Showing posts with label Humboldt County fair. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Humboldt County fair. Show all posts

Friday, August 20, 2010

My Day at the Fair

Original title, I know. ;) Doesn't it sound like I'm writing a report for a third-grade class? But I hope you don't mind joining me anyway on my fabulous day at the Humboldt County Fair!

My dear friend, Elena, joined my mom, sister, and me for a fun afternoon and evening at the fair. The first task on our list was to see how our various entries fared. My mom and I got second place stickers on our poems, and my sister got second and third place stickers on her artwork and photograph, I believe (as well as some stickers for several poems). But what really excited us was the special award ribbon my sister received for one of her poems! How exciting! Of course, my sister was especially excited about the $35 cash award that came along with it. ;)

Next on our task list was finding a bunny. Yes, my sister is getting a bunny for her 13th birthday! We'll be picking up the bunny from the fair on Sunday, my sister's actual birthday. The picture on the right is of our new (most likely) soon-to-be member of the family: Candy. (My sister chose the name.) Isn't she sweet? She's a Holland Lop, if I'm not mistaken. My sister is quite delighted, which is no surprise!

Following the two activities above, we all got caricatures of ourselves (me with Elena, and my mom with my sister). The man who drew them was really nice, and we had fun chatting with him while he worked!

The rest of the time was a blur of food, rides, food, games, and (did I mention this already?) food! ;) Elena and I shared a funnel cake covered in powder sugar early on. After all the talk on this blog about funnel cakes, how could I not get one? And believe me, it was GOOD! Dinner for me consisted of a "beef stick" and curly fries, topped off with a frozen peach lemonade. And for dessert: cotton candy! Oh, yes, I was stuffing my face with great pleasure, and I loved every bite! Yum, yum, yum!

And the rides? Oh, so much fun! Elena and I felt like little girls again, running around like crazy, shouting with glee, and taking in the thrill of it all! The picture to the left is of the three of us (my sister, Elena, and me) on one of my favorite rides: the Yo Yo. I loved spreading my arms out wide and feeling the rush of the wind. It made me think of standing on the bow of a ship, like on Titanic. I loved that sense of adventure and excitement as I was flying through the air on a swing!

This next picture is not flattering in the least (with my eyes all squinted like that!), but I decided to share it with you because I think it gives you a glimpse of how much fun we were having. The bumper cars were great, and between that and the other rides, I was laughing a ton!

There's nothing quite like a day at the fair when you're with those you love. We had such a fantastic time, and I'm so thankful for my mom, my sister, and Elena. God blessed me so much by letting us be a part of each other's lives!

It has been so much fun celebrating the county fair with all of you this week, and I'm so thankful for your friendship! I hope this post might have brought a smile to your face, and I hope it might serve to remind us all of the blessing we have in our family and friends! How great it is to be able to reach out to one another--even simply making each other laugh!

On a side note, as I'm writing this, I can smell the kettle corn that I purchased today. Yes, as an encouragement to any possible last-minute contest entrants, I picked up a bag of kettle corn to include in the prize package. I'm also adding a cute, purple stuffed monkey I got at one of the games to the deal! Thank you to all those who have already entered! =) Be sure and check out the comments section of the contest post to read the latest entries!

(Thank you, Mom, for the pictures and for the great memories at the fair this year!)

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!*