Learning from the 4-H kids

The 4-H kids always have interesting information that they learn and share, and  I love seeing their  displays and neat bits of information that I didn't know anything about.

________________________________

I have cut so many strawberries in half and diced them seeing all these parts without really thinking about what the names of each section would be, so this poster peaked my interest.

 ________________________________

Here is another little gem, Different breeds of Alpacas. Again, I learned something new, and I get to see a lot of alpacas at the fairs and in the zoo, so I really enjoyed reading about these animals. I like knowing how to identify each species as I see them in different venues.

________________________________

And how about this poster? I love the personal touch, with the picture of the chicken's owner and the chicken's home - that is terrific. You can appreciate the time and love that the kids have with their prize animals, and see how much work they put into caring for them.

________________________________

The 4-H building is full of projects in wood, textiles, painting, and raising animals. The 4-H kids share their experiences and I will keep looking for these projects to post int he future. I hope you'll visit a 4-H building as well. 

Rural Olympics 2018 and 2019

I'd never heard of the Rural Olympics, so when the fair manager of Antelope Valley County Fair asked me if I'd seen it,  I was intrigued and headed to the arena where he was pointing.  I wanted to see the different events they had to offer. 

We sat in the stands and waited with anticipation, and the crowd grew and we heard the announcer ask us to rise and we had a prayer and the Star Spangled Banner. It was a tradition that I didn't know even existed, I felt the love of country and community deeply seeded in each of the attendees. All hats were off, and the stands were silent in respect. I felt the tears well up in my eyes. Then the games began... these were a few of the competitions.

• Antique Car Potato Race
• Mechanical Hay Loading
• Hay stacking
• Hay squeezing 
• Truck & Trailer Backing
• Skid Steer Loader Contest
• The Toughest Farmhand/Men
• The Toughest Farmhand/Women

The Potato Race had me in stitches watching a guy hang out of the car with a stick, trying to jab the potatoes while the other person drove down the raceway. Two cars competed, and they raced side by side, the passengers were the potato jabbers, and the cars going only as fast as they dared. LOL it was hysterical. Plus they had antique cars and trucks and jeeps, and all ages of competitors. It was the funniest thing I have ever seen.

The Hay Squeezing was the other race I loved, watching a piece of equipment I have never seen before, stacking the hay, and putting it on the bed of the truck and then removing it from the truck to the ground for another contest.

I had no idea how much work went into farming, and I walked away really impressed with the farming equipment they have designed, and the way farmers impressively handled the tight corners and work they have to maintain to keep their farms active and growing. I had a blast and went out with a new respect for the farming industry and how hard those awesome folks work.

San Diego County Fair Gift Shops

I returned San Diego County Fair this last weekend and I have to talk about their Gift Shops. They are by far the best in all of the western fairs,in my humble opinion, as they have a big assortment of fun items based on the current theme. 

_______________________________________

 

When you walk into the front gate, you can go to the gift shop immediately or, on exiting you can go there to end your day.

And because they are always selling really neat things that either go with the fair or the theme, you can find so many souvenirs and collectibles and show off your visit, and for really great prices.

This year the theme is the Wizard of Oz.

They have the cutest t-shirts, hoodies, and accessories for the theme.

When you go into the building dubbed "The Theme Building" there is another little store in there for souvenirs, I saw shot glasses, mugs, hats, magic wands and collectible pins.

_______________________________________

 

A lot of us collect the pins from year to year, they are so much fun to wear and talk about, we wear them on a lanyard so we can show off the different themes we have been able to attend.

_______________________________________

There is a main gift shop in the center of the fair, and it's my favorite shop because it is full of every color of hoodie on the planet, or nearly so, and in San Diego, you can wear a hoodie almost year around, the fairgrounds are just off the ocean and that beautiful air blows in on the fairgrounds, and a nice new hoodie is perfect for chilly evenings.

_______________________________________

 

 _______________________________________

If you have little kiddos with you there is a gift shop in the outfield as well, and the little kids can get a little long sleeved outfit there too, in case you forgot one at home, they have thought of everything!

It is one of my most favorite part of this fair, and I have pictures to show you so you can see how cool it is as well.

San Diego County Fair 2019

 

 

Walking into the San Diego County Fair is always an experience of it's own. It's one of the only fairs I know that has ten lines for entering the fair,  and so many Elite security checkers,  that you can enter really quickly. There are a couple of stroller lines as well, making the families entry smooth as possible and smoothly as well. 

The Front Gate is always a masterpiece.  It is filled with the theme of the fair and a great place, front and back, for selfies and photos to remember your experience. This year is the Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum books and the vintage drawings and Emerald city are grand and beautiful. 

I really love opening ceremonies! 

On the west coast, this is the only fair to my knowledge that has opening ceremonies. They have Tom the Announcer, at the gate in front of you, reading off the daily events from contests, shows, concerts and things to see and do. 

And a fun fact of the day!

Then they have everyone take off their hats and someone will come and sing the National Anthem. 

The boy's and girl scout troops raise the American Flag and the California flag. We listen to them sing and then we all cheer and clap and whistle afterwards, it is so patriotic. 

