Llamas and Tuff Trucks ~ A Day Filled with Obstacles

Blue is blue, right? I do not have any llamas of my own…sniffle…but Rob and I are sort of llama groupies (I volunteer as an assistant handler for a cool therapy llama named Rojo). We often hang out in the Llama Greenway to help answer questions and introduce Fairgoers to the wonderful world of camelids, including a 3-week-old alpaca that is the softest thing you’ll never want to take your hands off of. Because we are with the band, so to speak, we also get to participate in some llama fun in the show ring. So that was a good chunk of our day at the Fair today.

Today was the day Rob and I competed against each other and a bunch of other non-4-H’ers in trying to convince llamas and alpacas to do things they really don’t want to do. Most of the competitors are typically parents of 4-H kids or former 4-H kids. Then there are the assorted “hangers-on” like me and Rob and spouses of the former 4-H kids who compete mostly to round out the class and provide some comic relief.

Our competition today was the Obstacle Course. This meant I tried to convince Smokey the Llama to slalom through some poles…BACKWARDS. And step through a ladder, under an arch, over a bridge, around in a circle, shimmy sideways back and forth, and walk through a hula hoop that was really meant for something much smaller…like a 3rd grade human sort. All this while trying to remember how to hold the lead rope and not to touch Smokey and to pay attention to his feet and to be mindful of the judge and all sorts of other things I clearly do not know.

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I’m not sure what I did wrong — I actually thought I might end up in 5th or 6th place. But whatever I did wrong, I did it repeatedly and with gusto because I ended up with a really pretty blue ribbon…a really pretty light blue ribbon. Did you know light blue ribbons exist? I sure didn’t, until today, thanks to a 10th place finish out of 11 competitors (God bless you, Bob).

As for Rob, well, he and Rojo got a lime green ribbon for finishing in 7th place. Sigh.

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Tuff Crowd After standing around with llamas for several hours, I was in desperate need of a seat and a snack, so we caught the evening Tuff Trucks dinner show. The Tuff Trucks event is basically a dirt track with lots of obstacles that pick-up trucks of various types drive through as fast as they can without crashing. At least that is the drivers’ objective. The audience isn’t so interested in a fast finish time as much as a broken axle or a popped tire or minimally, some truck-flying-through-the-air action.

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The crowd tonight clearly wanted to see some fast-paced destruction because they actually booed several drivers who finished the course but went at it rather methodically or had the audacity to use their brakes. The crowd went nuts when one guy attacked the “table top” obstacle — which was clearly designed to make trucks fly — and ended up flipping his truck upside down. It was very exciting until the truck’s roof smashed against the ground as its tires spun to the sky. I got really scared when the driver’s mom came running out on the track and was motioned away. Thank God, the young driver eventually emerged unharmed, fists pumping in the air in victory of having provided the most memorable run of the night.

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Fair Food Feast Parade! I walked exactly 3 miles today, some of it backwards. Unlike Smokey. Sigh. Here’s what my tummy is attempting to digest tonight:

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Couldn’t wait to get to the Fair to start the caffeine.

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Soft Taco Supreme with jalapenos and olives added. From the Mexican place next door to the Dairy Women Milkshakes. My second one of the Fair this year. YUM!

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Frozen pink lemonade from Young Life. A staple.

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After several hours in the Llama Greenway, I was HUNGRY. First up, corn dog from Gourmet Burger (across from Lions booth). My go-to corn dog.

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Next, corn from the Young Life booth. My almost-daily nod to being healthy-ish.

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Free sample of the frozen strawberry lemonade from Young Life. Yep, still too sweet. I’ll stick with the pink lemonade.

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Full sugared Sprite right there.

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Finally tried the beignets from the new Oregon Beignet truck east of the Food Court. They were very good! Light and puffy, covered in powdered sugar. I thought some chocolate sauce might have been a nice addition. Rob pointed out that the three large beignets were about the same price of a much larger elephant ear. The beignets tasted more gourmet than an elephant ear but it is hard to argue with the economics.

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Today’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice: lime and cherry. It was really tasty when everything melted together — like a cherry limeade.

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Fried chicken from the Lions booth. Excellent discovery! They will be in my standard rotation next year for sure! Great flavor, not too greasy, moist chicken.

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A friend in the Grandstands shared her gummy bears with me. Mmmm, candy.

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Another friend in the Grandstands shared her Twizzlers with me. Left to my own devices, I am something of a candy fiend. I LOVE THE FAIR!

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Rob shared his curly fries with me. They were from Izzy’s BBQ near the Grandstands. Best fries in the Fair far as I can tell. Crunchy, flavorful, cooked properly. YUM!

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Deep fried cheesecake from Sweet Cheeks. Wow, it was rich. And big. I almost finished it. Some milk would have been good. Deep fried chocolate chip cookie dough remains at the top of my list this year.

 

Schedule Highlights for the Last Day of the Fair (Sunday):

  • Large Animal Round Robin Showmanship at 11:00am
  • Fair Court Competition speeches at the Kids’ Park Stage at 2:00pm
  • Monster Trucks in the Grandstands at 2:00pm
  • Fair Court Competition equestrian competition in the Horse Arena at 4:00pm
  • Monster Trucks in the Grandstands at 7:00pm
  • 2014 Fair Court Coronation at the Kids’ Park Stage at 8:00pm
Toni Woodard

Toni Woodard

I am a Clark County Fair Fanatic and eat all things fried during the glorious 10 days of The Fair. I have lived in Clark County since 2004 and consider it the second-best decision of my life. I am married to a great guy named Rob (first-best decision) who graciously carries my stuff and takes my picture every time I eat something at The Fair. We have two indoor cats and lots of deer, rabbits, and coyotes who are kind enough to stay outside.

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