The Fair!

Note: Blogger seems to have switched the order in which they post pictures when you put up five at a time. Rather than reorder 40 photos, you instead will have to read an out-of-order post.

My mother and my Aunts picked me up early for work today to go to the FAIR! I've not been to the Oregon State Fair yet. The fact that it is in Salem (about an hour away) is a hindrance as is the time of year. I left work early during the crucial week before school starts. Eeeee. But it was still fun. We went to see Garrison Keillor's Rhubarb Tour which turned out to be not a full Prairie Home Companion show but some music and a "Quiet Week in Lake Wobegon" story and (my favorite!) several sound effects segments. It was incredibly fun and of course we sampled the delights of the fair beforehand.

A colorful "fair food" booth.
Some of the rides.
Aunts Pat and Carol are right behind us!
Just in case you can't read this sign, there are about 30 others to remind you.
Upon arriving, we decided to take this great chair lift across the fairgrounds so we could get our bearings.
I love the flag next to the ad for sustainable energy. Also, this boy was very into waving at everyone.
Sara saw the giant pig at the Western Idaho fair. I saw it from the air at this one. I particularly love the "Alive!" moniker.
Some full-faced face painting.
Midway delights.
Mom and I in the air.
Children dancing to one of the musicians. He was not so good. He kept needing assurance that we were having a good time. "Are you having a good time?" he would ask multiple times per song? When there weren't many "wooooo"s he would say, "Let me know that you are having a good time!" We heard a lot of him because we were eating.
Eating Fair food!
I love that you get noodles and rice. We termed it a very Hawaiian meal because many cheap places you eat in Hawaii you get to choose at least two of several starchy sides.
The juxtaposition of the mechanical bull (which I associate with scantily clad women and 80's metal music as epitomized in more than one video) and the "Are you going to Heaven?" booth is one of my favorite things about the fair.
This guy was Brandon Cash and he was great! He sounded very much like Johnny Cash. We heard him both ways on the chair lift thing.
Some local Dahlias. The one on the top row right was called something like "Patricia Ann's Sunrise" Patricia Ann would be my Aunt Pat's name.
This was one of my favorite things about the fair. They had all sorts of informative signs about Oregon Industries.
I don't understand how these chicken see.
Baby chicks!
Another kid dancing to the insecure musician.
People made this Superman costume! It is awesome!
I had 8 pictures of decorated cakes and managed it cut it down to two. (Lucky you.) I love this cake that has all of the "State Whatevers" on it.
And who could resist this cake?
Well what do you know? It's this guy. But now he is selling mops.
Some good Oregon wines.
Okay, this was one of my favorite things. Somewhere down below there will be a picture of table settings. For some reason, table settings get a full critique that is published for everyone to read as they walk by. I don't understand why, if they do full critiques, they choose table settings, but they do. They were pretty funny to read. And anal. "please keep the forks 1/2 inch from each other." And spot-on, most of them.
Another cool thing about this fair. These are all Oregon Authors selling their books.
Fair humor. (a pun unto itself!)
Bees!
Some interesting information about seed farming.
Back on the chair lift to go and see Garrison Keillor.
From the air, we saw this Chinese Acrobatic Dance Troupe. They were pretty cool.
Argh! It's the cross stitch again! And it got second place! Again!
My favorite quit was this one made from Army Fatigues. I have a quilt made from bluejeans on my bed at home, so this would be its enlisted counterpart.
Here's the table setting that the critique above discusses.
Accidental zoom portrait while attempting to take a picture of Aunt Pat and I in the chairlift.
This couple was awsome. And full of fair highlights. (Flags, stuffed animals, big smile, etc)
What's that long line for? Could that possibly be the line to get in to see Garrison Keilor? It was!
Farris Wheel at sunset.
If you squint really hard, you can see the guy with the red shoes. That's him. Garrison Keilor.
Usually when he reads his "Lake Wobegon" piece for the week I am bustling about the house doing chores. My attention drifts in and out. Tonight I sat in the not-cold summer darkness with thousands of other people and listened as he spun his tale. With nothing to distract me and with his famous calming voice it was very much a zen experience--a very nice summer moment. Alas, it was followed by a long walk in the dark to the parking lot and a late night drive back. But still, it was THE FAIR! I love the fair and this was a great one.