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

Hello from the fair! I am here today with my friend Melissa. She is such a lovely assistant. :)

We came in the green gate today. The parking attendant was so easy going and friendly. I always appreciate calm, kind people.

When we came in we found this booth called "2 for 1 Bargain Shop". They offer a variety of burgers, chicken nuggets, and fries. We couldn't help but notice what a deal it really was. You can get two cheeseburger for $5.55 and two orders of fries for $3.33! That is such a great deal. We could both eat for less than $10. They have two Bargain shops at the fair. One is located at the green gate the other near the gold gate.

As we made our way through the fair grounds a man at the Mountain Mist water booth stopped us and asked if he could trade our water bottles for his brand. We asked why? He told us that our brand had salt and his didn't. Sure enough, he was correct. Salt was listed in the ingredients. So, if you need a free H2O refill or need to rehydrate these guys at Mountain Mist are passionate about their water. They would love to give you a drink.

Melissa and I both noticed how clean the fair grounds are. They have people all over cleaning and picking up garbage. Hand washing booths are located throughout the fair. This makes for convenient clean up after a sticky treat. Great for parents with young children.

Something I hate to admit is that we already ate a Crusty Pup. It was only 10:30 in the morning. It's always a good time for a Crusty Pup!

We see a tour bus at the grand stands. I wonder who's in there??

Okay. We are off to eat and shop some more.

Be back soon.

xo Michele

If you head to the Western Washington Fairgrounds on any route other than straight up or down Meridian, you're bound to see local homeowners beckoning you to park in their yards.

Most of them charge about $5 to park at their homes, half the price the fair organizers will make you pay to park in any of their official lots.

For the past week I've seen the same people standing on the curbs outside their houses, waving colored flags to lure potential parkers.

I tried to talk to two of them today about how much money they make fair every season from people who park on their property. They didn't want to say.

But it reminds you just how much of a presence the fair has in this community. People rely on the fair and look forward to it every year. People who live nearby know that a zillion cars from distant lands will invade their neighborhood every September. And instead of just complaining about the traffic, they choose to take advantage of it.

Most of the people waving those red flags and pointing to $5 parking signs outside their yards are smiling.

Maybe they're just being pleasant to get business. Or maybe they've gotten caught up in the spirit of fair, just like hundreds of thousands of people do every year.

I like to think it's the latter, but maybe I'm being sentimental.

Though the Dizzy pass has been changed this year, it still provides a larger array of rides for a lot less money.

While it is $1 per ticket with most rides requiring a minimum of four or five tickets, the Dizzy pass is a flat rate of $25 and you have access to all rides, except the Extreme Scream, with an unlimited amount of times that you can ride them.

You can purchase Dizzy passes at any information booth in the area around the rides starting at noon. Dizzy passes are unavailable on weekends (Friday-Sunday).

- By Matt Anderson

Throughout the fairgrounds, you can find various vendors offering free samples of drinks.

Near the Extreme Scream, you will find a Wired energy drink booth and close to the Ferris Wheel, you will find a Vitamin water booth. While samples at both are free, to buy a full bottle of either, it does cost $2.

- By Matt Anderson

Boy was I wrong, WRONG! Mountain Mist Water sells 16.9 oz for a buck. Yes, and you can fill up your empty bottle all day for free! So don't break your back to pack the H2O. Buy the Mountain Mist instead. There are stands at various points all around the fair.

I rode the Farris Wheel with a cute little girl who wasn't even scared--and her mom and her grandma. They won't let a single person ride alone. And the mom told me her little darling was in Toonzville, located in Sillyville. Open 10 am to 9 pm, this is a place where families can play interactive games with their child. And children are picked out of the audience to play characters. My little friend had a star sticker to prove it, "I was a squirrel princess" she said.

So I know the Draft Horse Driving has already been covered. But you can't wrong attending this event. Talk about a step back in time. Elegant horse teams harnessed with bells sidestepping to the driver's vocal commands. And these horses can step and dance! I particularly loved the charcoal with white flecks. The announcer said they start out dark grey and by the age of 12 are a milky white color. Not to mention the miniature Shetland ponies racing around the arena kicking their heels and throwing their manes. There's nothing like the scent of horses, if you like that sort of thing.

