It’s a perfect fair day. I knew how crowded it would be, so decided to head to the fair after 5:00pm. My legs and feet were happy with the decision!

My new eyes are working out great! I was able to blog, put my glasses on and readjust for a bit, then have single vision and see pretty clearly! I know I’m effusive about it, but it’s really a big deal. My vision has been a real struggle for months.

Traffic was slow, but no back-ups, and I got to my spot to find a lovely sign. My hosts have been very busy with life, and they contract parking spots for a vendor and those are marked well, but mine was not, until now. It’s been an issue with the vendor people parking in undesignated spots, paying no attention to the signs. Kathleen has eyewitness airport accounts of how people lose their minds embarking on vacation and I think it happens at the fair too. They’re just so excited to get there, they notice nothing on the way in. It isn’t until they’re searching later for where they parked that it becomes clear they have no idea.

I grabbed my jacket, put on bug spray and walked over to the fair. I got on grounds a little after 5:00. I was hoping to connect with some friends, but I was a little late. They decided to head out. There were lots more people heading out, than in.

I knew I had to get my recipe card and meet up with Mike & Kathleen around 7:00, but otherwise I was a wanderer. I walked into the front door of Creative Activities and it was quite open, sans people. It only took a few minutes to realize why. The building was still retaining the previous days heat. I was dressed for a cool evening and starting to sweat, so I grabbed my recipe card and popped back out the side door.

I realize the recipe cards I have, all say OVER on the bottom. If anyone wants the entire recipe, just let me know! It could be “The Great State Fair Baking Challenge” where you only get part of the recipe.

I walked up Cosgrove and looking up the hill, noted the Rick’s pickle pizza line was all the way to the top of the street. Looking to my left, it was also all the way to the bottom. I tried to take a panoramic. It’s a little hard to capture the breadth and the scope of the determined people!

I hoped the Fine Art building didn’t have the same ventilation issue as Creative Activities, but I also really wanted to see the State Fair Commemorative art, which this year is Crop Art. You can see a replica of this hanging in Ag/Hort, but the frame makes this incredible picture really stunning. Liz Schreiber is an award winning crop artist from years past and was chosen to create a piece for 2023.

It wasn’t crowded and it was warm in the building, but not hot, so I turned left and looked for display #18 and began my backward foray, walking against the flow of people. I’m not one to follow in a line. Randy had shared an article about some of not to miss pieces this morning, so I was on the lookout for those. So much creativity and beauty in this space.

Texture & depth

Color.

This I thought was a pallet hanging on the wall. It’s not.

The beauty is often in the details.

Sculpture.

This was the resident artist today.

Movement.

Fun to look at.

From a distance, I saw a painted dune scape. It’s a single piece of stained wood.

Photography.

Power.

This is The Covenant. The stack of paper consists of land covenant documents, many still in deeds today that restrict selling or leasing property to people who are not “white or Caucasian race”.

A younger black man was looking at it near me and commented. “What’s that?, just a stack of paper? I explained what it was and he started looking at it seriously. I just said it was a powerful statement. A horribly powerful statement. He thanked me for showing him that it was more than what he first saw.

I always go through the numbered exhibit walls, counting backwards, so I don’t miss anything. I thought I missed the #2 wall, then upon retracing my steps and asking a volunteer docent, I realized the space occupied by the Studio Here artist is numbered two.

Stepping outside, I cooled immediately. But once I started walking in the crowds, I warmed up again. The Green Mill has a food truck up here on the edge of Baldwin Park, and they have a new food, Cheese curd stuffed pretzel pizza. Not for me, but apparently it’s popular. I tried to get another panoramic of this excruciatingly long line.

It was nearing the time I needed to meet my brother, but I didn’t want to have to divert them in pursuit of my adult beverages, so I stared walking southwest.

Uff it’s peopley out here… and a pikachu shall lead them all.

I wanted to get a picture of the MOA booth and found that was a one day deal. When people ask, what’s the point in going every day, this is why. Many things are single day events or pop ups.

The fairgrounds have a day twelve smell. Sweat, grease, livestock. We need rain for a good cleanse. Zero rain in the forecast, but I stopped by the Humana booth and picked up a rain poncho. Sadly, this might ensure it won’t ever rain!

Having brushed elbows (and many other body parts) with too many people, I decided to take the cut through. It smells bad and it’s not pretty but it’s EMPTY.

Stopped to fill my water bottle at the KARE barn and what a difference a day makes. There was a line out the door previously.

I waited in a long line at Cafe Caribe to get my beverages and as I walked back up eastward, I laughed to myself as I remembered what Bart said about my new vision acuity! “Seeing single and drinking double!”

Mike & Kathleen arrived at the meeting place, and also needed food and beverages. Kathleen, the healthiest eater of us steered us towards the French Meadow, where we had a short wait for Earth Wings. Yum, so good. Flash fried (not battered) cauliflower florets with organic sesame bbq sauce. They cooked them fresh for us and we just had to take in the aroma as we walked back towards food stop #2, the Midway Mens Club. I’m usually in front, leading the pack, serpentine style through the crowds, taking every shortcut I know, but tonight, possibly aided by the rapid intake of a frosty margarita, I made a wrong turn! Mike said, “you’re taking us through the corn crowd?” What have I done?

Down hill and then uphill, we snaked through all the people to get back up where we intended to be. I lead them all to the back side of the booth, where Mike got $6 Hamms and $4 double cheeseburgers for the crew, while Kathleen and I scored a table. There’s a bit of a slant back here, so I was feeling a bit short.

We were on the hunt for some music. The State Fair is the largest annual music festival with over 900 acts in 12 days. My 12 tickets cost $180. Much less than a Coachella Pass!

Walking up to the North end, we took in the many faces of the Giant Wheel.

Most of the shops up on the North End were closed up, except Homespun and Good Things. Homespun has a funny, not funny, t-shirt that I might have purchased in a magnet form.

Can Can Wonderland has a putt-putt golf course up here. All the holes have a state fair theme. It’ll be worth a stop back in daylight.

My traveling companions willing to pose for me.

We listened to a little music and headed back toward the south side. As we closed in on the International Bazaar, we saw a guy wearing an awesome serape! As we stared at the clothing, a women grabbed me in a big hug! Turns out, the serape wearer was the son of Mike & my lifelong friend Tracy! Best hug ever ❤️

We hung out at the bazaar listening to Free & Easy for a bit. Michael went in search of his favorite food and stuck his head inside the mostly closed up West Indies Soul booth. The ladies there seem to love him. He inquired about the hot beef (which was sold out) and one gal counting money said “many people have asked… one of them cried”. They did give him the last of the jerk wings though.

They closed up the gates of bazaar, pushing us all out, so we wandered aimlessly on an absolutely beautiful evening, ending up listening to the last set of Naturally 7 at the Leinie Bandshell.

It was a great way to end the evening!