Washington State Fair

Last month we visited the Washington State Fair with my parents ("meemaw" and "Pawapw," as Stella and Charlotte call them).  I love, love, love fairs.  Not so much the janky ones that spring up in parking lots (though I don't discriminate, if there are funnel cakes and crappy barf-inducing rides I'll probably be happy).  But the ones I really love are the whole package: livestock, junk food, games, rides, hot tub sales, pie competitions, amateur competitions of all types, miniature horse carriage shows, square dancing, Dokken concerts, whiz-bang gadget demonstrations, and on and on and on.  And the people!  where else do you see 4H kids, chubby pasty couch potatoes, horsey people (distinguishable because they wear Wrangler jeans of a particular cut), riff-raff of all types and backgrounds, yuppie suburbabanites, senior citizens, and carnies all in one place??  The state fair is simply amazing.  I have to say, I am highly biased because I grew up miles from the Ohio State Fair, which is absolutely, absolutely epic.  I will just say: every year they make huge sculptures from thousands and thousands of pounds of butter.  That's right, butter.  They literally set up a pond where kids can fish.  It is SERIOUS.  So I have to say west coasters don't really know how to put on a state fair like midwesterners do.  Have you ever read the essay by David Foster Wallace about the Illinois State Fair?  DFW is an amazing ethnographer.  I feel like reading his journalistic essays has improved my research.  The part where he describes the folk dancing literally made me tear up.  The rest of it just made my ribs ache from laughing.  I highly recommend it.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand.  Below, some photos, with brief commentary.

One of my favorite things to do at a fair is look at the animals.  As a kid, I bought one of my rabbits, Princess, at the fair.  Looking at the animals became even more awesome after that because as an 8 year old I had this sense that I could potentially actually take these animals home, even though we lived in the suburbs and my parents were obviously not going to let me buy a horse or a llama.  But it was the stuff of fantasies anyway.

     I was an absolute horse freak as a kid.  I really still am.  My mom and I took riding lessons together for years.  Even smelling the horses, standing close to them and looking at their eyelashes, I got lost in the wonder of them.  To me, horses are magical and beautiful creatures. 

 

S&C petting a bunny in a box.

Cow judging.  In Ohio, they televise the Sale of Champions every year, which is the sale of the animals that won each of the junior livestock divisions.  You might think this is cute.  Until the winning steer will be sold for like $35,000 or thereabouts.  In the past several years there have been endless scandals reported in the local papers related to doctoring of livestock by 4H kids or their hired animal "dressers."  These kids are not Fing around.  

some signs & posters...

I love that the fair is about being from somewhere and learning something and doing a project.  

Games.  I swear every damn fair has these same giant sad-eyed tigers.  The second pic is S&C with their loot.  I won those little hedgehogs by throwing darts at balloons.  It only took me two tries to win two hedgehogs!  I have to say, I was like ridiculously over-proud of myself for that.  I had this whole "hell yeah, what single mama can win her kids stuffed animals at the fair all by herself, THANK you VERY MUCH!" attitude all afternoon.  I am telling you about it because I am still disproportionately proud of winning the stupid dart game. 

What is a fair without super junky rides, which you worry may collapse and maim you or your children at any moment?  

Food.  Oh god, I looooove fair food.  My dad was all excited to get a scone, which is evidently THE thing to get at the Washington State Fair.  I mercilessly made fun of how bourgie this sounded and how Seattle-ie he is now and how they would never have scones in Ohio.  The I tried one and it was damn good.  In your face, Katie.  We also had amazing BBQ...

And to top it all off, my all time favorite fair food (no, not deep-fried butter!  they totally have that now.  barf.)...elephant ears!!!  

I can't wait for next year.