don't like it. It's too coconutty. I nevertheless drank every last drop. I like coconut, but I like pineapple better. Glad I tried it, going back to Mango now. 
  
  
• Half a pastrami sandwich from the Church Ladies Pie stand. Sourdough bread, lettuce, tomato, a slice of cheese, and some mayo/mustard spread. YUM!! It always tastes fresh and homey. Not pictured: accompanying bag of chips and pickle spear which I inhaled.
  
  
• Ok, I'm going to shock some people. I had never had a Jo Jo before. I didn't even know what it was. I know, I know. Simmer down. In the interest of Full Fairing, I decided I needed to investigate. Got me some potato wedges fried in the batter used on fried chicken - from the Lions Booth. Photo is me discovering THEY ARE TASTY! Much more interesting and potatoey than regular fries. Why haven't I tried these before?!?
  
  
• Bahn Mi Bowl, made spicy and ordered as a kids portion. Super fresh and tasty, but I decided I prefer the combo instead so I can get some lettuce in addition to the rice. Just for texture and crunch, not for health. Health comes after the Fair.
  
  
• Finishing up the dregs of the Kettle Corn! It was very chewy because it was very stale. But I still ate it! Because FAIR!
  
  
• VERY nicely done Elephant Ear from the BBQ chicken stand next to the milkshakes. It was buttery and perfectly cooked. It could have used a little more sugar and cinnamon, but based on the late-night dosages of Gas-X and Tums, probably not. Aaaand...I might need to enjoy all future fried dough confections earlier than bedtime.