Fair 2024 – DAYS 1 and 2!

Yowza, what a full couple of days! We have been fairing for two days straight now. By that I mean we took about 10 hours to sleep, shower, and bid farewell to a houseguest. Otherwise, we have been onsite and easing into Full Fair Mode. It always takes me a few days to get into my Fair stride. Exhibit A: I am a touch hungry as I type this. When Fairing properly, hunger is an extremely temporary and transitory state. I know me; I’ll get there!

FAIR! FAIR!! FAIR!!!

Our decades-long friend Steve joined us on Day 1. Heading home to California from a gorgeous Canadian road trip, Steve was eager to experience The Fair he has heard and read about for so many years. A bit worried that perhaps I had set unrealistic expectations with my Super Fan Enthusiasm, I was quite relieved when Steve reported he had a great time, enjoyed the food, and was surprised my beloved Fair is actually bigger than he expected. He did concede, however, that one day of Fairing was sufficient instead of our preferred nine or ten. It’s ok. I still like him.

Rob and Steve went to college together.
And now they get to talk about retirement
together. Life is a trip!

We did our best to give Steve the Highlights Experience of the Clark County Fair. He had a milkshake (raspberry peach blend!), a Smasher, a Ms. Burger, and an Irish Sundae (baked potato) with The Works. He saw the Opening Day Parade and met Curly the Camel and watched some dogs dive into a pool of water. We strolled past some livestock, noted the differences between llamas and alpacas, and paused under the misters in a fleeting effort to cool off. We didn’t have time to get Steve some oddly flavored beef jerky in the Big Air-Conditioned Building or introduce him to the delicious magic of an Elephant Ear or impress him with one of the very best sunset views in the Pacific Northwest from atop the Ferris Wheel. Always gotta leave ‘em wanting more, right?

LOVE the Opening Day Parade! It was a one-time
idea back in 2022 when the Fair reopened after
a 2-year Covid hiatus. But it received such a 
positive response, it's now a tradition! 
New Life Goal: to legitimately be in the parade
(casually walking along in search of a corn dog
does not count, lady)

As Steve was catching up with a mutual friend who lives in the area, Rob and I spent the evening of Day 1 manning (personing?) the “Crafts & Hobbies” department. It’s a volunteer gig we did last year to help out our spunky and determined friend Linda who was the Superintendent of the department and was staring down cancer with grit and defiance. Although Rob and I were extremely sad to miss Linda’s memorial service, we knew she would have much preferred us to stay exactly where we were – in her booth at the Fair, taking care of her visitors and displays. Rest in peace, Linda.

Linda volunteered with the
Fair for over 25 years. She
made a difference and left
her mark. You will be missed,
dear friend.

Our job in Crafts & Hobbies was to answer questions (the most common was about how to enter stuff next year) and to make sure nobody touched the Lego creations. We also got to stamp the Passport to Fun fans of a few kids sugared up way past their bedtimes. Although we were told we could leave at 10pm, the Fair closed at 11pm and we felt pretty invested in the safety of those Legos. So we stayed and chatted with some friends (SO AWESOME to catch up with you, Ali and Cillian! And congrats on the new job!) and made ourselves useful by Windexing off a day’s worth of sticky, smudgy Fair Fingerprints from the glass display cases. It was a late night but a very complete, satisfying, happy first Fair Day.

Photo taken during an apparently very
popular concert featuring a country 
singer named Billy. I felt safe turning 
my back on the Legos for a few seconds.

Day 2 started pretty early, with a 10am shift in the Passport to Fun Gazebo. Rob and I spent the day with an American Red Cross guy named Dan teaching people (mostly kids and their parents) how to play the game (basically go around the Fairgrounds collecting stamps on a paper fan and then return to the Gazebo for a prize) AND answering questions about the Fair. The game explaining is the official duty in the Gazebo. The question answering is the unofficial but insanely fun bonus duty. For us, it is the best part of the gig! For the Red Cross Volunteers that also populate the Gazebo, it is the most intimidating part of the gig. Rob and I know the Fair pretty dang well, so we take it as a personal challenge to be able to satisfactorily answer any question that comes our way. Dan expressed his relief a number of times.

Where is the nearest bathroom? Where do you get the wristbands for the rides? Are the pigs here? Where is the fiddling competition? Where is the guy selling Beenie Babies? Where is the reptiles exhibit? Where do I go if I lose my friend Bob? We had quick answers for all of ‘em!

But sadly, there were two questions that stumped us.

A very bored, eye-rolling, I-can’t-believe-I-have-to-be-here-with-THEM teenager asked us with desperation, “What is the Wi-Fi code?”

Wi-Fi code? For the Fair? The Fair has Wi-Fi??

Rob and I looked at each other and had to admit we did not know about any Wi-Fi code. More eye-rolling. After the teen sulked away, Rob checked his phone and confirmed that while the Fair DOES have Wi-Fi for its vendors, none is offered for its guests. Which is appropriate because, well, you are AT THE FAIR! You shouldn’t be dinking around on your phone. Even if you are 14 and have the horriblest, most embarrassing parents EVER.

One of the benefits of not having kids
is having the time, mental space, and 
extra cash to do things like create your
own personalized stamp for your Passport
Stamping Volunteer Gig.
Yes, that is my own personal stamp!
Yes, I have been waiting almost a year to debut it!
Yes, I stamped passports with glee!
No, I did not ask for permission.
Forgive me, Fine Fair Folks?
Or better yet, delight in my Fair enthusiasm??

