Thursday, April 27, 2006

The Puyallup Spring Fair

The Puyallup Spring Fair was held this last weekend in conjunction with the Daffodil Parade. I'll have to admit that when I get over to the Fair, I head over to the animals first, and try to find a favorite - pygmy goats. Often, there are newborn goats, and I take my video camera and zoom in on them.

Cattle are next, with all the activity in the barns. These are the cleanest cattle you will ever see, with owners making sure that they look great for 'show'.

I take a long time in the Domestic Arts Building - I love the quilts, the jams and jellies, the homemade pies, and all of the embroidery. The Arts and Crafts are usually next, and they do not allow any photographs in that building. We have people all over the United States entering their photography here.

The Spring Fair is not as grand in scale as the Fall Festival, held in the middle of September, but it is a great place to people watch. I enjoy sitting with a warm, buttery scone with raspberry jam. And, I enjoy watching people walk away with those giant, stuffed animals that are fun to win — but not so fun to lug around the rest of the day.


This year’s Spring Fair featured a Charreada, a traditional Mexican-style rodeo, with skilled charros (cowboys) in colorful Mexican costumes, and mariachi music.
Beginning centuries ago as a rural entertainment based on the working skills of cowhands, the charrada has become the official sport of Mexico. With its history, gallantry, pageantry, and contests the rodeo inspires artistic expressive forms such as painting, poetry, music, folk dance, novels and films.

The PC Gamers Exposition featured the latest in gaming gadgets, and Rocket’s K-9 Comet Frisbee Dog Stars had a show featuring five Frisbee-catching canines competing one on one in the “Acrobatic Idol,” “Survivor Speed Catch” and the “WWWoof Smackdown Double Dog Challenge.”

The Swifty Swine Racing Pigs were racing around a track for the coveted prize of a peanut butter cup at the finish line......just good fun for the Fair crowd. Also, the Spring Fair has a litter of piglets - and this is the most popular feature for the kids.

This photo is the fall harvest - squash, cukes, tomatoes, zuchinni, corn. We've got a lot of growing to do until then....right now, the only the seeds have sprouted and an entire growing season is ahead of us.