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

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

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

This year we will really be 'doing the fair'. We, my daughter and I will be demonstrating 10 times. Eight of those will be for crocheting and knitting. The other two will be scrap-booking. On those days we are taking in a little of the fair each day.

This last Monday we went on ride after ride after ride.......oh MY! Lunch was very late that day and then it was just ice cream...as a mom how often do we just let go and have fun? To watch my daughter 'Wow' at the draft horse, look in wonder as I say yes to ice cream for lunch and yes in sympathy as I turn green on the rides. These are the times I wish I had a video camera in my eyes to record for others to see the joy.

One memory I have is watching a mother and child just dancing without a care in the world. They were out side one of the children entertainment booths, it is on the way to the green gate. The children get to be a part of the show. This Mom, totally uninhibited was dancing with her child...this is the awesome freedom shown in the joy of a child experienced too with the parent.

-Karin Brown

The 4-H Robotic competition was today. It was so awesome to see those kids program a robot to clear a cotton ball avalanche among other things under a time constraint.

Marlowe's is always a great place for meals. While they have fair fare that is tasty, Marlowe's appeals to me because of their non-traditional fair offerings. Sandwiches, corn-on-the-cob, and various soups are served for a reasonable fair price and are really good.

Many fair sights aren't at the fair for the whole time. The Puyallup Fair website has a feature that allows you to check on what is at the fair when.

It may not be a "state fair", but the Puyallup Fair is a wonderful, fun, exciting, and entertaining fair.

~Carrie Corter

Sad news: scones are now $1.25! They were $1 for as long as I can remember. They do have cheap bottled water for $2.00 (well, cheap fair-wise).

“You can do it at a trot, you can do it at a gallop, you can do it real slow so your heart won’t palpitate…” I hum this tune as I enter the Puyallup Fair for the sixth time this season. Although I have lived in Puyallup my entire life, and have spent most of the past week working at the Fair with 94.1 KMPS FM, the novelty and the excitement of the Fair never eludes me. What I look forward to most about the Fair is wandering around, trying to decide what fatty Fair food will bring the most joy. When I have difficulty deciding on one Fair food favorite, I spend a great deal of time figuring out how I can possibly eat several entrees in one meal. Maybe a teriyaki plate from the Younglife booth will complement a block of freshly greased curly fries? Is it too much to enjoy a pork pulled BBQ sandwich from Longhorn and eat a hand-dipped Krusty Pup in one sitting? Can’t I justify eating an Elephant Ear on one side of the fairgrounds, letting the cinnamon sugar goodness settle as I attempt to walk off the calories by roaming to the other side of the Fair to grab a funnel cake? And there can’t be anything wrong with buying a dozen Scones to take home and save for later. I’ll tell you, “Doing the Puyallup” is an art. It takes special discipline and organization to consume all the delectable food the Fair has to offer in one day. As tough as it may be…I’m up for the challenge. :-)

You may deny the fact that you are addicted to Fair food. People can say that they like the Fair because they enjoy looking at the goods vendors are selling. They may also like looking at the animals, or feeling the thrill from riding the rides. The carnival games may be somewhat of a draw, but if you ask me, the Puyallup Fair attracts large crowds day after day primarily for the food. You know you have already contemplated what you are going to splurge on when you visit the Fair this month. In fact, I am thinking that all this talk of food is making my tummy rumble. My time is up and I need to return to the KMPS booth by the Gold Gate, but I think I’ll grab a caramel apple on my way. ;-)

-Kristina Stambaugh

If you haven't been to the fair in a while you really should take the time to come on down.

There is so much more than past years. Everything looks updated and clean. There is security, family atmosphere, and modern facilities. They have added a lot more seating areas with tables to eat at. This isn't the same fair it was even 3 years ago. The buildings are bigger and offer more variety. The Sillyville area looks great for people with younger kids. They even offer kid friendly meals and prices.

I have to mention that the Pavilion building near the gold gate is dedicated to local schools and state universities. If you want to sign up for community college, a university, or admire work from area students this is the place to go.

Well, that's it for now.

xo Michele

PS. Pizza on a stick looks interesting. Are you brave enough?

What is a Pork Wing? Strange isn't it? Pork with wings? Makes no sense. So, I didn't try it.

The Nitro ice cream is creamier. A previous blogger said it was and they were right. Yum.

I forgot to mention in my earlier posting that you can also receive a haircut and teeth whitening. Isn't that what we all come to the fair for. Whiter teeth and a fresh hairdo.

How about a Piroshky? Yummy! Warm fried dough with a filling. We had the salmon and cream cheese for $7.50. We decided to purchase our beverage from the vending machine. A 12oz. can was $1.50.

Please make sure to see the huge mamma pigs. One of them has several piglets already. The other is due to have her babies on Friday the 12th! They leave the area open to the public during the birth. That could be something to write about.

If you are looking for your McCain or OBAMA sticker, pin, or yard stake you can get them at the fair. They are located in the Americraft building.

Just want to shout out to 100.7 the Wolf. I wanna win the darn guitar!! Oh well.

One thing I have to mention is the car that is in front of the blogging area. It is a smashed up wreck. Sadly the driver, Shane Wyrsch, was killed. He was a police officer and family man. How sad that this wonderful man was taken so soon with such nonsense. Don't drink or do drugs and drive.

The other thing I want to mention is to remember to recycle. There are plastic and aluminum waste bins around.

xo M