Wow...what a day: rides, fries, smiles, entertainment, bumping into friends...the Schnellers...whom I had not seen in years...and finding a three year old girl at the CIS stage to give my stuffed dog to. I'll be back the last day of the fair to introduce singers, dancers, and cultural groups at the CIS stage. If you come by, say hi.
Dave

It's a great feeling to win a prize. After losing several bucks trying to win a guitar (it looked so easy to knock down the 3 glasses), I saw an open pool table. I wasn't interested in the prize at this point, only winning...something. They racked up four balls and I put them in the pockets and walked away with a stuffed dog. I felt kind of silly walking around with a stuffed dog until I saw a guy walking around with a pink monkey around his neck...only at the fair can you get away with that kind of sillyness...

I've been the the fair on three different days and each time I am greeted with a smile at the parking gate, a smile and the entrance gate, a smile from the food vendors and even a smile from guy who gave me my prize dog. I plan to give this dog away to just the right kid tonight...

FYI I heard someone say that the fair puts a half million dollars of its profits into scholarships for young people. Kids and education are the basic purpose of the Puyallup Fair.

Coming up on the CIS Stage (bldg. 40) starting at 6:15 are the band and choir from Mann Middle School, and two groups from Clover Park High School: Steel Drums and the Ensemble Choir. Great stuff.

Summertime again...I made a big mistake and wore jeans. Luckily I wandered into the hobby hall and enjoyed an air-conditioned stroll though dozens of amazing exhibitions. At the exit I saw one of my favorite foods: curley fries. A bit spendy but the Irish side of me took over and I gave in. Fries are great walking food and there are enough to get me back to the green gate area where I will enjoy the kids at the CIS stage.

Lines are pretty short today even though there are a lot of people. The fair is the place to be tonight in the moonlight.
Dave

Hello again...over the years I have learned the hard way that thrill rides are the first thing you do at the fair...before gorging. the Extreme Zone rides next to the green gate will jolt even the most hardened thrill seekers. I consider myself hardened yet could not resist screaming on the extreme scream. If you're with a friend it's even better (purchase one extreme scream ticket and you get a second one free...you heard it from me). I've heard Turbo Force is pretty crazy too.

After the thrills you'll be hot and thirsty so treat yourself to delicious dryers ice cream just up the green gate path.If you're starving I've talked to several people who told me that one of the most economical and filling meals at the fair is BBQ Pete's, on the green gate path across from the Communities In Schools "flying bus" and stage. Great taste and filling, a full meal with corn will feed two people. Speaking of Communities In Schools, I have had the good fortune of enlisting students to perform on stage. So be sure to wander over there after 4:00 today and take in the singers, dancers, choirs and more.

If you like oldies, Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons are on tonight at the main stage at 7:30. SO much to do...see you in a few.
Dave

Hey folks...this is a perfect day to slip away from work and catch the fair. If you've lived in the northwest as long as I have (35 years) you know that the weather is totally unpredictable...even the pros get it wrong most of the time. When the sun is out you have to go for it...and what better place to go than the fair. Great food, entertainment, intense thrill rides, gadgets, magicians...it's all there. If you come down today say hi to my buddie Chris who is living on a bus at the CIS stage, and enjoy the middle school and high school kids performing on the stage. Many of them are performing for the first time and your applause will be music to their ears.
Dave

Shadows on the fairground walkways are getting longer as the afternoon crowd slips away and those looking for what the Puyallup Fair offers when the lights come out take their place. Onstage tonight - "Fergie", whose show it was announced, was almost sold out.

My son and I succumbed to the lure of ribs from the Longhorn BBQ nearest the Gold Gate after successfully tracking down all but one of the art venues on this afternoon's list, leaving the missing exhibit to top our "must see" items on a subsequent trip.

It's impossible as veteran fans of the fair know to partake of all of the wonderful activities and experiences that the annual celebration has to offer in just one day, even if that day's weather is as perfect as this one.

While this party from over the county border to the north will make a quiet exit, those who have just arrived at the fairgrounds will surely enjoy the kind of evening that they will enjoy replaying in their memories for weeks to come.

So, until next time, see you around "In The Neighborhood!"

- Mizu Sugimura

Talk about dream jobs: I had the privilege of being a Puyallup Fair pie judge along with author Debbie Macomber and Washington State University food safety expert Marlene Angell.

Some years the contest calls for apple pies, and some years for cherry. This was the year for berries, scrumptious berries.