Then gates open and we pour into the fairgrounds. 

What a sight!! 

I will be there in two weeks... and I will take photos of what I see and share them here with you. 

Chef Ray L Duey

Chef Ray Duey is an excellent fruit and veggie sculptor.
He has a fun approach to designing the different foods he has prepared on the table at the fairs by carving to music and talking to the guests as they stand by and watch, or stop to marvel at all of the pieces he has in the refrigerator next to him in his booth.

I have seen creations

• Star Wars characters and ships.
• Intricate designs.
• Parrots made from various vegetables.
• Flowers he makes for us to wear in our hair, I got two of those over the years one was made from a beet the other was from a turnip!

I also got to watch him carve floral arrangements out of all sorts of foods, as he did a demonstration at the kitchen in the Arizona State Fair. 

He even had a volunteer come up and learn how to make several of the cuts in a potato making it look beautiful and like a centerpiece, not just a food dish.

I got to be a volunteer this year at the Arizona State Fair and cut out a flower from a turnip. I loved using the tools and making my own creation, it was easy to understand and fun to go home with something I had made. 

I like it when he puts a light behind a cantaloupe or a musk melon, the design just glows. It is amazing what he can sculpt out of food and with just a few tools. He has a video tutorial, and you can see his gallery of amazing designs here.

He's going to be at the San Diego County fair this summer 2019, maybe you can stop by and see him work.

Chef Ray is a master chef, and has also worked with chocolate, ice, and sugar. 

 

* Photo credit http://www.academyoficecarving.com/program_food.php

Maricopa County Fair Easter Event 2017

I have to admit this was one of my favorite memories at the fair, because it was my first Official Maricopa County Fair Easter Event at the fair grounds and I got to participate in the egg hunt for each of the groups of kids through adults. 

The ages are set up from 5 to 10 years old, 11-17 years old, and 18 and older. 

There were 3 different Egg Hunts, and they gave away $5,000 in cash prizes PLUS dozens of other prizes like Easter baskets, Carnival tickets, T-Shirts, Toys and Candy along with a few bicycles. 

I loved that everyone that found an egg, also got a prize, the turn out was spectacular! 

We got to lay out the eggs for the kids and watch that they all got one for their little baskets and get in line for their prizes. The lawn was so colorful and their little Easter outfits looked right out of a postcard!

Once the prizes were given, the second egg hunt began in the arena for the teenagers. 

They waited for the "GO" and went out on the ground (not in the bleachers) looking for their egg and went to the prize line for their treasures. I like that the eggs has a code inside so the person that found the egg didn't know what their prize was until they got to the table. So they waited in the line anxiously. I loved clapping as they got their prizes and left into the fairgrounds. 

After the teens left the adults did the same thing, it was fun watching the adults look at all the eggs on the ground and mentally pick out their favorite one, and since it took a little longer to get the adults all organized, they all started chatting about their favorite eggs and what could be inside. They were as excited as the children.

It was quite a day for the Easter Egg Hunt Fair day. Everyone took their new prizes with them on the grounds and ate, watched shows, rode rides and played games. 

It was a really fun day to be a part of, and I am so glad I was there to see it all!!

Riverside County Fair

73rd Annual Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival marks the first fair of the season for us and it is one of my favorite events to attend. They have a great group of strolling acts, and entertainment, and people on stages all day long. You can spend the entire day and watch those shows and see something new throughout the day.

Of course, I loved the magic show, and the pirate show was funny. The bird show was so cute, and then karaoke. I also got to see some live exotic animals as well.

I loved that they moved the shows to the pageant stage for a try, it was a fun middle of the road area to sit and watch. I love all the seating and umbrellas to sit under.

I would love it if there was a lot more focus on the dates, like the chocolate festival we attended, we could try all foods with chocolate somehow infused or added. At the date festival they do have a magnificent date shake to try. MMMM, I got one and so did my friends.

I love seeing the camels and animals around the petting zoo. I got to see adorable cows and goats, I love the bunnies, and even found a few llamas. My favorites are the camels and horses, but I didn’t see any horses this year.

I did get to ride on the free train a few times around the fair, I love that train taking you from the food vendors to the rides, it was such a relaxing ride and so much fun listening to the music bands along the way.

I also got some coffee and a Chili Verde Bowl for lunch it is delicious and made hot and fresh, Rose’s has some of the best food on the whole fair grounds.

Another thing I love about this fair are the vendors, they have tons of great things to buy and one of the best place to find quality and fun items that are hard to find elsewhere, so this Is one of my favorite gift shopping experiences.

The rides are always a blast, the Carnival added a new ride, the Mega Flip from Holland. I love a good swinging ride with twists and turns all over the place. The children rides are in another area, I like it when a fair separates the two sections of rides, the kids always know what they are the right height for, and can ride easily and all day long.

There is a lot of seating for eating and resting. There are a lot of places to look around and see the arts, quilts, photos, fine art paintings, hobbies and student art. The 4-H kids had their animals in yet another building.

This is in Riverside, CA. And if you can go, try to park in the back, it is a lot easier to get out of after an amazing concert lets out, you can go left to town or right to the neighborhood and still get to your destination a lot easier.