Well, that was a lovely wet day at the Puyallup fair, and this proves that no matter what, the Washingtonians stick together (!) and go on the Extreme Scream which I was waaaay too chicken to do. My one regret for this fair is that I didn't go on the sling shot! Since last I wrote to you, I met a guy as obsessed with the Beatles as I am, and walked through the 4-h exhibits and way more of the expo hall. Right now though my parents and we are all pretty tired. Wow!I just looked out the window and saw one guy dressed up as a bunch of grapes and another dressed as a giant carrot. Wow you never know you are gonna see at the fair!! Toodles!! Ta ta for now!! Sincerely~ Kimmy E Latsch!!

nail designs,mink oil,chamois,and more!! the showplex is probably the best place at the fair to hang out while waitng for the rain to pass! with tons of demonstrations and samples all for free the showplex is in my humble opinion one of the coolest places to chill in the rain well offf to ride the rides toodles ttfn!! kimmy

Hi all people of the internet!! my name is Kimmy!! I'm 12 years old as you probably already read in today's paper!! It's pouring rain but in the true spirit of the northwest, we Washingtonians are keeping the fairgrounds packed as ever! so I'll go ride the rides with my bff 4evr Sondra and let u know more later bibi 4 now!! kim =-)

We enjoyed an earthquake burger for lunch and meandered through the Americraft Showplex checking out the vendors and contemplating what goods would work best in our households. Both Catherine and I never come to a fair without getting our handwriting analyzed. Among the many revealing personality traits I "have many artistic and creative talents". Catherine is "witty and bright". Boy do we love this! I did allow Catherine to get her lottery tickets and she talked me into getting one myself- using our lucky numbers from our horoscopes (I wonder which will be the luckier one???)

So much to do so little time. Unfortunately we have to depart for our regular lives but will leave you with some little known facts we have discovered.

An earthquake burger and an order of fries will easily feed a family of four. There is always the opportunity to meet a real cowboy, Fred Oldfield, at the Heritage Center (by the red gate). You can get a free "lucky" marble under the grandstand. And please remember when or if you cross Meridian with the police officers directing traffic - they also control the walk sign so you don't have to press the button on the post over and over and over again.

We will definitely be back next year

Elizabeth (see I remembered this time)

Wow, there is so much to see. We stopped at the Pavilion to check out the art work from artists from all over the pacific northwest. What amazing talent we saw. The featured artist this year is Sueellen Ross. She draws cats and dogs with realism that some actually look like photographs. Her birds look ready to fly off the paper!

Everyday there are demonstrations and today we stopped to talk to the quilters from the Puyallup Valley Quilters group. They tie quilts and donate them to local charities. Fastest fingers I have ever seen. (in tying those threads)

At the Centennial building among the many vendors we ran across Migi Nail Art. They paint flowers on one nail for free! We got daisies.

Now onto to the Americraft Showplex and Expo Hall. Maybe Elizabeth will let me stop to get my lottery tickets!

Catherine (Elizabeth forgot to sign the last post)

We've started our day with scones and coffee, and watched the 4-H'rs show their horses. If you want an enjoyable time to just sit and enjoy something, this is the place to be! We don't understand the procedures for judging but the smiles on the handlers faces makes you smile too.

Our next stop was the draft horse barn. Those Percherons, Belgiums, Clydsdales, and Shetlands are quite impressive. I guess riding one of those will sure make my butt look smaller =)

On our way out the sound of bagpipes drew us over to the cattle showplace. And lo and behold the highland cattle show was in full swing. We met Jan the bagpiper who was serenading the shaggy headed cattle during the judging.

Well we have made it into the fairgrounds and will be starting our annual jaunt around the Puyallup Fair. The cloudy and drizzly weather will never deter us from enjoying our day together as sisters.

Looking forward to the animals, exhibits, foods with no children hanging around and wanting only to go to the rides!!! We are looking forward to meandering through all the buildings and seeing what the Fair is offering us this year.

Catherine

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.

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

The fair today is a lot less crowed then normal. Today is Military Monday (military ID card holders get in free) so you would think it would be a normal Monday madness day, but it's not.

The lines are short, and the weather is nice. Everyone is smiling and enjoying themselves. I see an older crowd here today, that might be the excitement for most of the fair goers!!!

I am sure it's going to get a little more busy tonight, so I suggest if you don't like a lot of people at the fair, come in the morning. If you don't mind either way, I say, come anytime, any day and enjoy what the fair has to offer, only two weeks out of the year!!!

Michelle Vestal

The room where I am sitting right now is booming with noise. The concert tonight, which features Varsity Fanclub, Prima J Jordan Pruitt, and Clique Girlz is rocking out. The sound waves are traveling from the Grandstands and are vibrating my computer mouse. These performers seem to have a large following of teenyboppers. I can hear loud shrills and shrieks from the predominantly pre-teen girl audience, and probably those from their chaperone mothers as well. :-)

This concert makes me think of one of the greatest joys of the Puyallup Fair, listening to music from your favorite radio station. When it comes to the Fair, it is appropriate to be thankful for radio stations. Creating a community of listeners in a large Western-Washington area is not a simple task, not to mention live concerts would hardly exist without radio stations and their sponsorship and promotional expertise. From live broadcasts, free concert tickets, a chance to meet the DJ’s, an opportunity to win drawings, and endless supplies of logo pens and window clings for your car…nothing is better than finding your radio station on the fairgrounds. I happen to spell country with a “K,” despite my complete aversion to misspelled words. Yes, I am a diehard, true, blue KMPS fan…and this is not only because I promote for the station, but because I love country music. :-)

If you happen to be a fan of KMPS, KISS, KZOK, or Jack FM, or if you like a good buy…you may be interested in the Fair Pack Backpack. Backpacks with station logos come in a variety of styles and include a sampling of chips, energy drinks, and juice, along with coupons for the Fair, which includes numerous other offers from businesses in the area. Priced at $15 for one and $20 for two…there isn’t a greater deal in all of Washington! Have you been backpack shopping lately?? Prepare to dish out lots cash, because they aren’t cheap. I guarantee you won’t find a better backpack deal. Although I may have a slight bias as a CBS Radio employee, these backpacks are awesome and you can get yours next to the Extreme Scream while supplies last.

As I prepared to purchase a backpack, a couple walked up to the Jack booth to buy a pack. Upon learning how a $5 increase could provide an additional backpack, they turned to my mom and me and asked if we wanted a backpack because they did not need the second bag. Hurrah!! We gratefully took the bag. We really appreciated the generosity and kindness of the couple and would like to thank them for the amazing gift. Getting a free backpack truly was a treat and put a smile on my face for the rest of the day. In fact…I am still smiling!

Well, this wraps up my blogging for the day. I’m headed home to enjoy some sleep and then I will be back at the Puyallup bright and early tomorrow morning. I’ll be at the KMPS rolling radio trailer for most of the day giving away temporary tattoos and monitoring our new karaoke setup with Playstation where listeners can win tickets to the CMA’s! Stop by tomorrow to check it out and say hello. Enjoy the Fair!

-Kristina Stambaugh