Fair and Friends

Last week Michelle and I decided to make a trip to the L.A. County Fair with the kids. Apparently we hadn't gotten our fill since we visited the Orange County Fair in July and one corn dog wasn't enough.

For those that haven't been to the L.A. County Fair, it is almost as big as the State Fair (I know, I grew up in Sac and attended the fair almost every summer). It has just as many food booths, commercial buildings full of useless items that one doesn't need, and just as many animals.

Upon entering and being called at by the carnival workers, we headed over to the domestic competition buildings and "oohed and ahhed" over the beautiful quilts, knitted and crocheted items, homemade goodies, and tablescapes. It was quite a collection of creativity. Michelle and I decided that I need to enter the knitting competition next summer...we'll see.

We next headed to the animals - the pinnacle of the visit for the kids. We saw many farm animals including sheep, goats, pigs, horses, and cows. Jaxon got nipped on the finger by a goose and was traumatized the rest of the visit. He whined pitifully every time we saw a large bird (turkey, goose, etc.) and looked to me for protection. I tried in vain to explain to him that we eat turkeys for Thanksgiving. He also didn't seem to enjoy getting sawdust in his sandals, of which there was plenty since we were in the barnyard area. We took him and Tenley into the petting pen and they toured a sea of goats and sheep.




After the petting fest, we promptly headed to the stand that sells fresh milk - both plain and chocolate and plunked down our dollar bills. The fair offers milk from cows right there in the barn which has been processed and pasturized before being sold in small half pints to the public. Of course it is whole milk so it is extra yummy and bad for you. We figured that at least the kids were getting their calcium for the day. Tenley polished off both containers that Michelle bought and was asking for "more?". Jaxon enjoyed his as well and savored every sip. Definitley a high point and I'll be back for more next year.

We decided after that to check out the many different food offerings as it was past lunch time and we were starving. Michelle and I agree that fair food is its own food group. Anything that can be put on a stick and fried deserves a place at the fair. We settled for corn dogs, lemonade, and bad chow mein. We redeemed ourselves for the bad chow mein with a treat as we headed out - a stop at the gingerbread hut. Jaxon and I shared an excellent gingerbread cookie and Michelle got a huge hunk of gingerbread cake with a crown of whipped cream.

After wandering through about 4 commercial buildings and seeing everything that we didn't need. We headed to the Garden Railroad exhibit which both kids LOVED and pretty much refused to leave. This is a huge outdoor set-up. Complete with streams, waterfalls, grassy areas and Luckily, Michelle and I found out that the model train exhibit is open year round so we may take them back before next year's fair. (http://www.fgrr.org/) This group is run by volunteers and it was a lot of fun to watch them tell us about the trains and tinker. After dragging them out of the model train exhibit we found a grassy area complete with stream and bridge. Michelle and I sat and rested and watched the kids run around and chase each other. This, in itself was worth the price of admission.

Our final stop was at the pony rides for Tenley (Jaxon had no desire to ride the ponies). Evidently, last year she cried because the ride was too long. This year she cried because the ride was not long enough. Michelle shucked out quite a few bucks for her to ride and we got some great pics. Hopefully next year Jaxon will ride ponies with her. While we were waiting for Tenley's ride to end, Jaxon spotted a cheesy train that runs on wheels. Jaxon decided at that moment to have a tantrum and throw himself on the ground. May I remind you that this is the fair grounds and not the cleanest place on earth. I mean, who knows what has fallen and been stepped on! At first, I wasn't leaving the ponies since I was designated photographer but after noticing that there was a line to wait, I relented. The owner of the cheesy train invited Jaxon to come over and sit in the engine and have his picture taken. He enjoyed pointing and "ooo-ing". After the visit we walked back over and took pics of Tenley having her tantrum on the horse as she wanted to continue the ride.

With ponies and trains behind us, Michelle and I decided to call it a day and headed out to the parking lot to make the trek back home.