Fun at the Fair!

As the sign says;  "Fun Games"!

We always try to go the first couple days that the Evergreen Fair opens.  Everything is fresh & new - the vendors are friendly, the food is outstanding & it's usually not overcrowded.  I left from up north, Butch from Ballard & Monroe was about in the middle - but Butch had the wait for the train.  Now parking is $10. We used to complain when it was $5.  Entry was free though if you brought 3 cans of food each - & we did.

Behind the scenes~

It's great touring the horse barns!  First to see all the 4-H Clubs with their stall decorations, informative posters, curtains, horses etc.  The kids are always so bright, courteous & friendly!  Every kid we saw asked if we had any questions!  We did & they were quick to answer :-)  There was even one poster on "Endurance Riding"!

In the draft horse area, we loved visiting with the owners of the Spotted Drafts!  Such beautiful animals!  The one above was a rescue from an Amish farm.  He would shake like a leaf when touched anyplace below his mid-line.  This made working with his feet, grooming etc. very difficult.  He was especially afraid of men.  Over time, he's now a much happier horse & enjoys his work without fear.

Prince

This photo does Not do Prince justice!  He has the most beautiful head, hands down of ANY draft I have ever seen!  Not only a handsome head, but nice eyes & the Look of Eagles - which is how he got his name!  To see him in harness at a full trot - is a thrill!

The six-horse hitches are the highlight of the show.  This year was no exception.   The work that goes into showing these large teams is immense in every way!

Harness shined & ready~

The harness for each horse weighs over 80lbs!  We entered the drawing for a free yearling!  :-)  Before the show, about 12 of the 4-H kids - rode into the arena bareback for a "Bucket Race".  Also, one guy on a Percheron!  When the music stopped, there was a dash to reach a bucket, dismount & stand on it!  Each round a bucket was eliminated - along with a rider.  Finally it was down to one bucket - a girl on a paint & the guy on the Percheron.  The music stopped - both horses were flying at the remaining bucket!  Seeing that huge horse coming at him head on - the paint wisely gave way & his rider retained her seat!  :-)  Guess who won?  :-)

Our favorite stop for food is Kaleenka's - where the stuffed bread is the best thing at the Fair, next to the Indian Fry Bread!  For many years we'd occasionally drive down to Seattle on a Friday night for dinner at the restaurant.  In/dinner/ back home all within just a couple hours.  Can't be done now with the traffic...

Carved Bench

As is the case every year, I plead my case for the wood carved horse bench :-)  It would look amazing in the entry of a huge house with high timber ceilings.  So maybe the house first?  :-)

We came home with new pillows & a Helios Heater.  I'm not really giving the product much of a plug - it does get hot & stay hot for quite a while, but to re-generate the crystal liquid inside - you have to boil the pad in a towel, in a pan of boiling water for 12-15 min.  That's pretty energy wasteful.  Even so - it's soft, pliable & makes my neck & shoulder feel good!  :-)

We had a great time, talked to some nice people & really enjoyed our visit.  If you don't mind the time in lines of traffic to get in - it's a great place to enjoy a late Summertime day!