2026 Clark County Fair – Final Recap

It’s been a full week since my beloved Clark County Fair came to a close. Yes, it took a bit to recover this year, but that recovery didn’t really start until last Thursday.

Less than 12 hours after we walked through the Green Gate for the last fairing time in 2026, Paul and his crew were setting up to paint a bunch of walls inside Woodhaven. Yes, we absolutely could have waited. But in the interest of just ripping off the Band-Aid and getting it over with, we continued with the last bits of Tim. Because I knew once I let myself stop, I’d be unenthused to start up again.

Painting is surprisingly noisy. And
so much more relaxing when someone
else does it!

Tim is 99% done – separate blog coming soon! But wow, did he impact my Fair experience.

Rob and I arrived on Day 1 with less energy and more aches (physically and emotionally) than ever before. And on Days 4-6, we greeted Paul’s crew as we whisked off to the Fairgrounds bright and early. It wasn’t until after the Fair was over that we had the time and daylight to take a discerning look at Woodhaven’s new exterior paint job. It looks great!

Despite starting off a bit depleted, I am astounded and relieved to say that after a few days of getting adjusted to Fair Life, we had a blast! Although there were definitely some bumps (hello, Day 9), there were a couple days that were absolutely perfect – friends, food, animals, no rush, no tasks, pure escape. Desperately needed, and deeply appreciated.

Being in charge of the Gazebo again was a bit more work than I expected. I really thought all our lessons and improvements last year would make this year run smoother. And I suppose they did, for the things I could control. But for those things I couldn’t control – like easy access to sufficient supplies – it was a lot of stress and frustration. Especially since solutions that were out of my control seemed so easy.

At the end of Day 9, this was all
the Passports that we had left.
Very stressful! And eventually
thankful more were found overnight.

I loved interacting with all the kiddos who visited the Gazebo. The added stairs so the littles could easily see their prize options were a huge and immediate success. It was also satisfying to intuitively partner with parents on some important life lessons. Like carelessly losing a Beanie Baby prize somewhere on the Fairgrounds and not being given another one out of sympathy. And being gently called out when trying to cheat the system by turning in another kid’s lost Passport for an unearned prize (three cheers for the "Congratulations" stamp!). As someone who doesn’t have kids, it was pretty cool to team up with mom and dad a few times.

LOVE THE STAIRS!
Also kudos to the kiddos who
realized they could peek into our
Beanie Baby stash from the top step
if they knew where to look! Sneaky!

As happens every year, I had some mid-Fair panic purchases. So thankful for Amazon Prime! This year’s last-minute must-haves included: hydration packets to help my copious water consumption be a bit tastier and more Fair-like; a bottle of Tums because we ran through our stash mysteriously fast; a bottle of ink to refill our Congratulations stamp; and comfy Bombas-dupe socks because it turns out some cushioning really does make a difference, but not at $14 per pair.

Top Sock: My daily sock because it
has a smiley face. But also zero
cushioning, as I painfully realized at
the end of Day 1.

Middle Sock: The one pair of Bombas I
bought several months ago to see if a $14
sock was really worth it. I wore them on
Day 2. Verdict: Definitely much more
comfy, but $14?!? For a pair of socks?!? Nope.

Bottom Sock: My Amazon version of the 
pricey Bombas. Not as much cushion but really
comfy and my feet didn't scream. At $14 for
SIX pairs, neither did I.

I really missed not having Demolition Derby this year. While I understand it’s increasingly challenging to find suitable cars, drivers, and liability insurance, the Fair just seemed a little less exciting without watching cars smash into each other. I’ve been scouting out other proximate fairs that might get me my Demo Derby fix. I found one that would require an overnight stay. We’ll see.

In the absence of the Demolition Derby,
Tuff Trucks is now my favorite dirt sport.
My friend Shelley took this photo right after
Rob and I had to leave to tend to the Gazebo.
BOOOOOOO!!!!!

If Rob and I are invited to oversee the Gazebo during next year’s Fair, we will very likely say yes. But we will need to make a few adjustments. Primarily, we don’t want to close the Gazebo at 8:00pm each evening. We offered to do that this year. But once the dirt events arrived and we wanted to spend evenings in the Grandstands, we quickly realized it wasn’t working for us. I started to resent the Gazebo for hijacking my Fair Fun in the evenings. Nobody wants that!

Taken on Day 7. Enough said.

So while there were a few bumps, I had a Great Fair this year. I got the escape I needed. I reconnected with some friends, and I forged stronger bonds with other friends. I ate some delicious food, and only lost sleep one night due to poor culinary choices. Although I know we technically have a month to go, my beloved Fair was a wonderful finale to one heck of a summer. Thank you for riding the roller coaster with me!

Fairwell, 2026 Clark County Fair!
You exhausted me and rejuvenated me!