The Alaska State Fair (In Palmer)... I had heard of it, again and again: "You have to go to the Fair!" "You have to check it out!" "You have to see the veggies! They are huuuuge!" All of the above were stated with a little irony, though. The idea was that since I was new to AK, I had to know what the Fair was like. That was something to maybe just do once, because this is kind of a big deal for a lot of Alaskans.
The first weekend of the Fair, I realized what my friends meant when they were saying it was a popular event. That Friday night, I was trying to get out of town to go to the Nenana River for the weekend. Little did I know I was going to run into my very first (and only) traffic jam since I had moved away from DC. Instead of 20 min, it took me over an hour to go from Anchorage to Eagle River. Past Eagle River... more jammin'!! Yikes! I first thought the congestion was due to two rather minor fender benders I saw on the road. But after passing Palmer, not a soul on the road!! Basically, all of Anchorage was going to the Fair that night!
The next weekend, I decided go see the Fair. Well.. I kind of had to. It was a crisp clear day and I drove to Palmer early to beat the crowd. I arrived before the opening but a line had already formed. I could already tell I was not going to stay there for very long. I took this as "a mission". First year in Alaska, I could not NOT see the State Fair or I was going to remain a Cheechako... even after my first winter!! Noooo!!
So to summarize my experience, I bought my ticket and started my "Fair marathon", that took me at top strolling speed through the alleys of the fairgrounds, only occasionally stopping for an art gallery here and there. I quickly walked through the reptile exhibit, passed by the RV's sale, flew by some camouflage clothes stores (even though the pink camo clothes were very appealing), zoomed through the farm machine exhibit, skipped the farm animals and finally made it to the veggies and flowers exhibit. This is where I spent the most time, amazed by the size of the specimens (flowers or veggies) I was seeing. For the longest time I did not know that the cool Alaska climate could allow for anything to grow here. But veggies do grow alright! Those long summer days probably make up for the lack of warmth. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
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| Not so small cabbages |
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| Who wants a 42+ lbs zucchini? |
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| Big and ugly |
1,182 lbs pumpkin... just another way to make the paper.
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| Dahlias |
By the time I was done with the veggie exhibits, the grounds were noticeably more crowded than when I had arrived in the morning. I explored the last alley I had not yet seen: the one with the rides and the "Weeees!!" and "Aaaaaahs!!" and "OMG! OMG! OMG!s." At that point, I could not wait to get out of there. OK, the State Fair was kind of fun but I had had enough. I realized I was walking towards the exit with a sense of urgency.
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| I'd take a river or a mountain over this at any time. |
On the way back I found the tent exhibit below. The rivalry between Alaska and Texas always makes me smile. It can pop up anywhere at anytime. Even the keynote speaker of a conference I attended last week alluded to it.
So there we were. Two hours later, the mission accomplished: I had seen the Alaska State fair. My friends and colleagues were right: it is a fun thing to see... Maybe just once! :)
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