The Marin County Fair - small, local, a complete blast (and also held at the beginning of July, so you can see how well I've been keeping up with my writing).
Held at the Marin County Civic Center, the Marin County Fair has remarkable, but considerably compact, grounds. In terms of feel, it is tremendously low-key, which is perfect for us. This year, we made it to the fair, with all kids, two days in a row. The primary reason for this, as anyone with kids might imagine, is access to the midway.
Growing up, it was the midway at the Silver Dollar Fair in Chico, California that beckoned. As I recall, admission to the fair was cheap, but you had to pay the piper when it came to rides. The first time we hit the midway in Marin, though, we were happily surprised. The admission was somewhat steep at the gate (around 15 bucks), but all the rides were free upon entry. This was a huge bonus for us as, with the kids at this age, they generally needed some parental encouragement.
Kuri's first ride, sadly, was a bit of a shock for him. Normally he loves cars, but man, did he hate the bouncing buggies. Even his sister's reassurances were to no avail.
With Kuri on the sidelines, Mimi jumped on a motorcycle. No fear for her.
Taking a break from the rides, we headed over to the exhibits. This being Marin county, we were greeted, quite kindly, by The Empire.
Mimi got to meet R2D2...
...and her favorite, BB-8.
Kuri, who was a bit too scared to deal with the droids we were looking for, did manage to join his sister in the throne room.
Walking through the exhibits, we happened to recall that Mimi's teacher entered some class artwork. After a quick search, we found Mimi had received her first blue ribbon!
Later that day we went on our first Ferris Wheel ride, which Mimi loved,
then found a nice, gentle train that was much more Kuri's speed.
And Mari? No rides for her, but plenty of smiles as she watched her big brother and big sister play. Well, at least until it was time to go home.
The following day found us at the gate just after opening, Mimi chomping at the bit to get on the rides. She grudgingly went on some kiddie rides with Kuri...
...but the main thing she was looking forward to were the big rides with Papa. Swings were a favorite, but she really went mad over the Tilt-A-Whirl. This little girl really loves her adventure rides. I think frequent windy-road adventures in the Porsche may have helped in this respect.
Later on the second day we headed over to see the animals. All was well until we hit the petting zoo. No, it wasn't an Evil Petting Zoo, but to Kuri, it might as well have been.
Poor kid. Much like his dad, he doesn't do particularly well with animals. I think we're both of the mindset that it pays to be wary around things that have a mind of their own. Yes, cars, motorcycles, and mechanical things may fail, but they're far less likely to throw you off or knock you over because they see someone has a carrot.
Back on the home front, Mari is now sitting up with support from her chair and her brother and sister.
She's entering that stage in which everything must be grabbed and put in her mouth, especially her siblings' hair.
We're looking forward to the fair next year. Mari will probably be too young for rides, but hopefully Kuri will be game for something a little more adventurous. And Mimi, we're just waiting for her to be ready to attempt The Zipper.
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