It's odd, judging and eating pie in front of a crowd without giving away your opinion, but the crowd is intent and gracious.

My favorite moment was when I cut into Karin Brown's delicious crumble-top pie. Her daughter, Quianna Brown, 9, jumped out of her seat and informed me that I was dealing with her mom's pie.

Karin home-schools Quianna, who speaks her mind and has big goals. Yes, she cooks with her mom, who is a star at crocheting and earlier in the fair took a blue ribbon with a decadent dessert involving four different kinds of chocolate, plus blueberries and raspberries.

But Quianna's working toward a future inspired by a visit to Sea World years ago.

"I'm a future whale trainer," she said. "Always have been. Always will be."

Here's the lineup of winning pies recipes, from first to third.

They are all original, and they are they're worth every briar and bramble their creators encountered during the hunter-gatherer phase.

Kim Arnold's Triple Berry Crumb Pie

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Crust
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons milk
Mix flour, sugar and salt. Combine milk and oil. Pour oil mixture into flour mixture and stir until mixed.
Roll crust between waxed paper sheets and place in pie pan. Save the scraps for decoration.

Filling
1 cup raspberries
2 cups blueberries
2 cups blackberries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed.
Mix sugar, honey and orange juice. Toss with berries. Pour berry mixture into crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Topping
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
6 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup pecans
Place flour, sugar, salt and orange peel in a food processor. Cut butter into fourths, add and process until crumbly. Add nuts and chop briefly.
After pie has cooked for 30 minutes, spread the crumbs over the top, return it to the oven and bake another 30 minutes, until bubbly.
Yield: One 8- or 9-inch pie.

Mary Dahlquist's Fabulous Blackberry Currant Pie
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Pastry
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup Crisco shortening
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
1 tablespoon half and half

Mix the flour, salt and sugar. Using a knife, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture is the size of sugar peas. Using a fork, gradually work the ice water into the flour until the mixture clings together. Do not over-mix.
Shape dough into balls, then flatten slightly. Roll dough out on a floured pastry cloth. Place bottom crust in an 8 3/4-inch pie pan.

Filling
4 cups blackberries
1/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon butter

Combine fruit. sugar and cornstarch and bring to a boil in a sauce pan. Reduce heat to low and boil one minute. Add orange extract when slightly cooled.
Pour into bottom crust and dot with 1 tablespoon of butter. Cover with top crust, roll edges together and baste with 1 tablespoon of half and half.
Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 30 to 40 minutes longer.

Judith Delaney's Black & Blue Pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Crust
3 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1/3 cup cold water

Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening until mixture is the size of small crumbs. Cut in water. Divide dough into two balls, chill, then roll out.

Filling
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons tapioca
1 1/2 cups little stump crawler blackberries
1 1/2 cups huckleberries
Dash of salt
3 tablespoons butter
Combine sugar, tapioca and salt in a bowl. Add the berries, mix well and pour into bottom pie shell. Dot with butter. Place top crust on and seal edges. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

After considerable discussion we all decided to eat good old fashioned fish and chips at Spuds & Chips (Since 1935) under the bright blue banner! Our friend ordered a one-piece halibut and chip and my son and I split a plate of prawns and chips.

Not to worry about our small orders, as we've been enjoying other fair treats over the day as we've wandered about - all on foot I'll add. No nifty transportation options for this bunch, at least for the day!

Before heading here to blog, the sure and confident decision making to select from many choices of political campaign buttons for sale was not with me. I left the booth of choice empty-handed. However, complete tragedy was averted as my well-informed and always helpful son reminded me that I also retain the option to order such merchandise on-line in the comfort and more serene surroundings of home.
Yeah!

The gorgeous and cloud free weather continues to hold. As the hours trip by, the weather may end up holding up better than participants like ourselves. Before we fall victim to complete exhaustion, I'm hoping to find the booth where Federal Way artist Charan "Creative with Clay" Sachar has work on display.

Last year I was lucky enough to land placement of one of my own works, a mixed media collage in the annual juried Art Show featured on the second floor of the Pavilion. If I recall correctly a colorful palette of 15 or more artists from our neck of the woods were also featured in the same show. I want to see who made the cut this year - and get some inspiration for a possible second try in 2009!

And we won't forget to catch one of Federal Way's most celebrated artists, I'm speaking of the one and only cowboy artist Fred Oldfield whose work has been enjoyed by Puyallup fairgoers and guests for years.

