Washington State Fair ~ (A Simple Account from a Fair Exhibitor )

 My stint at the 2015 Washington State Fair ( formerly known as The Puyallup Fair ) is over after 5 very long , labor intensive, and fun days and nights at the fairgrounds. I am still recovering. The picture above is of me and our oldest grandchild Bugs *  in my Jacob Sheep exhibit in the Animals of the World barn, an exhibit that is only at the fair for 1 week. I don't think I could have done this  without his help and enthusiasm. ( Did you know that each and every exhibit at your local and state fairs is completely designed, set up , and maintained by the exhibitor for their duration of the fair ? LOTS of preparation and hard work go into these exhibits often done for free or for very little monetary compensation.You should take that into account when you visit your local fairs and thank the people in the exhibits you like. )

 Exhibitors are required to be in their exhibits, or have someone fill in for them for all the hours the fair is open. We ( grandson and me ) were there a minimum of 12 to 15 hours daily, beginning our day an hour and a half before the fair opens to clean out the sheep pens and get ready for the public to view. Here is our oldest grandson ready to greet the public and answer any questions they might have about my sheep.

 Goth, my Jacob Sheep ram and the main attraction of my exhibit. He is 10 years old and this is his last year at the fair. He is now happily at home and sharing a pen with two female Jacob sheep ( ewes). Maybe they will produce some very special spring lambs for me. :)

 Blitzen ( center ) believed himself to be the main attraction and he did a very fine job of looking cute while begging for soda crackers. Since he is a wether ( castrated male sheep ) he was penned up with two ewes ( female sheep ) in my exhibit. We have been getting Blitzen used to a halter and handling so I will have a hands-on and tame sheep for public displays.

 Two of my sisters and their husbands visited me at the fair, but I only had my camera handy for my sister Karen and her husband Kaare , shown above.. ( Thank-you Tom & JoAnn for visiting us too ! )

 My husband was tending things at home and going to work while I was away for so many days but he was able to help out on the last day, Tuesday, after hauling our travel trailer ( home away from home at the fair ) back to Cedar Pond. Here he is with our grandson , ready to greet the public and answer any questions regarding Jacob Sheep.

 Cedar Pond's Tovah (rt.) and her ewe lamb Tauriel shared the pen with Blitzen.

I had a good time at the fair, so did our grandson , but the days of preparation for the fair were also consumed with constant watering of our gardens and livestock, canning a bumper crop of grapes late into the nights preceding the fair, and simple home tasks . We returned home from the last day of the fair after midnight  to begin  unloading sheep and tending to animals missing my presence. I am only now beginning to feel I've caught up on my lack of sleep and with things around Cedar Pond. I've now begun my list of needful things to be done soon. Blogging is one of them...I've missed my blogging time and my blogging friends. But life is good, my animals and gardens keep me busy, my family fills my heart and time spent with them is a blessing of the best kind. (Photo is of Blitzen )

Bath Time For Goth ( A Jacob Sheep )

 Baaa huh ? Bath ? For me ? I had a bath last year before the State Fair. I don't need another bath...

 .... oh, I guess I'm going to the fair again this year.

 Does this mean I get to eat all the alfalfa hay I desire, snack on soda crackers and apples, and watch thousands of people walk by ? Some of those people are pretty funny looking and a lot of them take my picture.

O.K. then , off to the fair we'll go ! I hope my friends are there. I love the yaks, watusi cattle, zebras and turkeys . Those little donkeys are pretty cute too and they make a loud funny noise. Do you think any of the reindeer will be back ? I loved that little reindeer. ME : " Yes, we'll be off to the fair and most of your friends will be back. Many of my friends will too ! "

Goth got his bath and looks like the black and white sheep he is instead of a brown and beige sheep. If you're in the area please visit us at the Washington State Fair in the Animals Of The World exhibit  from September 11 thru September 15 in Puyallup, WA. Goth will be in my exhibit along with 3 more Jacob Sheep from my flock. We're looking forward to our time there and maybe we'll see you at The Puyallup Fair !

Ummm, how's this for a striking pose ?

Western Washington Fair 2014 ( Puyallup Fair )

This year's state fair has come and gone in a whirlwind of activity and busyness that still has my head spinning. I could not have enjoyed the time there without the help of 2 of my grandchildren and my husband. The Western Washington Fair formerly known as The Puyallup Fair is one of the biggest state fairs in the nation. Literally thousands of people passed by my exhibit in the 'Animals Of The World ' barn and my husband and oldest grandson were often answering questions regarding my Jacob sheep , giving me a break.