The second head scratcher was asked by a guy helping behind the scenes at the fiddling competition. They needed ice for water. The poor guy had been sent all over the Fairgrounds, getting different info from different people about where to find ice. He had been told it was at Vendor Booth 2, so he asked us where that was. I was deflated to admit I had no idea what the exasperated guy was talking about (Rob was busy procuring me a breakfast milkshake, but he was equally mystified when I asked him later).

I looked on a map, I called a Fair contact, and I made a couple suggestions…but mostly I sincerely apologized that nobody was able to give him a clear, correct answer about how to get the promised ice. He was admirably understanding despite the frustration, but I nevertheless felt like we – me, the Gazebo, the Fair – had let him down. Boo.

Later, after our shift was over, Rob and I went in search of Vendor Booth 2. We discovered it is actually called Ticket Booth 2 and we knew right where that is. So next time, Fiddler Guy Needing Ice, we got you!

Breakfast of champions! But please
note my earrings. In order to get a stamp,
I asked kids what my earrings were. Many
correctly yelled, "BALLOON DOG!"
Most popular breed: Poodle.

A highlight of both Day 1 and Day 2 was being enthusiastic members of The Karoline Fan Club. Karoline is an extremely talented senior 4-Her who also happens to be our neighbor. She’s been featured in this blog over the years. I remember when Karoline was born and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching her grow up. I remember listening in awe when Karoline was just 9 years old and was playing the piano in a competition at the Fair after just 4 months of lessons. It was her first time performing in front of an audience and she nailed it with poise and maturity. I don’t know much about music, but I knew enough to know that she had some very serious piano playing talent.

Fast-forward 7 years to today as I briskly walked towards the stage I knew Karoline would be performing on. As I approached, I recognized and quite enjoyed the professional, recorded version of “Hallelujah” that was playing over the loudspeakers while things got set up. Except that things were already set up and Karoline was on the stage in front of the piano. Yep, that was Karoline playing a mesmerizing version of that goosebumpy song. A surprise to nobody, Karoline got a whole mess of fancy ribbons honoring her honed musical talent.

Karoline’s sweep of the Performing Arts competition was on the heels of her dominance in Day 1’s Sewing and Modeling competitions. Karoline is basically the Katie Ledecky of the 4-H clubs she participates in (YES! That’s me making sportsy Olympic references!). And what is even more impressive is that as talented as Karoline is, she is also supportive and encouraging of others on stage with her. Yep, proud member of the Karoline Fan Club right here!

Karoline twirling in the dress she expertly
sewed herself. It even has pockets!

So those are the highlights of our first two days of Fairing! Some things were a little bumpy – like a totally chaotic parking situation on Day 1 that gleefully resulted in free parking. WHOO HOO!! Some things were intriguing – like the possibility of some Fair Swag?!? Some things were a delightful change – like a totally revamped Canning Department. And some things were an uncertain change – like the replacement of our most favorite hypnotist. I will be sharing more details and thoughts about those in the coming days. Right now, SLEEP for tomorrow is another day of FAIR!

 FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE! DAY 1

• First Smasher of the Fair! I tried the new Pineapple flavor. Really good! Very tropical, maybe with a hint of coconut. It wasn't as tangy as I was expecting. I plan to try it mixed with Strawberry before final verdict.
  
  
• Ms. Burger from the Burger Buggy. Always a favorite! LOVE the slice of ham! I asked for condiment packets and never used them -- the ham added enough flavor on its own.
  
  
• First Milkshake of the Fair! A favorite blend of Cookies n Cream and Strawberry. Mmmm! Nice and thick! I've learned that for some reason, it matters which way I order it. If I order it as "Strawberry with Cookies n Cream" it doesn't have enough Oreo bits in it.
  
  
• Juicy, squirty, buttery corn from the vendor outside the south entrance of the Food Court. Super tasty! BUT their salt dispenser is aggressive. I applied WAY too much salt -- even for me. Not pictured: copious water consumption.
  
  
• Corn dog from the red booth across from the Lions Booth. Very tasty dog with just enough batter.
  
  
• The sleeve of Classic Kettle Corn that I suspect will last through the Fair. I wanted it to be a little more salty. I might meander over to the corn folks and steal some of their salt.

FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE! DAY 2

• Featured milkshake flavor of the day was PEPPERMINT! YAY!! Mixed with chocolate, it was a delicious breakfast and highly recommended!
  
  
• Post-gazebo Smasher! It was my favorite Strawberry Mango, since the new Pineapple flavor was long gone for the day. So refreshing! And I'm always excited when thirsty people ask me where I got my drink.
  
  
• Tugging at a whole bunch of grilled chicken from the booth next to the milkshake barn. The chicken was moist and properly cooked, but it didn't have a lot of flavor and the wait was super long. It was fine, but not worth repeating.
  
  
• Still snacking on my kettle corn! And a fabulous tip discovered last year: leaving the bag in the car overnight makes for a wonderfully FAIR FAIR FAIR air fragrance!
  
  
• Super disappointing burrito from the Mexican booth in the Food Court. I debated between it and trying one from the Las Mesitas stand just outside the Food Court. But this one had more ingredients and was a couple dollars cheaper. Lesson learned. It was boring, bland, and not worth finishing, even when doctored up with jalapenos and Cholula sauce.
  
  
• Caught at home with hat hair and a pickle. I was still hungry and was inexplicably craving a pickle (Mt. Olive Kosher Baby Dill.) And no, absolutely not.