YOWZA! Being responsible for things at the Fair is a whole ‘nother world than just showing up, moseying about, assessing food offerings, and helping out here and there.
Around 5:00pm this evening, when Rob announced as I wilted
in a chair in the Gazebo, that we only had 3 more hours to go until our shift
was over, I laughed because I was certain he was joking. At that moment, on
what felt like Day 4 of the Fair and not merely Hour 7, I questioned if perhaps
my fairing days were coming to an abrupt halt. It turns out I was just hungry.
PHEW!
Before we arrived at the Fairgrounds this morning 20 minutes before it opened, I had already pulled together and printed 40 copies of a departments cheat sheet that I never had a chance to hand out, updated and distributed the schedule spreadsheet to reflect overnight changes, designed and printed signs announcing a brief closure of the Gazebo for the Opening Day Parade, and volunteered to open up the Gazebo due to the current state of the Midway being described by Marketing Assistant Jenny as “bonkers!” She wasn’t wrong.
 |
| First time I have ever faired with a clipboard! |
Rob and I spent about 4 hours before our afternoon shift in
the Gazebo trying to do a lap around the Fairgrounds to see what was new. We
never made it.
Instead, we entered the inner sanctum of the Prizes & Awards
offices to get yet more Passport fans, scoured the Fairgrounds for 3 chairs we could commandeer
for the Gazebo volunteers, toted a large tub of Beanie Babies down the Midway because
Fair, and then disappointed the masses when we closed up the Gazebo (as two
signs warned for hours) for the parade. When we reopened 45 minutes later, the
pent-up demand for plastic dinosaurs and Beanie Baby bears was intense. A line
stretched almost to the milkshake barn. It took nearly 30 minutes to get it cleared.
It was, in a word, bonkers.
 |
| We found these in a lonely corner of the Big Air Conditioned Building. We DID get permission to "repurpose" them. |
 |
| Photo I sent to Jenny asking permission to relocate 3 of these chairs. It's now already a favorite photo of my Fair Buddy. |
 |
| Favorite Parade Photo. |
 |
| Out of camera range: about this many more people standing in line to the right. This was pre-parade. I had absolutely zero capacity to take a photo after the parade. |
 |
| Perk of responsibility: rides in Fair Golf Carts! Weeeee! |
I talked so much, at one point my voice started cracking
like Peter Brady’s in that one episode. But in each interaction, I tried to be
present, enthusiastic, encouraging, and helpful. FAIR!!!! I was indeed having a blast sharing my Fair with so many people – but it
was a shock to the system. The system that had been lazing about most of the
summer, just waiting to kick into Fair action. I hadn’t realized how
different it is to work at the Fair instead of just attending it. Yes, big DUH. I just didn’t expect to feel it quite so quickly or acutely. I am
sure by the end of the weekend, I will be adjusted. Or maybe even by tomorrow
with a good night’s sleep…
I took a break in the 6:00pm hour to watch our insanely talented 17-year-old neighbor add more fancy ribbons to her collection. The 4H Fashion Revue is always one of my favorite events, as kids either sew their outfits or go shopping and thriftily assemble one. There are fewer participants as the years go on, but the event still never disappoints.
 |
| Karoline said the piped edges on the straps were the hardest part of sewing this dress. My mind continues to be blown by her talent! |
 |
| This gal purchased her dress from Forever 21 and looked much closer to that age than I'm sure her parents appreciate. |
After going through 2.5 days' worth of prizes, we finally closed down the Gazebo at around 8:30pm and got
dinner. We realized that we really hadn’t had much opportunity to eat all day.
BOO! That is NOT good fairing!! This will be rectified. ASAP.
We have the afternoon shift in the Gazebo tomorrow. We plan
to arrive before lunch and eat a real meal instead of the snacking approach we
unwisely followed today. Maybe I will even get to hand out my 40 cheat sheets I
insisted were critical to print out this morning. Stay tuned!
Fair Food Feast Collage!
 |
| Clockwise from top left: Strawberry Mango Smasher! My first of many! So happy to see my Smashers friends, too. I've missed them. Good ol' fashioned Corn on the Cob. There's only one booth selling regular corn. I doused this with butter, salt, and pepper and squirted anyone within 5 feet of me. Also grateful my Fair Bag includes dental floss. Chicken Tender from the Lion's Booth. This was dinner and I inexplicably only finished 1.5 of the two tenders. I snagged some Sriracha from the Noodles booth to add to my Ranch dipping sauce. Very tasty! Even if I'm still sort of burping... Kettle Corn! This bag will likely last most of the Fair. I needed a snack while Gazeboing. I wanted a milkshake, but the Kettle Corn line was shorter. So good! |
No comments:
Post a Comment