Governor Closes The Fair in Style

The grand finale to our One Day Vacation 17 Days in a Row came today when we were invited to be part of the Governor's entourage as she "Did the Puyallup." I didn't realize that she is from Auburn. She also got Fair going tips from her mom. She had quite the tour today including serving scones, meeting the 10 year old girl who grew the prize-winning giant pumpkin, and getting on board with the chicken mascot as part of the Fair's daily parade. We are sad the the festivities are over already.
Here are the highlights from The Fair 2007:
* Driving a Toyota Tundra on the dirt track behind the Green Gate

*Sponsoring a child in Africa after visiting World Vision's African Experience

*Figuring out to buy our water from the Mountain Mist and Crystal Springs booths rather than the food vendors

*Seeing the Governor "Do the Puyallup"

*Discovering that eating Fair food every day can be done without having to buy bigger pants

*Getting box seats at the rodeo

*Hearing from readers about their best Fair Experiences

*Finding out for sure that Happy is Good

Thanks for sharing the fun with us!

Packing in all the fun we can take

Have you seen the Dock Dogs on TV yet? We saw them "in person" at the Fair today. They run down a 40 foot dock and jump into a pool. The dog with the longest jump wins. Yeah!
We went into Toonzville finally. The Let's Pretend Circus is lots of fun because it gets the kids up on stage and into costume. Thanks to Karen Quest for getting information about this show to us.
We rode the ferris wheel in an attempt to get through every last activity on our fun list. When did the ferris wheel lose its safety bar that goes across the lap? It added an element of excitement, I tell you.
We saw a family having a birthday party at a picnic table on a big grassy area between the kiddie rides. Who knew there was a big grassy area? It helps to get up high in the rides to find these hidden sections of the Fair.

Sprint to the Finish Line - Readers Tell Us What Not To Miss

So many great readers and Fair-goers have written to me this week to tell us what not to miss in these final two days of the Fair. This is what is still on our list: rootbeer floats, Dock Dogs (Dogs run down a 40 foot ramp and jump into a pool. Longest jump wins. What's not to like about this event?), visit Toonville, and ride the ferris wheel. Here's what some readers had to say this week:
Here are my observations on what has changed, what has remained the same:
Scones are the same, wonderful. The raspberry jam is probably coming from Oregon these days (I checked at the scone stand a couple years ago and it was), which I regard as a mini-scandal, because scones came to the Fair in the early 1900s because Mr. Paulhamus (sp?) was looking for an outlet for all the raspberries Puyallup Valley farmers were producing, and scones with raspberry jam were part of the solution.)
Hamburgers seem to have down in quality, and up in price. Though I only tried two different producers. Maybe our hamburger standards have gone up since we started eating McDonald's and Burger King burgers. I was not happy paying $4.50 for a distinctly mediocre hamburger this year.
Enjoyed watching kids and their parents enjoy the Hobby Hall, as I enjoyed exhibiting my matchbook collection there.
Loved the Mutton Bustin'. Great fun, free fun.
Roller Coaster is the same, and still fun. I miss the Old Mill.
Games of chance seem cheesier. My brother and I are tall, 6'2" and 6'3", and we could lean out at the dime-throwing booth, leaning past the "foul line" when we could, and we won lots of panda bears for our sisters and girlfriends. No more dime-throwing booth, and the prizes don't seem as good.
Glad the taffy booth is still in the same place, and a bargain, 75 cents for a bar of peppermint taffy, which I enjoyed after the Fair last night, when I walked over to see the second half of the Puyallup-Bethel football game. Puyallup won. On, Puyallup! The student rooting section was in good voice.
Good addition: Churros with hot chocolate, just like I had in Barcelona.
"Killer Kielbasa." I ate one in the beer garden last night, while listening to the Smilin' Scandinavians polka band. The sausage was the size of a geoduck or a fire hose. Darn near killed me, but I can't say the Kielbasa didn't warn me, with its name.
Photo exhibit: Excellent. Some of the photos were of extremely high quality, National Geographic level.
Cordially,
Michael Mowrer
I enjoyed reading your column in today's Herald. You mentioned you will be focusing on live entertainment at The Fair. May I suggest that you take in one of my shows at the Fountain Plaza stage near the Gold Gate? My name is Karen Quest and I perform the Cowgirl Tricks show three times each day: 12:30PM, 2:45PM and 5:00PM. I have had the good fortune to be on that stage since 2002. It's a comedy cowgirl show complete with trick roping, whip cracking and kooky cowgirl shenanigans. I happen to be staying with one of your high school classmates - Elisa Hays, née Sullivan, who not so coincidentally, has a great program for children ages 4 to 12 in the red, yellow and blue tent aka Toonsville in Sillyville (that's a lot of "villes") - her showtimes are Friday at 2, 4, 6 and 8 PM, Saturday and Sunday at 12, 2, 4, 6, and 8 PM.


