What a difference a day makes! Today was MUCH better than yesterday! Much less chaotic, with many fewer Gazebo Emergency texts, and only one escorted trip to the members-only upstairs storage area for another tote of the extremely popular misfit Beanie Babies. Today felt much more Fair like. YAY!
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| A tote of dreams and indecision. |
We got to the Fairgrounds about a half-hour after the Fair
opened and checked on the morning shift in the Gazebo. They were slightly
overstaffed due to an eager mom, but everyone was happy to be there and they
didn’t need much help from us. YAY!
After eating some real food, we made our way to the Kid’s
Park for our next adventure. With zero experience and the only real
qualification being we said yes when Marketing Assistant Jenny somewhat desperately asked us
yesterday, Rob and I joined the panel of esteemed judges for the Pretty Baby Contest.
I know, right?!?
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| Registration prep with Professor Smart, the emcee |
The contest has been held about eight times and apparently each time the rules, flow, point assessing, etc. have been a little different. So there was MUCH discussion about how best to organize the 2025 edition. Rob and I had nothing to add to add to the conversation, but we nonetheless listened intently. We were relieved that all we really had to do was anonymously (THANK GOD!) assign each child a score between 1 and 10. The scores from the panel of 8 judges would be tallied and averaged and math would determine the winners. Easy peasy!
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| Highly confidential confab of judges and organizers to plan how this thing would roll out |
When the panel was invited to assemble at the judging tables between
the stage and the audience, Rob and I brought up the rear. I immediately
started humming to myself that Sesame Street song “One of these
things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong.”
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| Click here for a groovy blast from the past! And a delightful earworm. |
The first six judges were foofed and coiffed and sparkly in
royalty crowns and sashes. They were decked out in pretty outfits and polished
nails and glided across the grass with youthful, barely 20-something poise. They were a parade of loveliness
I followed behind in my Kohls shorts and Fair-themed t-shirt from Zazzle, shower-damp hair smushed under a baseball hat, sneakers still dusty from yesterday’s fairing, and my Passport to Fun badge swinging from a vaguely sash-like lanyard around my neck. Rob completed the conga line wearing a Hawaiian shirt, toting his token testosterone. So in truth, TWO of these things just didn’t belong.
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| I'm pretty sure not a single one of us has ever birthed a baby. And only one of us has ever had a hot flash. |
The contest had four age groups ranging from 3 weeks old (that mom was impressive! Or nuts! Definitely sleep deprived…) to 18 months. It took about 90 minutes to winnow the 39 variously fidgety contestants down to 4 winners. Baby Margo was eventually declared the Grand Champion Prettiest Baby of 2025. YAY MARGO!
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| Margo was indeed undeniably stunning |
I took lots of notes, though I’m not sure why. My scores ranged from a 3 (poor thing…) to several 10s. I noted things like red mohawk, wrinkly, beautiful eyes, sleepy eyes, squishy face, a clapper, chubby cheeks, eats pine cones, poses for camera, so smiley, gassy face, wide head, and total flirt.
I was enthralled by the names these littles carry. Parents
of the mid-2020s are so creative! Names like Huxton, Lulu, Thatcher, Rainier,
Genevieve, June, Loe, Callem, Kinsley, Haven, Blakely, and Rhett. And I'm only guessing at the spellings. These days, a spellcheck-friendly name like John or Rob or Mary is pretty exotic!
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| June sneaking onto the stage and into my heart! She was my favorite! |
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| Anastasia working the crowd |
Although we had no idea what we were doing, Rob and I had quite a bit of fun smiling at a bunch of babies, trying to make them laugh, and watching a swarm of adults try to keep their toddlers mostly wrangled on a stage in front of a live audience. Honestly, that in itself should be a contest!
We had the afternoon shift in the Gazebo, but it was manageable enough that I was able to sneak away for about 20 minutes to watch our teenage neighbor Karoline completely dominate the 4H Performing Arts competition.
