2026 Clark County Fair – Day 7

Oh. My. Word.

I totally forgot today was Kids Day. The day kids under 12 get into the Fair for a reduced price. Today was Crazy Town in the Gazebo. Rob and I are tired beyond tired. I can’t believe it was just this morning - not a week ago - that we left the house early because of road construction. And were delayed by the Amazon driver delivering us the overnight bottle of Tums. Not even kidding.

I'm going to have the sign's saying
put on a t-shirt for next year.
SO much truth.

We considered keeping the bottle in
the car for easy access. Car Tums.
Because Fair.

I’m not sure I can string multiple sentences together in any coherent manner, so we’re going to do a Top 7 List of today’s events. Seven because I’m too exhausted to think of three more to make an even ten.

1. We had not one but two road construction delays on our way to the detours for the other road construction delays we have been slaloming around all summer.

Our detours need detours. SO much
road construction in our area this summer.

2. Marketing Maven Jenny got us a whole bunch of new toys for the Gazebo a la Overnight Amazon. We ran through about 80% of them. My favorite was the punch balloon. I played with it off and on all day, always delighted to demonstrate it for the kids. And adults who were quick to instruct, "NOT in the car."

Very soothing in a very different way than the
whirligig and the serger. Click here for a video.

3. Professor Smart has this ridiculously fun routine where he gets a bunch of kids onstage and they use their voices to break a lightbulb. We learned yesterday that the Professor is having a hard time finding the required incandescent light bulbs. Woodhaven is pretty much all LEDs at this point, so we were thrilled to find a great cause for our stash of old incandescents I couldn’t bear to just throw away. We put the word out on social media to local friends with hope we can get some more bulbs to the Professor before the Fair ends on Sunday. Because we thought having another self-imposed project made sense.

I honestly had no idea we had so many
incandescent lightbulbs!
Click here for a video of how Professor
Smart puts them to fun and educational use!

4. I got another delicious old-timey sandwich at the Church Ladies Pie Stand, this time for breakfast. We chatted with one of the ladies who shared that their sales tend to increase over the course of the Fair each year, as folks who are at the Fair every day get weary of all the grease and sugar. Also, the stand does great on Senior Day (Wednesday) since the Fairgoers with all the dietary restrictions are their key demographic.

Even the aprons say "Afterschool snack
made by mom!" Also, I got the recipe for 
their delicious sandwich spread. The 
not-so-secret ingredient is dill pickle juice.
No wonder I love it!

5. The Mars Exploration exhibit is pretty underwhelming. Kids were playing miniature golf (not sure how that was Martian) and enjoying the enormous planet-themed bounce house. Rob and I plan to see if grown-ups are allowed turns in the small excavator-claw-thingy to simulate moving Martian rocks around. Otherwise, the rest of the inflatables and computerized exhibits about rocks and gases were either broken or required an app or had a talking robot providing directions at such a low volume in the noisy hall that it was impossible to figure out the task and the lesson.

The best thing about the Mars Exploration exhibit is they have a collection of tables and chairs in the corner that are a much quieter alternative to eating in the Food Court. All week, Rob and I have been saying sentences like, “Wanna eat in Mars?” and “I’ll find a table in Mars” and “Meet ya in Mars with napkins.”

I have no idea what the inflatable
tunnel was supposed to be. The whole
exhibit was just confusing.
And yes, puppy dog balloon earrings!

6. We were thrilled our friend Taylor wanted to help us out in the Gazebo for a few hours this afternoon! We met Taylor a couple of years ago in the Pig Barn. She had 4-H Pigs and was so fun to talk to! I waved our paddle around for her during the livestock auction a few days later. We now make sure to find each other when the pigs arrive during the second half of the Fair. Taylor aged out of 4-H but she’s onsite this year supporting her younger brother. She knows a lot about the Fair, so she was a HUGE help in the whackadoodle Gazebo this afternoon. Thanks a TON, Taylor! 

Please volunteer next year, Taylor!

7. We are so very tired.

Oy.

Three more days to go…

 

FAIR FOOD FEAST PARADE!

Desperately missing unsweetened
bubbles. Cherry Spindrift from home.

Delicious Turkey Sandwich from the 
Church Ladies Pie Stand. Rob noted
the sandwich spread recipe in his 
phone while one of the nice ladies
rattled it off. Can't wait to see if 
I can replicate it in the off-season!

Strawberry Mango Smasher! 
My favorite. And I love the study
cup for water refills the rest of the day.

Free Twizzler licorice for being a
subscriber to our local newspaper.
I turned down the coffee mug because
I was feeling snackish.

Parmesan Basil Waffle Fries from the
Bahn Mi stand at the southeast end
of the Food Court. The Basil Sauce
is FANTASTIC. It paired wonderfully
with the Parmesan cheese. The waffle
fries were honestly a little overcooked.
I enjoyed this because I love the basil
sauce, but I would have been happier
with less crispy fries.

I planned to get a brownie but they
had walnuts in them, so I got a 
chocolate chocolate chip cookie
instead. They aren't homemade, but
the little cookies at the stand in the
middle of the Food Court selling 
Nathan's hot dogs are a great snack.

Super bummed the Lions Booth isn't 
selling chicken strips this year. I tried
these chicken strips from the Demolay
booth. Not bad! Chicken was moist and 
the batter had some flavor. I totally forgot
to get my favorite Fair dipping sauce
of Ranch dressing mixed with Sriracha.
I had the BBQ packets instead. I enjoyed the
chicken strips, but I had to take 3 Tums
when we got home. Should have kept
the bottle in the car.