We set up our exhibit the day before the fair opened. It takes planning and preparation to set up a fair exhibit, and also packing for the whole week I and my grandchildren will be camping at the fair. Here is my husband standing next to my ram pen. Yes, my ram ( not my husband ) is dangerous.

My ram's name is Goth , here is part of my display. The rugs shown were crafted by me using the wool of my sheep. You can also see a Jacob sheep skull and hide on the wall.

We cart the blue "walls' in too, giving the display a border and a place to hang up info regarding the breed of sheep.

This is the back of the display. Usually my exhibit is placed in the middle of the big barn so we created the walls as a way to also define the space visually.This also gives us a little bit of privacy since we are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. for five days and nights. With record breaking attendance at the fair this year we often had so many people passing though our barn there was no room for us to get out of our exhibit. At least there was an interesting animal to view pretty much everywhere in the barn for those stuck walking at a snail's pace because of the crowd. ( That is one of my granddaughters above. She was a big help this year )

Goth doesn't seem to mind the crowds and must have had his picture snapped thousands of times over the years. He does play with the big rubber ball while at the fair, and enjoys soda crackers and apples as frequent treats for being good.

A partial view of  the aisles filled with people. This is what Saturday & Sunday look like until after 7:00 p.m. A non-stop flow of people viewing the animals . We are very happy and honored to be able to exhibit our sheep here and love answering questions about them , and we do get a lot of questions !

The table in front of my exhibit contains wool, horns, things made from the fiber of my sheep. All hands-on for the public.

All's quiet before the barn is open to the public. We get there at least an hour before they're open so we can clean the animal's stalls , feed & water them, and prepare for the day.

The sheep on the other side of my display. I keep the ram separate from the girl sheep & their lambs. Yes, the girl Jacob Sheep have horns too.

My best help comes from our oldest grandson. I really don't think I could do this anymore without him, so thank-you C.T. ! This was a great year at the fair and we're hoping to be asked back again next year.

Puyallup Fair 2013 Here We Come ! ( And there we were )

 Our home away from home  as 2 of my grandchildren and I headed off for the Puyallup Fair. We would be spending 5 nights in this travel trailer ( I love this little trailer ! ) and 6 days at the fair. From early morning to late at night 2 of my grandchildren & I enjoyed the privilege and the work of exhibiting my Jacob sheep. This has become a precious September tradition for me and my oldest grandson, and hopefully one of my granddaughters too.

 Here is a picture of my exhibit from the view the passing public would at first see. My oldest grandson and one of my younger granddaughters are sitting at my table exhibit, willing to talk to the public, answer their questions, and be friendly & hospitable. They both surpassed my expectations . They were very friendly, my grandson was able to answer the questions asked of him, my granddaughter smiled, was friendly, helpful, and very diligent in her job of keeping the exhibit well swept and clean.

 Both of my grandchildren were able to help me re-enforce the reminder that my ram , Goth, was dangerous. He was there on display, but he is a ram, and therefore not to be touched or played with. ( You MUST respect the ram ! )

 All I can say here , without breaking into thankful tears, is that my grandchildren are a blessing beyond my ability to express. I am so thankful God has blessed my husband & I with these grandchildren. As a granny who loves her sheep too, I am even more thankful for grandchildren who also love animals, love their family, and are hard workers ! These two grandchildren made my time at the fair even more a pleasure because they were such willing hard workers. And they make me laugh & smile.

 Little Miss 'M' was able to hang out with the baby Watusi calf in the exhibit across from me. How cute is that calf ? This exhibit also has zebras , zedonks ( cross between a zebra & a donkey), and yaks. Doesn't this just make you know you need a Watusi ?

 Meanwhile, back here at our place at the fair, Goth is resting with his red rubber ball,

 his daughters are waiting for soda crackers from me,

 

 while two exhausted grandchildren take much needed naps in the back of my exhibit. Both children & I were up before 7:00 a.m. , got all pens cleaned before 9:00 a.m. and were there until the doors of the barn closed at 11:00 p.m. two nights in a row, then the same except the barn closed at 10:00 p.m. the remaining 3 nights. Long hours for young people, and my grandchildren held up well.

 Little Miss 'M' is a hard worker...

 ...as is her oldest brother, my oldest grandson Bugs.

So here is my work crew for my exhibit at the Puyallup Fair 2013 in the Animals Of The World barn . This is the morning clean-up before the gates of the fair open. They helped pitch out the dirty pens and make them clean, sweep the aisles for the public, disinfect the railings, keep litter picked up, the sheep well- fed, well- cleaned, answer the public's questions, and were friendly and hospitable. I count myself as blessed beyond measure for these grandchildren God has given my husband & I and I hope to have many more years with them at this fair !

