Matt Driscoll: An afternoon at the Puyallup Fair still makes memories

I couldn’t help but get a little nostalgic.

The Puyallup Fair has that effect on me. Yes, try as the fair’s branding machine might, in my mind it will always be the Puyallup Fair. TV commercials, radio spots, billboards and the fair’s robust PR department can all insist on calling it the Washington State Fair until their hearts palpitate, but to me — and many others — September and the start of a new school year means just one thing.

It’s time to Do the Puyallup.

So, on an overcast Tuesday I drove down River Road, crossed the railroad tracks, inched in traffic past Sparks Stadium and didn’t stop until I smelled Duris Elephant Ears. From there, I headed toward the Blue Gate, complimentary ticket in hand.

I was set free at the fair on this afternoon with the understanding that I’d put in an hour of my time staffing The News Tribune’s booth. It was a small price to pay. Three new subscriptions and a few interesting conversations with readers later, I was left to my own devices.

Aside from the extra pounds on my waistline and the extra responsibilities of being an “adult,” it was a scene not far removed from my childhood. When I was growing up in Puyallup, every year brought the promise of “fair day,” when each kid in the school district was given a free ticket and released early to learn the importance of grilled onions on a hamburger.

Just as Puyallup Fair visitors have done since 1923, my first priority was to find a Sales Family booth and acquire a Krusty Pup.

Somewhere, I can only assume, my Edgemont Junior High science teacher, Mr. Dahl, was smiling. If they’re lucky, every child has a list of people who made a profound influence on their life. Mr. Dahl is the distinguished educator who taught me that a Krusty Pup is so much more than a mere corn dog.

I remain eternally grateful.

Fun fact: According to fair officials, last year 117,230 Krusty Pups were devoured at the Fair. At least three of those were by me.

My saunter down memory lane continued with a visit to the livestock barns. No trip to the Puyallup Fair is complete without seeing the cows. I’m happy to report that they’re still very big, they still smell very much like all-natural fertilizer, and kids still love them. They even seem to be getting used to people taking selfies with them, which is awfully polite.

Fun fact: There were more than 3,042 livestock animals entered into competitions at the fair last year. The cows still seem least interested in the hoopla.

Not to be outdone, the fair’s agricultural entries — you know, the humongous pumpkins and squash, among other impressive gardening feats — are still a sight to behold. There’s something truly humbling about standing next to a vegetable, err, fruit (in the case of pumpkins) that weighs nearly as much as the starting Seahawks offensive line.

Fun fact: This year’s prize Giant Pumpkin, entered by Joel Holland of Puyallup, weighed an astounding 1,621 pounds — a new record. For those playing at home, that’s a lot of pumpkin spice lattes.

Lastly, I headed for the rides. When I was a kid, this was the highlight. And while the fair’s wooden “Classic Coaster” doesn’t look quite as classic as I remember, thanks to a $1.25 million restoration project completed a few years ago, it still delivers thrills.

Or at least that’s the impression I got from the ground. Now that I’m spending my own money at the fair, not my mom’s, the (approximately) 700 ride tickets it would have taken to get on the thing seemed a little steep.

Fun fact: Some 87,429 riders hopped aboard the Classic Coaster at last year’s fair. I can only assume most were spending their mom’s money to do so.

As I walked the fair’s 160 acres, it wasn’t hard to see how much some things have changed over the years. That’s the price of progress, I suppose. There was fried butter, waffle fried bacon, and a “Beer Haven” — billed as the world’s largest mobile bar. Even that game where you win a goldfish that dies three days later seems to be a thing of the past. (Probably a good idea.)

But the hallmarks that have made the fair a tradition since the turn of the last century are the same as they ever were.

The takeaway: Everyone still deserves a fair day.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 2:18 AM with the headline "Matt Driscoll: An afternoon at the Puyallup Fair still makes memories."