I haven’t been to the Fair, but looking at your blog, I FEEL like I have been to the Fair! Thanks so much for making me feel like I have been having little 3-minute vacations!!Photography is great, too! Julie

Keep those comments coming!

Musical Fun & Young Life

We are having good luck not only finding performers on the stages but also along the walkways. The Konzelman family (family of 7 from Puyallup) is performing several times a day on the Showplace stage near the Blue Gate. Their homebrew mix of bluegrass, family warmth and clog dancing keeps the crowd clapping and cheering the whole time. I get the feeling that maybe the same audience is sitting through show after show and buying up all those new Konzelman CDs.
Hey! I finally know what all the Young Life fuss is about. I had a roast beef sandwich yesterday. Dinner foods at the Fair have always been a mystery to me. I could lead a tour of the snack foods blindfolded but I've never known what to pick for a meal. It turns out that the hype is right: the Young Life BBQ is great!

Live Entertainment - What's your pick?

This week we are taking in as much live entertainment around the fairgrounds as we can find. What acts do you recommend? My son loves the marionettes in Sillyville. Today we caught the Gotdrummers.com performance, the juggler and the Cowgirl Tricks. We saw Travis Fox the hypnotist but I need to see it several more times to find out if I saw what I think I saw during his show. Stay tuned for more reports from the entertainment frontlines...

Showcase of Odd Exhibits

So I am throwing out a challenge to all readers: what it the oddest, most noteworthy exhibit you've seen at The Fair? It is Day 11 and we are still finding whole sections of The Fair that we haven't seen yet. Today we explored the area near the Blue Gate and, to our great relief, found the chainsaw artists. It just wouldn't be The Fair without them.

Sight and Sound Sensation

We spent today in Sillville enjoying the rides for the 10 and under crowd. We think the kid size food with kid sized prices in Sillyville are great. We also got the chance to see the reservist Army band play. This week we'll be focusing on the live entertainment on the various stages and the food options. If you have ideas to share, post them here.

What do you think The Fair will be like in 30 years?

Today Cy asked me what I think the Fair will be like when he is a grown-up. It is hard to imagine what will change and what will be the same. I assume that the core animal and agriculture purpose of The Fair will remain in place. I know I have been enjoying these Grange arrangements for 30 years and hope to for at least 30 more years. We speculated that maybe the products sold and the rides would be different because of all the advancements in technology. I know the Fair changes a little bit each year but it happens so gradually that it is now hard for me to say exactly what is different. The only big thing I remember is the one year when the Green Gate area was a Disney section. It was kind of like New Coke - short lived. Does anyone want to take a shot at predicting what the Fair will be like in the future?

Showplex Vendors - What did you buy?

We committed to tour the vendors in the Showplex this week for review in the Puyallup Herald on Thursday. I now realize that its not smart to carry a credit card through the vendors' aisles. Who doesn't need that super-absorbent sponge that lasts five years? With only a $50 down payment, I can get the night sky from a particular date painted on my ceiling. The artist from the Nickolodeon show "Magic with Marvin" sold me the greatest set of blendy-markers in my first 10 minutes in the building. There are three more rows for us to peruse and I'm not sure I can make it. How I have survived without all these great products that I now know I need? Which are the demonstrators that pull you in and get you to make a purchase?

Which games can you win?

We started our exploration of the Midway today. We found a fishing game that guarantees everyone will win. We now have a whole collection of differently colored plush frogs. Has anybody had any luck at any of the other games? We've been tossing rings, tossing dimes, throwing balls and squirting water at ballons. We don't have a single award to show for it. I see people carrying around animals that are three times as big as me. How did they win those? My son decided that he prefers to spin the wheel that the gemologists have in the Hobby Hall. Everyone walks away a winner, with a polished rock in their pocket. Any tips on how to win an oversized bulldog out on the Midway?

Day 6 Progress Report

These are my questions: 1) How fat will we be after eating scones 17 days in a row? 2) Will we be able to afford to finish this project? 3) Is it possible to max out your personal Fun-o-meter? It is Day 6 of 17 days and here are my answers so far: 1) Chubby, but not so that strangers will notice. On the upside, I will have built up good tolerance for holiday eating. (NOTE: We probably won't be playing the Fool the Guesser game after about Day 10). 2) One friendly reader has already offered to pledge money towards this project. I think a One Day Vacation telethon may be in order. Another reader suggested that we might bring in our own food and cut costs that way. Hello?? Its the Fair. I'm not sure it actually counts as Fair time if you pack your own lunch. Does anyone have a ruling on this? Good thing the Fair offered us season passes. I am left to my own devices to manage my spending. 3) I think our Fun-o-meters are in good shape. When ever we feel overwhelmed with the joy of it all, we find a place to sit down and remember that it will be raining soon.

