Fairwell
Well, that’s that. The end. As much as it exhausted me, I am really sad the Fair is over.
We stayed until pretty much the very end tonight. We saw the hypnotist’s (Jerry Harris) final show at 9:00pm and then went on the Ferris wheel for one last look around. Even though the Fair supposedly closed at 10pm, I stood at the Green Gate and looked down the darkened Main Midway one last time at 10:36pm. And as sappy as it sounds, I will admit that I got a lump in my throat as I quietly said good-bye to my beloved Fair. Ten long, sleep-deprived days straight and I still adore it.
Other than just generally wandering around and soaking in the last breaths of The Fair today, my husband and I did stumble upon what might turn out to be a new tradition for us.
While having lunch, my husband sat next to Contestant #1 for next year’s Fair Court. She encouraged us to attend the speeches later in the day, followed several hours later by the Coronation. Since we suddenly had a personal connection and someone to root for, we decided to check it out. That plus the event took place in the shade.
The Fair Court is three young equestrian women — two Princesses and a Queen. Their primary duty is to promote the Fair during the year by attending various community events and fundraisers and participating in local parades. Very logically, a new Fair Court is chosen on the very last day of the Fair each year. So one Court ended today while another was inaugurated. There were six contestants for the 2013 Fair Court. We managed to stay for the first three’s speeches.
Actually, contrary to its billing, the event was more than just speeches. Each girl was asked to give her bio, answer a spontaneous question, model her outfit, and then give a 2 minute speech about the Fair. Then several hours later, the Coronation took place. Several awards were handed out and then the big moment came. The first Princess was a bubbly girl who won several awards…none of which I can remember. The second Princess was Contestant #1, our lunch pal. The Queen was a poised young woman who won awards for both her speech and her horse riding ability. She also sold the most raffle tickets.
It was quite interesting to see a little of the “behind the scenes” of this aspect of the Fair. Until today, I just saw the Fair Court each year as three young highly coiffed women who showed up at the Bull Riding and Demolition Derby and Chicken Dress-Up Contest to lend some pageantry and bling to the occasions. Now that I’ve seen a little bit of what they go through to get awarded a place on the Court…and have seen them more up close and personal…I suspect next year I will be excited to see how each of the young women has grown into her role over the year.
And so this brings us to the end of The 2012 Clark County Fair. Sniffle.
Only 354 days until next year’s Fair!