An extremely talented pianist whom we have watched grow in her musicianship since she was 8 years old, Karoline literally brought me to tears with her performance today. She played a duet of Pachelbel's Canon with a recording of her 12-year-old self playing the same piece. It was touching, emotional, creative, and exquisite.
As Karoline played her last notes, tears
welled in my eyes. I leaned into her dad and said, “She’s not mine, but I am SO PROUD of
her!” Mom walked over from where she had been recording the performance, wiping
tears from her eyes. As Karoline exited the stage, she tried to understand why two middle aged
women were crying after hearing her play the piano.
“It’s just menopause, nothing to see here!” I told her as I gave her a hug, told her how proud I was of her, and trotted back to the Gazebo hoping mascara wasn’t streaming down my face.
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| Copyright doesn't allow me to post the full recording, but click here for 60 tear-jerking seconds of Karoline's performance. |
I cried again several hours later, this time from laughter.
Last year our favorite hypnotist was not invited back to the
Fair. BOOOO! Why he is hypnotist non grata remains a mystery. The guy the Fine Fair Folks found as a replacement last year was not…experienced.
We saw one show and quickly made other evening plans the remainder of the Fair. The
guy this year is yet another new name. My expectations were pretty low. I fully expected
to be disappointed and continue whining about my favorite Jerry being gone.
Well, I’m here to say I was wrong! Fine Fair Folks, you found a winner in this Tyzen guy from Las Vegas!
Ok, he probably doesn’t need to do the magic tricks or quite so many poop jokes, but once he got the hypnosis part going, Tyzen was absolutely hysterical! Naturally, the quality of a hypnosis show depends heavily on the quality of the participants. But they still need to be given creative, fun prompts.
Tyzen’s show tonight was SO entertaining! I laughed so hard I was crying! We will absolutely check out many more of Tyzen's nightly shows over the next week. Don’t get me wrong – I still miss Jerry and I still deeply appreciate how he uses his show to educate people about hypnosis. Jerry is why I had the courage to try hypnosis to help me manage my chronic back pain (best therapy I have found in over 25 years of pain). But from a truly laugh-riot, belly-laughing, tear-wiping standpoint, this Tyzen guy is a fantastic entertainer and I heartily welcome him to my most favorite Fair. Hiiiiiii, Tyzen!!
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| These guys both thought they were sitting next to Sasquatch and were consoling him because he had lost his one-legged duck friend. |
Tomorrow we do not have any shifts in the Gazebo AND we plan
to attend the evening concert. Stay tuned!
FAIR FOOD FEAST COLLAGE - DAY 2!
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| Clockwise from top left: Pastrami sandwich from the Church Ladies Pie Booth. Their sandwiches are always a mom-made favorite. Chewy sourdough bread, crunchy veggies, a mayo-mustard spread -- just simple, down-home goodness. Plus a pickle spear and a bag of chips! Chocolate Cherry milkshake from the Dairy Women's Milkshake Barn! I love combining flavors ($1 extra). I was excited to see Cherry listed on their permanent menu. Usually it's a special flavor a few times each year. Yakisoba noodles with chicken from the newly branded Noodle House in the Food Court. I liked the noodles there in the past but I was a not a fan of the booth's owner so I took my appetite elsewhere. But there are new owners this year! They kept the same chef and recipes, tweaked a few things, spruced things up, and now I can very happily enjoy the carby goodness of yakisoba noodles doused in Sriracha sauce! The added chicken was pretty good, too! Lightly sweet, pretty moist, good flavor. YAY for new owners! Strawberry Peach Pear Smasher! I decided this combo is my favorite this year. Super refreshing. I was so thirsty, I finished it before we made it back to the Gazebo. The large cup fed me water the rest of the day. Not Pictured: Me munching on my bag of kettle corn because I stupidly forgot it in the car. In other news, my car smells delicious! |
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