Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Anticipating the Fair

Yes, it's almost that time! This year is the 114th year of the Humboldt County Fair, which takes place in Ferndale, California. I'm looking forward to the rides, the food, and the fun with my family and friends! Fairs have an atmosphere all their own, and I especially love the time in the evening when all the rides are lit up and the place seems almost magical.

I'm a little disappointed that I won't be going to the fair on opening day (tomorrow, August 12), because Guy Fieri from Food Network (who is from Ferndale and who hosts Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives) is going to be there!!! But, I'm going to a dear friend's birthday party, so I'm happy! Plus, I'll be going to the fair next week, so I won't be missing out on that!

Now, how many of you are planning on going to a county fair before the summer is over?

If you can't make it to any fair in your area (or even if you can!), I hope you'll be sure and join me next week for "County Fair Week." There will be several interviews, stories from my own experience at the fair this year, and a special contest. Well, it wouldn't be a fair without some sort of competition, right? ;)

This contest will be similar to the one hosted on Seekerville on "Slacker Tuesday" last week. Except, in this case, you will be required to write a romantic scene involving some attraction from the fair, such as a ride on the midway or a competition of some sort (and the word count will be a bit longer--300 instead of 150). On Monday, August 16, the contest will be open for entries, and I'll be giving my own example, as well!

I'll wait to let you know more about the prize, but let's just say that it will include at least two books . . . and I'm hoping that the prize package will make you want to participate! ;) So start thinking and writing in the next few days, because it's your participation that will make the contest fun!

Remember, "County Fair Week" kicks off Monday, August 16, and will go through August 21. Hope to see you there!!!

*With thanks to Tina Radcliffe from Seekerville for letting me borrow her idea for the contest!*

16 comments:

Renee (BlacknGoldGirlsBookSpot) said...

Ooooo have fun at the fair! I missed mine this year :-( I didn't get to see my favorite attraction, the demo derby! LOVE those LOL!

Your fair sounds awesome though! Guy Fieri?! He's sooo cool...I love his Camaro :-D

The contest sounds fun but have no talent in the creative writing department. I'm sure it will be a blast though!

XOXO~ Renee

Amber Holcomb said...

Renee,

Thank you! I'm sure I will! ;) I'm sorry you missed your fair this year. :( Hope you can join me next week for our fair in the blogging world!

Guy is awesome, isn't he? Isn't it crazy that he's from my county?! He apparently used to have a pretzel cart. :) And you and your cars!

I'm sorry you won't be entering the contest, but I hope you'll have fun next week anyway! And there should be a couple of giveaways during the "End of Summer Bash" the following week, so stay tuned for that! :D

~Amber

Ariel Wilson said...

GUY FIERI??????? I am sooooo jealous!!!! man I wish I could meet him....

I do plan on going to our fair tomorrow :) My brother is showing pigs, and our college group is going for the evening. Should be fun!

I look forward to the contest! :)

Bluerose said...

I haven't been to the fair in years. That's sad! I'm sure I will start going in the next couple of years, though. The last two times I went was not pretty and ended up being one of those most embarassing story type things. At least i can look back and laugh now. :)
I'm really looking forward to next week!

Amber Holcomb said...

Ariel,

I know! I know... I wish I could meet him, too! But just knowing that he's here in my county is fun! ;)

I hope you have a wonderful time at the fair! :D Good luck to your brother, and be sure and let us know next week about your experience!

Glad to hear you're looking forward to the contest! :) Should be lots of fun!

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Bluerose,

That is sad! :( I hope you do get to go in the next couple of years! But I'm sorry you didn't have such very good experiences before--that's good that you're able to laugh about it now, though!

I actually wrote a post about a similar topic close to the time when I first started my blog. You can find it at this link if you're interested:

http://seasonsofhumility.blogspot.com/2010/04/time-to-laugh.html

Thank you for your enthusiasm, and I can't wait until next week, either! :D

~Amber

Kav said...

We have some country fairs around where I love so they aren't large scale at all, but I don't have a car so I can't go see them. The last time I went to fair my favourite 'exhibit' if you can call it that was the dog trials. They're so much fun to watch!

Julia M. Reffner said...

Have fun at the fair, Amber!

It would be cool to see Guy. I don't have TV, but the one thing I miss is the food network.

Amber Holcomb said...

Kav,

I'm sorry! :( If it's any comfort, I don't even know how to drive, let alone have a car. ;) It's nice to have generous family and friends who aren't too annoyed to take me places!

The dog trials sound like they would be really neat to watch! I hope you get to go to the fair again sometime! :)

~Amber

Amber Holcomb said...

Julia,

Thank you! :D And wouldn't it be cool to see Guy? I wish I could... *sigh* Oh, well. He's here, TODAY, in my county, anyway! But the fair is about 45 minutes away or so, and we've already decided we're going next week.

And I love Food Network, too! I'm sorry you don't get to see it anymore. :(

~Amber

Michelle said...

I haven't been to a fair in years. I know the Bluegrass Fair is in July, so that's already happened. Then the Kentucky State Fair is later in August, but that's in Louisville, and I really do not care for Louisville.

Would be very cool to be able to see Guy Fieri! I always enjoy watching him when I'm at my parents house. I don't have cable, so I don't get to watch him a lot.

Hope you have fun at the fair next week. I'm already trying to think of something to write!

Amber Holcomb said...

Michelle,

Oooh, a Bluegrass Fair? I would LOVE to go to that!!! I'm sure the Kentucky State Fair would be huge, so it might not be as cozy as a county fair, anyway. ;)

I should watch his show more often. Guy is so fun!

I'm so glad you're going to enter the contest! Looking forward to reading your entry! :D

Thanks for stopping by!

~Amber

Project Journal said...

Guy is really awesome! What a bummer you can't go...: ( BUt awesome that it's a friend's brithday. Happy Birthday to them!!

Anyway...I'm kinda bummed out! Girl, I can't write! I guess I'll have to just enjoy reading everyone elses...*tears* Though I'm sure they'll be great! LOL! So, I'm outta the competition...

Okay, I'll be back by later,
Hannah

Amber Holcomb said...

Hannah,

Yes, he is! And yes, it is awesome that I'm going to a friend's birthday party! :D It's at a local bowling alley, so maybe I could put my bowling class skills to use. ;) Just kidding--I'm really not that good!

You're always welcome to enter--I doubt any professional writers are going to enter (although you never know...). ;) But if you decide not to, there will be other plain-old giveaways going on in the next couple of weeks, so don't despair!

Talk to you soon!

~Amber

lindsayw said...

I absolutely love the fair! I think what I love most is that we come from a small county, and I live in Monmouth and go to church in Dallas, so whenever I go to the fair I see tons of people I know, some of which I haven't seen for quite a while. I love going just to see people!

This weekend is our Polk County Fair, and I went Thursday evening. One attraction I especially enjoyed was the art exhibit. I have recently become interested in photography, and there were amazing pictures there to admire. It was inspirational for me, as well!

I think that the fair is a very romantic setting, as "State Fair" would surely agree! I'll be looking for those contest entries!

Amber Holcomb said...

Lindsay,

I really love the fair, too! :D And I like that part about the fait, as well--getting to see people you know and having fun with friends and family!

I'm so glad you had a good time at the Polk County Fair! And how wonderful to find inspiration there, as well. :) Did you take lots of pictures on your missions trip? I'm sure we'll have lots to catch up on in a couple of weeks!

I also agree that the fair is a romantic setting, so I'm excited to see what people come up with for their entries! Feel free to enter, too, if you're interested. ;)

Ah, "State Fair"...good times!

~Amber