Animals steal the show on the Evergreen State Fair’s first day

Published 1:30 am Thursday, August 25, 2016

MONROE — The rides flashed and spun, toe-tapping music lured in dancers and the spicy, sweet and savory scents of fair food mingled on the first day of the 108th Evergreen State Fair.

Among all the activity, the animals stole the show.

Fairgoers on Thursday thronged to shady barns full of goats, sheep, cows, pigs, horses, chickens and more. Lambs bleated to each other across the barn. Goats napped on and under tables in their pens. Children exclaimed over guinea pigs with funky hair-dos and young rabbits piled up to snooze away the afternoon.

Emma Hornoiu, who is proudly four-and-three-quarters years old, said the pigs and sheep were the highlights of her day. She likes pigs the most “because they’re pink, my favorite color.”

She was at the fair with mom Shannon Hornoiu and grandma Bonnie Fure. The family came from Bothell for a three-generation girls’ day at the fair. Fure has gone to local fairs each summer since she was a teenager. Hornoiu has gone every year she can remember and has brought her daughter since Emma was born. Sometimes they go to other area fairs, or even fairs out of state if they’re traveling, but the Evergreen State Fair is closest to home.

Emma’s favorite fair snack is a cup of rainbow-colored shaved ice and her favorite rides are the merry-go-round and Ferris wheel — the smaller one, not the really tall one. Admiring pygmy goats on Thursday, the girl’s most pressing concern was whether or not she could pet them.

“I love the fair,” she announced before climbing on her mom for a piggyback ride out of the goat barn.

Hornoiu and Fure’s advice to anyone who plans on going to the fair is to ask questions of the kids and teens who are showing their animals, crops, artwork, cooking or some other talent in any category of displays and exhibits. Many are in 4H or Future Farmers of America, while others participate on their own. Talking about their projects is part of the experience.

Some give demonstrations throughout the fair. PJ Heusted, a 15-year-old junior at Inglemoor High School, spent an hour drawing and painting at a table where people could watch her and ask questions. She drew or painted three pictures of a woman’s face with big, striking eyes and short hair.

“I decided what I wanted to do was draw the same picture different times with different mediums so I could kind of force myself to look at the same picture in different ways,” she said.

She likes challenging herself. She started her Thursday at 4 a.m. to get ready for swim team practice. At the fair, she’s involved in multiple activities and exhibits. She’s been in 4H for five years and has shown in rabbits, cavies, photography, horses, sewing, public speaking, creative arts and food exhibits. After her art demonstration, she headed over to the small animal barn to judge rabbits. She expected to end her day around 7 p.m.

Heusted encourages people to get involved in the fair by asking questions and looking for things that catch their interest.

“If you’re at the fair and you see something and think, ‘I could do that,’ ask about it,” she said. “Everyone is more than willing to talk.”

Evie Hagen, 6, was at the fair for her first year in 4H. Mom Sharron Hagen brought Evie from Sultan to Monroe to show her guinea pig, Melody. They grabbed a breakfast sandwich at the Purple Cow stand and later took a break from showing Melody to see other animals.

There’s so much to do at the fair, it would be easy to miss something, Hagen said. She advises people to come prepared and to pick up a fair booklet, with a schedule and map inside, at the entrance.

“Grab a map and look at the time table and make a plan,” she said. “There’s so much to do. Don’t miss the activities.”

Kari Bray: 425-339-3439; kbray@heraldnet.com.

Fair days

The Evergreen State Fair continues at the fairgrounds in Monroe, 14405 179th Ave. SE, until Sept. 5. The gates open at 10 a.m. and close at 10 p.m. for general admission except on Sept. 5, when they close at 7 p.m. For more information, go to EvergreenFair.org