I managed to get to the Cloverdale fairgrounds on Sunday May 17 for a look around. It’s been a few years since we last went.
We were hoping to hear our friend Ivan sing on stage at 1pm but got hung up in West Vancouver and missed him, arriving about an hour after his set was finished. We walked over to the fairgrounds and it was quite hot – in the mid 20’s. Or for those of us still on Fahrenheit – high 70’s.
We entered off 60th Avenue where the kiddie rides were set up and a few concession trailers – mini donuts, corn on the cob, Hawaiian shaved ice, etc. We immediately took refuge inside the livestock building. It had a nice selection of hens, cows, sheep, goats, horses, and mini donkeys. Also a spinner was there showing what she did with sheep wool and a bee display was set up. Made me miss my little donkeys. See my previous blog on my little hee hawers.
We then headed down the midway where the adult rides are located, passing a monster truck taking people for rides in the bed of the pick up for $5 apiece. And oddly enough, all the seats were packed and people were waiting in line. I can get the same thrills riding in Kerry’s 4 x 4 on the gravel driveway of the farm where we keep our horses. That truck feels every bump on the road!
The midway was packed while fairgoers thronged to the big rides, the midway games, and more food concessions. Everything had huge line ups. But everyone I saw was smiling and having a good time.
We stopped at the barn where the retailers were set up managing to avoid spending money on any impulse shopping. Darn, I really kind of liked that purple cowboy hat! Maybe next year. Also maybe next year for the rodeo. Didn’t go this weekend due to time constraints.
We were hot and decided to walk back home and return in the evening to hear the band Chilliwack playing. On our way out I noticed a concession trailer selling deep fried Oreos and deep fried Jelly Belly jelly beans. I remember reading a blog a few months ago about someone who bought a deep fried Snickers bar at a fair and was duplicating the recipe as best he could. So now I’m checking all the concessions looking for one selling the deep fried Snickers. But no luck.
On a quick aside after we went home I drove back to Price Smart in the Clover Crossing Mall to buy a couple of things for dinner. This was the first time I’d driven down 176th Street past the fairgrounds because Kerry kept refusing to go this way due to the high pedestrian and car traffic in the area. But now I see the 62nd Avenue entrance to the backstretch area has a big sign saying no public parking, only green pass holders and motorcycles. So I’m thinking to myself if this is for passes only then they can not be set up to take cash in this section for their $10 parking fees and we should come back on the motorbikes, which we did at 7:30. Sure enough the security person guarding that entrance waved us through and the motorbikes were all set up in an area just before the admission gate. Free parking for motorbikes! I wish we’d driven past there earlier in the weekend and had seen that sign. We wouldn’t have walked over in the heat of the afternoon.
By this time in the evening it had cooled off and was more enjoyable wandering the fairgrounds. The 2010 Olympics had a tent set up that had a huge line up in the afternoon, but none that evening. We came in, had our photos taken on an Olympic pass, and then got to choose which Olympic event to participate in. I chose the bobsled and sat in this chair with a dome that was lowered over my head and a movie image played of riding a bobsleigh down the course. It was OK. Kerry chose the biathlon and has to do more work, pretending to ski and then a rifle to shoot at targets. He did pretty good.
And then I couldn’t resist. I stopped by the trailer selling the deep fried Oreos. I received a plate of 4 covered in powered sugar. Its kind of like eating an Oreo that was cooked inside mini donut batter. It was OK. Now I can say I’ve done it and won’t need to try that one again.
One last stop on our way to the motorbikes to pick up a couple of bags of kettle corn and our day at the fair was over.
Or so I thought. I woke up in the middle of the night with an upset stomach. Couldn’t have been those deep fried Oreos, could it?
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