- Kelly O
- KELLY O
- Baby alpaca, chilling in Puyallup.
Certain of my colleagues were surprised to learn that I never miss the Washington State Fair held annually in Puyallup. (Newcomers/foreigners: It’s pronounced Pew-AL-up.) But here’s the thing: What’s colloquially known as the Puyallup Fair has been delighting attendees for over one hundred years and is very, very good at it. This past Sunday, Stranger photographer Kelly O and I attended opening weekend of the 2014 fair, which continues for another two and a half weeks, costs only $12.50 to enter, and is reliably delightful. For a photographic record of the 2014 Puyallup experience, continue after the jump.
- Kelly O
- 98 percent of food served at the fair has been submerged in boiling oil.
- Kelly O
- The deep-fried butter stand is separate from the stand selling deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried Snickers, deep-fried Reese’s Cups, and chicken sandwiches made on Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Perhaps you’re tempted to think, “Deep-fried butter must be pretty good or at least edible if it’s being sold as a commercial food item.” You’d be wrong. It’s just gross deep-fried butter, and its sellers are laughing at you for eating it.
- KELLY O
- If you don’t want something deep-fried, there is grilled meat.
- Kelly O
- Or, have a caramel apple and learn about Islam.
- KELLY O
- There is also food not meant to be eaten by attendees, such as this competitive bread.
- KELLY O
- Friendly cows!
- KELLY O
- Service-oriented camels!
- KELLY O
- Angora goats!
- Kelly O
- Zedonks! (Which are part zebra, part donkey, and total snobs.)
- KELLY O
- Also at the fair are sheep, which are sometimes ridden, rodeo-style, by children. These events are called “mutton busting,” and are hilarious.
- Kelly O
- The insides of animals are also of interest.
- KELLY O
- Like any good fair, the Puyallup has thrill rides—kiddie spinners, a haunted house, an old wooden roller coaster, etc. But the only one I care about is the Extreme Scream, a gloriously crude gravity exploitation device that straps riders to a platform that is shot 20 stories into the air and left to fall plunge down to earth at speeds approaching negative 1G. The Extreme Scream is like the Ramones of carnival rides—no frills, no loops, just the most exciting part of the ride stripped to its essence. It is a great gift to be able to get as scared as the Extreme Scream makes you and live to tell the tale. One ride costs $10. I rode it four times. It was worth it.
- Kelly O
- Britney Spears!
- KELLY O
- Elvis Presley!
- KELLY O
- An old pope!
- KELLY O
- Smiley Face!
- KELLY O
- KELLY O
- KELLY O
- KELLY O
- KELLY O
- I swear to God I saw this baby move.
There are all sorts of performances throughout the run of the fair, and I am so grateful I got to see the one I did, because the Tanglefoot Clogging Club of Tacoma tapped the shit out of that stage for 45 minutes straight. It was amazing.
(Video shot by my Extreme Scream co-rider Trent Moorman.)
As you can see, the Washington State Fair in Puyallup is full of thrills and chills and terrifying dolls. It continues seven days a week through Sept 21 and you should go.
