MONROE — That down home feeling is in the air.
The Evergreen State Fair opened in Monroe on Thursday with entertainment lined up through Labor Day.
On opening day, arts and agriculture from across Snohomish County were on display. Sweet and savory treats were frying. Rides were rolling and animals were strutting their stuff.
A new amusement this year, the GASCAR Crazy Animal Races, already was popular, particularly with young fairgoers.
“It’s really cool because you get to see the animals up close,” said Jeiven Mills-Peck, 11, of Marysville.
Pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys and ducks waddle, strut or hoof it around the hay-lined track.
“The animals are racing to see who can get a treat first,” said Jeiven’s brother, Zen Mills-Peck, 7.
Some creatures were so amped, they wanted to give it another go.
“The pig came out after the race and went the wrong way,” said Jayden Wallin, 8, also of Marysville. “It wanted to race again.”
Even the rooster that trailed behind the other animals in the first heat of the day was given something tasty at the finish line.
“That chicken was walking, really, really slowly,” said Sarina Habic, 10, of Marysville “He didn’t exactly win the race.”
It’s possible that he chickened out with the crowd of children lined up around the race track.
The competitors have fitting names, such as “Mark Mutton,” “Rooster Earnhardt,” “Denny Hamlin,” “Kid Rock,” and “Duck Shelton.”
“I’m going for the lamb,” said Claudia Hale, 6, of North Bend. “He’s a cheater.”
She thought the interspecies competitions were unfair anyway.
Others, however, were fans of the racing menagerie.
“It was funny,” said Avery Paro, 4, of Marysville.
In one heat, four superhero goats — “Captain Kid of America,” “Goat of Thunder Thor,” “Iron Kid” and “The Hulk” — were vying to get to the finish line.
“It’s gonna be interesting, said Philip Hale, 10, of North Bend.
Each race has three heats. The races take place near the petting zoo in Frontierland and are scheduled at 11 a.m. and 1, 3:30 and 5:30 p.m. daily.
Emilie Owen, the stars-and-stripes-clad announcer, said pig races, such as the popular ones at the Evergreen State Fair before 2014, are common at fairs around the country. So her Medford, Oregon-based business decided to mix it up with more animals.
“You never know who’s going to win or who’s going to cheat,” she said. “The animals sense it when people get excited. The louder they get, the faster they run. They feed off the energy.”
Owen, 25, said animal rights activists occasionally show up to question the treatment of the animals. She tells them to stick around and see how the creatures are affected.
“People can see we love our animals very much,” she said.
Amy Nile: 425-339-3192; anile@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @AmyNileReports
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