Other than two hot days at the end, this year's Oregon State Fair was blessed with moderate weather, which is a whole lot easier on the livestock that Rick is tasked with overseeing. I went with him on both Saturday nights, and we spent most of Labor Day there as well. That's when I finally got to walk through the Creative Living exhibition hall; I never did make it to the photography show. I had my share of favorite fair foods – raspberry milkshakes from the Oregon Dairy Women's stand, garlic and herb pretzels, and falafel with sides from the best of the three gyro stands. And for old college days' sake we stood outside the amphitheater (it was packed and the fire marshal wouldn't let more in) and listened to the tail end of Foreigner's farewell tour concert.
I'm aware that I've shared lots of photos from our State Fair over the years, so feel free to scan through quickly or not at all.
I am always fascinated by the pigs. There is so much intelligence in their eyes, and they are adorable when they sleep.
Caesar the "No Drama Llama" does this every day of the fair, no spitting. I talked to his owner, who said he has been easy-going from the git-go.
A few of the entries in the miniature cattle category:
I do love goats. My first was a Saanen, like these:
Another sleeping pig, and the ever-popular sow and piglets:
Apparently these sea lions put on regular shows, but I only saw them doing photo opps. The handlers put the people in place, the sea lions promptly put their chins on heads or shoulders, the people were moved off to receive their photos, and the sea lions hammed it up for their fish treats. It was hilarious, and I could have watched them for hours!
Catching a bit of the Foreigner concert (with a lot of others) outside of the amphitheater.
On our way back to Rick's vet truck, we caught a bit more music by the marching band The Beat Goes On:
And on the way out of the fairgrounds, I thought I saw fireworks in the sky, but as the lights changed, I realized it was a complex and amazing drone show. The legs of this horse moved in a galloping motion!
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| This is an entry in Decorated Cakes! |
The only equine competition that I watched was the Draft Pulling Contest Monday afternoon. These horses were brought in just for this; they didn't compete in any of the other draft horse classes.
Unofficially, the end of the State Fair and the beginning of a new school year mark the transition from summer to fall, but no one told the weather. We just endured several more days of 90+ degree weather, and today was extremely smoky on top of the heat. I sure hope that's the last oven blast of the season; we could use some rain to grow grass and reduce our current 100% reliance on hay. But I am loathe to end this productive season in the garden; the tomatoes are really putting out now. I got enough this week to can seven pints (and green beans enough for four pints of dilly beans).
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| The big yellow tomatoes are called "Taxi;" that variety's a keeper! |
That's it for now from . . .
11 comments:
Thanks for posting the fair photos!
Looks like you have an excellent state fair. I've never been to ours, but we used to go to the regional fair, which is now just a carnival with a rock concert, overpriced food, and a petting zoo. Not much fun.
You know I love to do it, Donna!
I hear that a surprising number of times, Leigh, and it makes me both more thankful (for ours) and sad (for those states who have abandoned the tradition). Does your state not have active 4H and FFA clubs and chapters?
I honestly don't know Michelle. We have a 4-H welcome sign at our county line, but I have no idea how active they are. My kids were active in 4-H when we homeschooled (such excellent educational resources!) so when we first moved here I visited the county cooperative extension office, but they offered very little in the way of regional gardening brochures. It was all lawn care and growing ornamentals.
Thanks for sharing all the pictures! I love seeing all but the animals are always special!
We have a state fair in Illinois, and many counties have county fairs, as well. My county does not (Cook County is all of Chicago and a substantial part of its suburbs). People sometimes forget that Illinois is mostly farmland - We are the #1 soybean producer in the country, #2 in corn, and #4 in swine! AND Illinois grows more pumpkins than anywhere else in the WORLD! 90-95% of pumpkins that are grown for processing are grown here, and most of the processing (85%) happens in Morton, IL, which is the Pumpkin Capital of the World. I love seeing your fair photos every year :-) I'm guessing that Brian no longer drives a team as he did some years ago.
You're welcome, Susan; the animals are my favorites, too.
I think that is true of several states which have 'famous' cities, A; we don't get to hear very much about what else may be found there. I knew that Illinois is a big producer of soy and corn (the vast majority of both being genetically engineered, unfortunately) but didn't know about the pumpkins. No, Brian no longer drives for the Shire owner once he aged out of "junior driver" status; seems that relationship has cooled towards our whole family.
Thanks, Michelle, for your lovely coverage of our State Fair! I really wanted to go this year. It's been too long! We used to go with our son and daughter-in-law. The one year, our little granddaughter was with us, and when we started walking through the horse barn, she panicked, and said "They're gonna eat me!" I need to ask her if she remembers that experience!''
I really enjoyed all of your pictures.
We haven't been to the fair in years, so I especially loved seeing all your photos. One year there was a draft horse competition out towards Hillsboro, I think it was, and we took my father-in-law to see it (he lived with us for 11 years), and he just loved it! So I loved seeing the draft horse photos. Thanks for a great fair recap!
That looks like a WONDERFUL fair. How fun!!
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