What is your favorite ride?

I've declared the Foot Jiggler to be my favorite ride. Its cheap (.50), there are no lines, and they are available all over the fairgrounds. My son thinks my choice might be a little too tame. He likes the SkyRide and the Giant Slide, also tame choices. My work friend loves the "slingshot" ride. He claims it reminds him of the scary landings on aircraft carriers that he did when he was in the Navy. I'm not sure that's a sensation that I'd work to replicate. What are your favorite rides?

Favorite New Exhibit - What is yours?

We have awarded the World Vision African Village exhibit our Favorite New Exhibit Award of 2007. The experiential display in a bamboo-lined tent walks visitors through the day in a life of a 2-year old in Niger. You can sit on her bed, try on her shoes made of tires, see the tanks of dirty water her family has access to, and see the 3 tablespoons of food that feeds her family each week. There is a place for kids to play on traditional musical instruments, grind corn into meal, and pump water. The story ends by showing the difference that World Vision has been able to make in the little girl's village. We were so impacted by the exhibit that we ended up commiting to sponsor a child with a monthly donation. I can't think of another exhibit at The Fair that has resulted in so much interesting conversation around our dinner table.

What are your favorite new exhibits?

Pro Rodeo at The Fair - Have you gone yet?

Cy and I are big rodeo fans but we'd never seen the rodeo at the Fair before yesterday. We got lucky that the friendly staff at the Green River Community College offered us box seats for the 1:00 rodeo. Needless to say, our spot in the sun was a glorious place to spend our One Day Vacation. The cowboys, the stock, and the arena are impressive. We saw some of the best competitors in the world complete with playbacks on the big screen on either side of the stage. Eight seconds is never quite long enough to take in the whole spectacle. I am definitely going to make plans to buy my tickets early next year to be sure we're in the arena when the fun begins.
Have you been to this rodeo yet? What tips do you have for spectators who are new to this sport?

Finding New Favorites

Cy and I returned to The Fair again today for more fun. There are some things that we do EVERY time we go to The Fair. I think coming in the Red Gate and starting with one hot scone from the booth under the grandstands offically tells our brains that it is now time to have some fun. Today we discovered lots of new exhibits that are great. The carver-of-giant-pumpkins outside the Pavillion is a hoot. He will custom carve one of these 500 lb. beauties for your next special event. Also, we loved the high school art exhibit on the ground floor of the Pavillion. Cy can't believe that it is possible to draw Jack Sparrow so well.

What new things have you found on the fairgrounds this year?

Fair Going Tips - What are yours?

Here are some things I learned from my mom about the art of Doin' the Puyallup:
1) Start out early in the day to avoid the crowds.
2) The only scones that count are the ones you buy at the booth under the grandstands.
3) It IS possible to park for free.
4) Nobody with a lick of sense needs to go on more than 3 rides.

My son and I got our season passes, complete with photos, at the Gold Gate today. We are serious about our Fair and will be reporting back here each day and look forward to hearing about your Fair experiences over the next 17 days.

Here's the tip I would add to my mom's list:
1) Take off your watch.
This is a major tenet of the One Day Vacation state of mind. There's nowhere else you need to be. Let yourself be absorbed by the sight and sound sensation that is The Fair.

What are your ideas for making the most of your One Day Vacation at the The Fair?

One Day Vacation 17 Days in a Row

The count down is almost over. The 2008 Western Washington Fair finally opens on Friday. The One Day Vacation team will be at The Fair for each day of its 17 day run. We'll be testing out the new trans-fat-free cooking oils, visiting the World Vision exhibit, checking on the new piglets and trying to get in on lots of the free concerts offered on various stages all over the fair grounds. Check back often to read about our new finds and old favorites. I hope you'll add to the conversation by posting your experiences at The Fair on this blog.

You can also send me photos and comments via e-mail. I can be reached at - sallyzeigerhanson@gmail.com. I will post your comments here. Also check out The Herald each Thursday for an article that showcases our experiences for the week.

Find out about Fair tickets and schedules by visiting http://www.thefair.com

Roar of the Sunday Crowd

If you like cowboys, days in the sun, $2 hamburgers, and small town adventures, Roy Pioneer Rodeo is not to be missed. On the professional circuit, this rodeo features wooden stands from days gone by, some of the best ranch stock in the country, food made by the locals and some very competitive cowboys. We've taken to spending one day each Labor Day weekend at the Roy Rodeo and I always find that it is a great way to end the summer. Don't miss out next year when the Roy Rodeo gets underway next year both in June and on Labor Day. http://www.royrodeo.com