Although my cousin Lindy and her husband James, dropped off some Fisher Scones after her visit from our State Fair in Puyallup two weeks ago, I haven’t really connected with the fair in years. Money is always a good enticement for me, however. For the last weekend of the 2019 Washington State Fair Peg and I got to meet Roberto the Magnificent at Cattlin’s Restaurant in downtown Puyallup. Roberto was performing his act and wanted it videotaped to create a new demo.
“Our state fair is a great state fair,
Don’t miss it, don’t even be late.
It’s dollars to donuts
That our state fair
Is the best state fair in our state.”
Lyrics composed by O. Hammerstein II
I do like to people watch and the fair is a great place for that. Peg has been a fairly regular visitor at the fair. She usually attends and helps with calligraphy demonstrations by her group, Tacoma Calligraphic Guild. I generally drop her off and pick her up; this time, however, we worked the fair together. We ordered two BLTs to go from Cattlin’s, which came with cups of cantaloupe. Fried bacon is not a health food, but compared to much of the food available at the fair it is. My mouth dropped when I first saw the one foot blocks of curly fries and onion rings . . . and dropped even further when I saw the huge turkey legs people were gnawing on as they walked around. I fantasized about bumping into someone and then helping them pick up their snacks and sampling. The biggest temptation for me was the corn on the cob. When we ate the BLTs they had been sitting for a couple of hours and were a little dry, but other than a few crusts, they were wolfed down. Corn on the cob would have been a nice finisher.
We videotaped two performances by Robert Stuverud (a.k.a. Roberto the Magnificent). He has appeared on America’s Got Talent and the Today Show and virtually every NBA arena where he performs his Roberto the Magnificent’s Crazy Comedy Stunt Show! Robert juggles, does magic, rides a unicycle, has his dog do tricks. He enjoys himself, and has a ball. He teases kids and adults alike. He gets them up on stage. The children gladly volunteer their fathers and mothers and the parents encourage their children to participate as well. – robertothemagnificent.com/
After the first show Peg visited the fine arts pavilion and enjoyed viewing the art. She returned for the second Roberto show as the Junebugs were performing. The Junebugs are guitarist Moses Barrett, drummer Kyle Owen, and bassist Nathaniel Daniel. Their first song was Paul Simon’s “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.” I was hooked. They played covers and then switched to their own compositions. I’m not sure what Barrett’s instrument was, but it looked like a combination of an electric guitar, a Dobro and a banjo.
“The Way Back” was my favorite piece. I enjoyed looking around at the audience. One group of six, all wearing black t-shirts were dancing and swaying in unison to the music. About ten feet away I watched a teenage girl dance to the music by herself and off to the right a mother in her twenties danced with her babe in arms. To my left I saw a father and mother give a dollar to their four-year-old son and send him down to the stage to offer a tip. – thejunebugs.net/
The whole afternoon was like a family get-together. Roberto encouraged his audience to come back for another helping of music from the Junebugs and the Junebugs encouraged their people to enjoy the antics and fun of Roberto the Magnificent.
The afternoon crowd for Roberto had an excellent time. For two decades he has been performing for live audiences. He loves the people and they love him. Virtually every seat at the Coca-Cola Stage was full. People laughed and enjoyed themselves. Roberto couldn’t reach everyone, but he did have one more show to perform that evening. Families reacted as a group and afterward an adoring public had questions and praise for Robert and his act. This was a giant slice of America. I saw Muslim Americans, Asian Americans, White American, Black Americans, Mexican Americans, old people, young people, and everything in-between. We were just Americans on a pleasantly warm Sunday. This is truly, our state fair . . . and I was proud to be a part of it.
I didn’t go to the Fair this year, but this article makes me want to go next year. GREAT ARTICLE.
Joan,
Thank you for the kind words. I think next time I’ll take the bus, however. We enjoyed the music, but didn’t eat any food other than the BLTs from Cattlin’s which worked out well. It’s tough to beat free live entertainment as well. My wife enjoyed the fine arts displays. Many reasons to return.
Thanks, again. I’m glad you liked the article.
Don
Don,
I am glad that you got to meet Robert this past weekend. He is a great example of the many that are involved in the Fair Industry, whose prime purpose in life is to provide happy memories for people.
Many think of “The Fair” as a big carnival with long lines for Scones. However, Fairs across the country provide a great glimpse into all that is remaining good in our country and also provide a long standing link to Agriculture.
Did you know there are 8 Fairs in Pierce County alone? Puyallup Spring Fair, FFA Spring Fair, NW Junior Livestock Show, Pierce County Fair, Lacamas Community Fair, Washington Junior Poultry Show, State FFA Exhibition and the Washington State 4-H Fair.
Fairs not only provide educational experiences for youth (and adults), but venues for competitions, tests of skill, markets for agriculture & new products, entertainment and places to sample just about anything we could think to eat. In the case of the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, 3,000 seasonal jobs add economic impact in our area alone. If you are still interested in attending a Fair, the Central Washington State Fair runs through September 29 in Yakima.
Paul,
Thanks for commenting. It was nice meeting Robert. I was most impressed when we met him at Cattlin’s. He and our waitress kidded each other back and forth. It was obvious that Robert had dined there many times over the years.
As you point out the fair grounds in Puyallup host many more fairs than just the Washington State Fair. My memory bag is full of them. We hosted Drum Stick there two years in a row to break the Guiness Records for the most drummers playing the same song. Rotary used to attend and judge the efforts of Scouting at both THE fair and the Pierce County Fair. Peg and I rented a booth there when we started out with our video production business.
The Puyallup Fair always loomed big . . . My cousin and I played the games and rode the rides. In junior high and high school I performed with our concert band. My buddies and I would shyly try to meet girls . . . not successfully by the way.
Peg and her sister Pat used to visit the fair and make a bee-line to the pottery exhibit to buy a new bowl every year. I played in a golf tournament that raised money for the fair and had the best ever flame grilled fillet. In four years Peg and I will attend our third high school graduation there as our last granddaughter graduates.
Fairs and fair grounds are magical places. I would like to quote you, with your permission, in a follow up article.
Thanks for reading and sharing.
Don