Posted on July 5, 2009 - by Rasham

COUNTY AFFAIR RATES ‘FAIR’

Between the pushy salesmen at the ‘products also sold on television’ exhibition and the prepubescent boys holding vomit contests behind carnival trailers, I’m not quite sure which one element of the Alameda County Fair was intriguing enough to warrant an entire day spent, however, I nominate the Native American band playing whistle flute to the Britney Spears album behind a rainbow of assorted Hawaiian-style gowns and ukuleles. During the pause between ‘Baby One More Time’ and ‘If u Seek Amy’, it occurred to me that I had crossed through a portal and into a humorous world where the sights and sounds were meant to tickle the cynical and sarcastic. I had to stay.

Once I was sufficiently sick to my stomach and mildly dehydrated having screamed on all the death defying rides, I stumbled blindly across the pavement in search of shade. Instead, I discovered a unique feature of the fair: exhibits which displayed the best artsy efforts of local residents. Featured amongst the rows of the blue ribbon pageantry were amateur gardening schemes, gem and mineral sculptures and crafts, food and fiber arts, jams and jellies and pickled things in jars, quilts and paintings and photos and creative dining room placings, cupcakes and cookies pretending to be other things, landscape displays and a composting exhibit. I dragged my feet throughout this museum of made at home marvels, impressed and thoroughly charmed.

The sour memory of operating my bumper car to REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore’ sweetened as my approach shifted from crabby to curious: maybe the fair wasn’t so bad after all.

Wandering back out into the crowds I indulged in greasy foods and grilled bites, a candied snack and a slushy beverage. Feeling a little more grounded I followed the scent of manure to the animal farm. Although you can no longer bet on a pig, you can watch them race around a muddy track adjacent to the sheep and cow pens, next to the pony rides offered to children. The kiddy land was swarming with little people; their enthusiasm and energy was infectious as they dawdled from one balloon ride to another. Face painted babies and airbrush tattooed adolescents were the majority over at this end of the fairgrounds, where the aura of youth and its innocence overshadowed the pessimism of folk like me.

And as the sun slipped behind the golden hills of the Pleasanton Valley, the fair began to feel very fairytale: twinkling lights towered overhead, illuminating the gardens in a phosphorescent neon glow. Armed with giant margaritas and tap beer, adults rallied their families and prepared for tonight’s main event: the fourth of July fireworks display.

As the pyrotechnics show began, echoing crowds of oohs and ahhhs absolved the chaotic cries of spirited children. The heart of the event was on the faces of watchful youth, wide eyed and silent in the arms of mothers and on the shoulders of fathers. The deep booming sound of explosions united us in fright, and collectively we stood in peace as we watched this orchestra of fire in the sky. It was truly amazing, that all of these people were calm in awe, marveling over the same phenomenon in the sky. This sort of mass unanimity doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s absolutely breathtaking, resembling those precious moments after a chord is played by an ensemble of instruments, when the overtone floats atop the sound of silence only because the stillness is great enough to allow for resonance. I exhaled. Was I (throat clearing) glad to be here?

The billowing applause marked the end of the Independence Day presentation, and while some rushed back for one last ride on the Ferris wheel, and others danced to the blue grass band outside the barbecue pit, I took a seat upon the cool grass and absorbed the tranquility that had become the event. The Alameda County Fair was a safe gathering of people from all over the bay, indulging in friendly relations and togetherness. For all of us in that park on that hot summer day, we truly were like one big happy family.