"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Thursday, October 9, 2014

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.

9 comments:

Debbie said...

I'm sure that your sheep are an excellent exhibit, as they are very different from any sheep I've ever seen. I love sheep. Recently in NC while visiting my daughter we had to drive by a sheep pasture when going into town. There must have been over 100 sheep in that pasture. Small, white sheep. I don't think the fences would keep out any coyotes, and I wonder what their security is. Poor little sheep!
You too are certainly blessed with such sweet caring family. Bet you're worn out and glad to be home. Ditto on the sheep!

Anonymous said...

I really need to get to a Fair next year. If I make it to "the Puyallup" I'll have to check and see if you have an exhibit...

Texastracking said...

Oh your grandson has gotten to be so grown up looking! looks like a great exhibit and WOW - you have such a close knit and fun family

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh your help is adorable OK he may not like that description handsome:)
Great setup. HUGS B

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

I have missed the fair this year..... I would have loved to see you and your beautiful sheep and grandchildren! I was once butted by a ram when I was a child. It is not something you want to repeat! Knocked the wind out of me. I am just getting to know you and your wonderfully interesting life! Looking forward to learning more. Have a lovely weekend! xo Karen

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Kathy, what a great post. I well know the effort, time and energy it took to put together your display and then be...BE...at the fair all that time! Ya done great Womman! So glad you had such great help; sounds like it was a wonderful fair. I had NO idea it was so large!

Deborah Montgomery said...

Wow, I am really impressed by all your hard work and your amazing sheep. So nice that your grandchildren helped.

Connie said...

That is quite an amazing crowd that goes past you. That must be an exhausting but very rewarding week. It's wonderful that your grandchildren can be there with you and be such good helpers. Have a nice weekend!

Lady Jane said...

Sounds like another great time at the fair. We have our fairs here in NE and I haven't made it to any in a couple of years but hopefully next year. Hubby was sick so we didn't make it to the Highlands fair either. Another year I hope. I love the food!!! I have a grandchild that says grandma eats her way thru the fair, lol....