Morning at the Fair

Just as it was opening this morning, Lorraine and I arrived at the Southwest Washington Fair entrance. It had been hot all week and we had talked about not going, but this morning there was a touch of autumn coolness in the air. So, we jumped in our car and traveled to the cities. I said cities because the fairgrounds are located between the two biggest cities in the county, Centralia with a population of 18,500, and Chehalis with a population of 8,000. I often joke about going to the big city for something, but I like that I live in rural America.

The fair has celebrated the farm heritage of this part of Washington State since 1891 and has been held at the same location since 1908. In the years that I’ve attended the fair, it has always been a mixture of farm animals, horseback events, music, food, and a carnival. Lorraine enjoys viewing the variety of chickens and other birds. I like the cow barn and we both enjoy seeing the horseback events. It seems like every local club and 4-H group is there.

Since we had arrived so early, we easily strolled through those areas and continued through the still-empty carnival. I’ve seen it packed in the evening, but this morning we had it largely to ourselves. Next year we hope to attend with our grandchildren.