The Screaming Section of the Fair

We went to the fair in the early afternoon on Wednesday.  The Midway traffic was a bit sparse that early in they day.  It gets really busy in the evening hours.

The riders were more the younger crowd.  The two below have all the makings of roller coaster aficionados.  

This ride reminds me of a giant dinosaur, holding its prey in it's huge claws.

Settling in, preparing for a stomach churning ride.

Then of course there's the sling--a giant rubber band trying to send you airborne to orbit the earth.

And finally, of course, there has to be a ferris wheel!

Fair Time

This week it is fair time in Fairbanks. The Tanana Valley Fair always draws big crowds to enjoy the midway, the food, the exhibits the music and acts, the craft booths, and just meeting up with old friends. The barns are always interesting to go to. Although there is not a lot of livestock grown in Fairbanks, there are goats, pigs, sheep, and even a few cows.

There was one lone bull, complaining loudly about his incarceration.

One animal that won't be seen in too many fairs around the country is reindeer. The University of Alaska has a research program involving reindeer, and last year they began a program with 4H for kids to raise market reindeer.

One of the favorite attractions is the veggies, and there is always a lot of competition to have the largest. The giant cabbage competition usually attracts the most attention, but this year there was a big pumpkin weighing 424 pounds. That's pretty good for our short growing season.

There are the usual fair competitions, including the quilt show, sewing, photography, baking, cake decorating, canning, needlework, etc.

I must say this year I most enjoyed the petting zoo. Perhaps that was because of being with my little granddaughter Sydney. She liked feeding the rabbits and guinea pigs.

A little goat was also popular. He had a little trouble getting the food out of the little paper cup. He got his nose stuck in the cup but it was finally removed and he got all the food. When the food was gone, he began searching for someone else who would feed him.

I normally don't go down the midway to play the games, but Sydney tried the booth dipping rubber ducks. She loves rubber ducks, so this was great fun for her.

The delight on her face when she won a ball was priceless.

The fair signals the approach of summer's end. School starts here next week, and the first frost likely will not be far behind. The birds have been arriving at Creamer's Field and are staging up for the long flight south. Next weekend is the Crane Festival. I'll be spending some time at the Fields, and hopefully I'll get some good photos of the Sandhill Cranes and the Canadian Geese and whatever other birds are hanging out.