By the way, just for your ears alone: several ladies in the Tacoma News Tribune Info booth told me: Monday through Thursday all day into the night you can ride the Extreme Scream 2 for 1. That means you ride for $10 and take a friend who rides for free. Good to know. But, my mind was set on Mutton Busting, if you know what I mean. You put a tot on a mutton and open the gates. What bravery. One little girl took the prize this afternoon: Ellie from Puyallup, age 4yrs came in at 3.69 seconds. What a champ! And after your ticket in: it's totally free of course. I like that.

I'm off to see the baby pigs. Born here at the fair, we have our very own puyallup pig babies. I hear one mommy pig has 12 piglets. I had so, so wanted to see the Pig Races! Darn it, that only happens in spring. I guess the babies have to grow up first. See you in a bit for a final blog! Life if good when you're having fun!

By Kristen Butler, MSW

Well, it's almost noon. Sat through my exhibitors' meeting -- my mom was listening, and my friend, Sarah, and I were checking out the other rabbits and cavies (guinea pigs).

We picked up our Puyallup Pack (my favorite was the KMPS) -- these are for kids since there is a Sillyville one. The first 100 people (I think) to get a Sillyville bag get a conductor's hat. The packs have lots of stuff in them, including coupons for here at the Fair and more coupons for everywhere else.

We also stopped by the Washington State Patrol display -- they're handing out stickers (I'm wearing one now). Right next to them is the Go Army booth, which has a rock wall. I can see folks getting a major kick out of it. Saw some folks take off on the Slingshot and listened to the screams (it's always to hear as long as it's not me).

My nickname is "Sockes", so that's why I absolutely loved the sock booth in the Showplex. Everyone should visit!

The Pavilion has 4-H displays of crafts and photography. There's even kitchen demonstrations going on all the time. You can also hear 4-Hers do presentations on different projects. Plus, for those of you with kids, there are great crafts. 4-Hers help out with them -- I'll be there Saturday.

That's it for now! I'll write more later.

- By Kimmy Latsch

There are many things you can do for free at the fair.

Pictured above standing on the Coca Cola stage is Travis Fox, a popular hypnotist entertaining a bleachers-full of crowd. People laying on their stomachs in the foreground are fairgoers who were brave enough to embarrass themselves in front of strangers. In this picture, they think they are sleeping after being hypnotized by Fox.

The Coca Cola stage is right next to the Hobby Hall, on its western side. Fox, and other entertainers, perform throughout the day, all for free.

The following is a list of displays and exhibits fairgoers can enjoy for free. For more informaiton, check www.thefair.com.

=> Read more!

This advice on tickets from the folks who run the Puyallup Fair.

Read on.

=> Read more!

The following is a list of daily free entertaiment. For more information, check www.thefair.com.

=> Read more!

This advice on free activites from the folks who run the Puyallup Fair.

There are tons of FREE activities to enjoy at the Puyallup Fair. Select the days you plan to visit, and use the handy online Fair Planner at www.thefair.com. Enjoy all the free fun at the Puyallup Fair!

Read on and find out what's free.

=> Read more!

This advice on tickets from the folks who run the Puyallup Fair.

Again this year, the Puyallup Fair is offering 500 free gate admission tickets to the community. Like the past several years, they can be picked up at the Puyallup Main Street Association (PMSA) booth at the Saturday Farmer’s Market, Sept. 8, 15, and 22 on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To receive a free gate admission ticket to the Sept. 7-23, 2007 Puyallup Fair, customers are invited to shop in the downtown business center of Puyallup, Sept. 7-23. Then bring the receipt to the PMSA booth at Farmers’ Market on Saturday, Sept. 8, 15 or 22.

The Puyallup Fair is providing PMSA a total of 500 tickets to hand out when a receipt is shown, one per person. They will make a third of the total tickets available each of the three days, and they will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

To find out if the merchant is a member of PMSA, ask them, or call the PMSA office at 253-840-2631.