not quite the fairest of them all

Back east H and I used to hit one or two fairs each year, usually the Cumberland County Fair, because it was practically next door to us, and the granddaddy of them all, the Fryeburg Fair.  We'd wander for hours, skipping the carnival rides but in and out of every barn with me patting every animal I could get my hands on, poking around the farm equipment, cheering from the stands during the draft horse and oxen pulling, and eating. Love the fair food: kettle corn, Italian sausages, Beale St. BBQ chopped brisket sandwiches (only available at the fairs), fried dough.  Mm-mm!

It's been Fair Season out here in Utah for a while now.  We missed the Tooele and Heber County fairs but decided to give our new home county a go.  The Salt Lake County Fair ran from August 11-14 out at the South Jordan Equestrian Park (2100 W 11400 S).  The day's program seemed packed with a 4H livestock auction, horce racing, pig racing, fiddlers, horse pulling, equestrian vaulting, cake decorating contests, clogging grandmothers and a Dutch oven cook-off, to name just a few.

The fair opened at 11:00 a.m..  We got there sometime after 1:00 p.m., paid $7 for parking/admission, and left not long after 2:00 p.m.  Folks, the SLCo Fair is TINY.  Smaller than the Cumberland Fair by a looooong shot.  There were hardly any animals, about eight food booths, some lady selling henna tattoos, a few carnivals games and kiddie rides, and a petting zoo (with a 1-year old camel!).  And that was about it.  I was shocked.  I really thought it would have been a bigger fair.  We did a lap around everything and called it good.  H thinks that maybe a more rural county might have a better fair - like Heber, which I'm game to try next year - and we're determined to go to the Utah State Fair in September ... but now my expectations are much, much lower for that one.  If it measures up to Fryeburg, I'll be happy.

So what did we do with the rest of our Saturday?  H got on his bike, I did some weeding and at 6:00 p.m. we went up to Snowbird for their final Cool Air Concert of the season, the Nate Robinson Trio.  What a lovely evening: sitting on the deck with a mellow crowd, drinking our own PBRs (coolers are allowed), watching the sun go down behind the mountains and listening to a decent local band play reggae.  A stop in at the Lone Star Taqueria for carne asado tacos and a chile verde burrito capped off what turned out to be a very nice day, meager fair-going notwithstanding.