- Mizu Sugimura

Two hours later....it's our lucky day! Falling in behind the crowd of red hat ladies at the entrance wasn't an accident. Just came from a fun little parade which began at the Park Bistro down the walkway to the fountain and back again featuring a bevy of none other than...two fully loaded people-mover trains loads of some of the most friendly and beautifully attired red hat women we've had the pleasure to see.

At the risk of declaring myself an antique, having been back and forth to the Puyallup fair over five decades...it's hard to be NOT impressed at the variety of transportation options now available to the fair-going public.

Babies naturally bring along one or more trained personal drivers. Seniors who prefer to pound less pavement than in previous years may now opt to personally drive themselves on the scooters especially designed for their own market, a self-powered or human driven chair.

Although I haven't yet seen anyone traveling on the walkways today traveling via four-legged transportation, I have memories of such from years past.

My son's now talking about BBQ as we've opted for a late lunch. Since this morning we've been joined by a long-time friend and long-time Pierce County resident who arrived in one of those sleek new motor scooters, a model hefty enough (in appearance) to look like a "real" bike.

Met her about twenty-five years ago when we shared another lifetime as young mothers. She was gracious enough to take a few hours of her very busy week off to rendezvous with us for a short time, before dashing off later this week to get a first-time look at "The Big Apple" - the other great city of destiny over the weekend. We'll be back later...

- Mizu Sugimura

The sun is out, the sky is blue and it's a wonderful day to visit the Puyallup Fair! My adult son and I had a pleasant and congestion free drive into town from Federal Way. After parking we followed a group of red-hat ladies into the fairgrounds.

Once inside, I took advantage of a brief sit on the handsome wooden slats which covered a nearby bench in front of the Fair Administration office to collect my thoughts and give one last inspection of the contents in the bright scarlet print French-style wheeled shopping bag I took from the closet at home to carry around what "equipment" I'll need for today.

While occupied with this important task, one of the eye-catching multi-car people movers pulled into view with retinue of fair attendants clad in uniforms showing off various versions of a spotted-cow print. Noticed the gal closest to my line of sight wore the pattern on a pair of stylish cut-off overalls. So chic!

Meanwhile a gentleman with a no-nonsense look who also selected shorts as his attire today strode by totting an impressive video camera emblazoned with the KOMO television logo, before stopping several yards away to briefly capture several feet of the festivities unfolding just ahead...

As we are running a few minutes behind our original schedule this stop (for blogging) is our first activity of the day! And now we'll be off to partake of the festivities. See you later!

Today as I browsed upstairs in the Pavilion, no less than 8 times I overheard different people say "I never knew this was here". I thought that was odd as this is the building I go to first and stay probably the longest. The wonders to see and learning potential are awesome. Every home art you can think of is represented for display. There are demonstrations and competitions.

Today even a local author was judging the Puyallup Fair Pie contest. I entered but to no luck...got a runners-up kind of showing but that is okay. I learned what I could do better to win another time. I did however win the Ghirardeli Chocolate contest. Yahoo!

There are many contests throughout the fair. Upcoming on Wednesday, Sept. 17, is the Fair scone contest and on Friday the 19th is the special jam and jelly contest. Both of these contests are a preregistration due in August so get ready to enter next year. Products made within the last 2 years are eligible. But come out and watch the competition and judging to prepare your self or just enjoy the fun and tension. The entries arrive between 10 and 12 and the judging begins by 1pm. I hope to see everyone there. I will be, hopefully with my 'A' game.

Enjoy and take it all in. Don't miss out on your very own Epic Fun.

-Karin Brown

We demonstrated knitting in the Pavilion upstairs. I did some knitting on a Barbie doll dress and I started on a book mark. A girl knitted a couple of rows on my project. She is good.

Hey everyone, if your feet are tired and you are at the fair Monday through Thursday then you need to find a people mover stop. Find the nearest one to you and wait for the people mover to get to you. It is a tractor pulling seats on wheels with canopy's. You can ride all around the fair for FREE!

If you are hot and sweaty then you need to cool off with a slushy. You can get it at the slush factory anywhere near you. Refills are even more affordable for mom's budget.

This Morning in the Pavilion was a pie contest and one of the judges was a book author. My mom likes to read her books. Her name, the author, is Debbie Macombre.

That's enough for now.

-Quianna Brown