Fairest of them all

The Benton County Fair returns to Corvallis beginning today, in all its cheesy small town glory. I tend to think of Corvallis as being fairly cosmopolitan for a small town, but I'm happy that we still have a county fair, chock full of corn dogs and cotton candy, tractor pulls, 4H Club sheep-raisin' contests, rusty rides and honest-to-goodness toothless carnies who occasionally smell like beer as early as noon. Not all of them are stereotypical wonders, but there are a couple.

At the time I'm writing this, it's too late to take advantage of "Kids' Day" where kids get in free, but fairgoers of all ages can get in for free on Friday, as long as they show up by 3 p.m. Otherwise, admission is $8 for adults, $5 for kids 6 to 12, $3 for senior citizens and kids under 6 are free all the time. Ride coupons cost more every year, but a "ride all day" wristband costs around $23, which will keep the kids busy while you hang out at the beer garden.

As is the case every year, we end up with the Oregon State Fair musical rejects, most notably Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts, who might as well have an apartment in town. But this Friday, Blue Oyster Cult will be performing on the main stage.

In addition to all the quilt-judging and barrel-racing competitions, there are several contests and events for all ages, ranging from karaoke to watermelon seed-spitting to the fiddle contest on Saturday. I'm not sure if local boy wonder Alex Hargreaves will be there this year, but it is absolutely worth stopping by to hear this kid play if he shows up. In addition, if you want to see just how those wacky editorials in the Gazette-Times are dreamed up, the editorial board will be holding their meeting at the fairgrounds on Thursday morning at 11 a.m.

Once again, transportation to the fair is completely free on the Corvallis Trolley, which saves the parking fee and spares the epic trek through the dust desert when you show up later in the day.

I'll probably be there Saturday. Keep an eye out for me... I'll be the one angrily trying to knock down those blasted milk bottles for the fourth or fifth time while trying to keep cotton candy out of my hair.