Whimsy & The Puyallup

Look at my birthday present ! My daughter is holding my new German Shepherd puppy. I named her Whimsy. She is 9 weeks old now and since this picture was taken her other ear perked up. She has been very easy to house-train and a joy . I have already had her with me in the sheep pens, and plan on teaching her to herd sheep. But that will be later in the spring. For now I just want her to be exposed to my sheep, their sounds & movements. She isn't afraid of them, nor is she aggressive. We are going to have so much fun together !

I spent my birthday preparing for our annual September tradition, taking sheep to the Puyallup Fair. This is a busy time, and for the next week I'll be occupied with the fair. Goth ( my Jacob Sheep ram ) can tell it's that time again too and he even seems resigned to his 5 day stay. Last year he appeared to enjoy the crowds gathered 'round his pen. He would stretch, lift his head high and strike a pose for them.

I'll be back to blogging after the fair. If you're in the area ( Puyallup, Washington ) stop in at the Animals Of The World barn & say "hi ". You know you want to  Do the Puyallup !

Puyallup Fair 2012

Another great time exhibiting at the Puyallup Fair ! This year I had more help, my granddaughter K.N. is old enough to stay with her brother C.T. & I the 4 nights and 5 days of exhibition in the Animals Of The World barn. We camp there so we're able to get some rest before each busy day.Camping in our trailer makes it even more fun too.

 The front of my exhibit, with C.T. & K.N. at the table, ready to answer questions should I have to take a break.

These pictures were taken before the fair was officially open for the day. No crowds to obscure the picture taking.The sheep pens were clean after our morning clean-up.After picture taking we enjoyed our traditional fair breakfast, doughnuts & beverages ( who eats healthy at the fair ?). Coffee for me!

Side view of exhibit...

..back view. My exhibit is in a center aisle. I needed to create walls to post information about Jacob Sheep, and also create visual borders. I have worked on the design over the years to minimize visual clutter, but as you probably realize, this often requires a cost in supplies and a lot of labor.My husband and I are refining this, because transporting the walls, the sheep, and everything else is also a big thing to take into consideration.

 Goth, my ram. Posing for the crowds.He was very accommodating to photographers this year, and even mellow.I am not exaggerating when I say there must have been thousands of pictures taken of him over the past few years.One would think he is aware of this the way he posed this year.

 

The ewes ( girl sheep ) in their pen.Thora, Tovah, Mally, & Buttercup were here this year, showing the public the varied horn count on each sheep in this breed.

A lot of time and energy, a lot of fun invested in another year at the Puyallup Fair. I am so thankful to have been invited to participate as an exhibitor here, and even more blessed to have 2 of my grandchildren help me out. Our granddaughter K.N. even chose to spend her birthday here with me and her brother.Maybe next year she'll be here too.Lord willing, I will , and so will Goth.

 

Puyallup Fair 2011 ~ Fun & Done

The Puyallup Fair is over, and I can say the last 5 days of the fair were fun. Hard work for me and mine, but fun! My husband Jim helped me so much and he also kept things at home in check. Someone has to be home to feed all the animals left behind.Thank-you Jim. Our oldest grandchild C.T. helps me every year at the fair. He looks forward to his time here and he works hard for the privilege. C.T. cleans out the pens in the mornings before the fair opens and sits at the table answering the public's questions about Jacob sheep.He also sweeps around our exhibit during the fair and helps me keep it clean all through the day.You can see my ram, Goth, looking through the bars of his pen.

A view of my little nook of the 'Animals of the World' barn.What is that I see in the back of the picture ?

My grandson, eating a delicious vanilla ice cream cone from the dairy and milking barn on the fairgrounds.Oh so very tasty, and already I am missing a truly good vanilla ice cream cone.( Next year at the fair, for sure!)

Another view of my exhibit at the Puyallup Fair.

Our daughter came for a visit and brought C.T.'s sister.One nice thing about the fair is I get to visit with people in my little area. I also get to see so many people I know , but rarely see,passing through this barn .Of course I have to invite them to sit a spell and visit, that is one of the best perks of being here. The girls, my Jacob Sheep ewes are posing for me. Well, actually, they are lined up and hoping to receive the soda crackers I am dangling overhead. Here from left to right are Buttercup, Mahlon,Thora, and Valkyrie. Then there is Goth. He seemed to strut and pose the whole week,surprising me by being so mellow. He did not ram the bars of his pen. He did entertain us often by kicking or butting his ball, accepting soda crackers, leaning his head into the spaces between the bars for my husband to scratch behind his ears or under his chin.He did not seem to mind in the least the hundreds and hundreds of people taking his picture. Good boy Goth. May you produce many more lambs and be with us many more years. Hopefully we can "do the Puyallup" together again too !