One last fair weekend

Frontiersman

The crunch of her apple was subdued only by the stickiness of the caramel around it. With each bite, Sheree Walker was having more fun than the previous bite, at the Alaska State Fair last weekend.

For 13-year-old Walker and her friends, this weekend brings bad news - it's the final weekend for the fair, so all those caramel apples, gyros and Husky burgers need to be packed into a four-day binge.

&#8220The fair is one of my favorite things. I usually come once with my friends, and once with my mom and dad,” Walker said, adding that her trip with her parents will happen on Labor Day. &#8220I wish the fair was longer than it is.”

The 13-day event culminates on Monday, closing the books on the two-week party. Before the final day, however, fairgoers will be treated to a country legend - Crystal Gale - and the signature event, the giant cabbage weigh-off.

The weigh-off starts at 6 p.m. in the Farm Exhibits building, with the Max Sherrod Junior Cabbage Grower contest immediately following. Eachyear, the contest attracts national and international headlines as cabbages near the 100-pound mark.

The corps of crops has already been impressive for this year's entries, led by Scott Robb, a Palmer grower who amazed observers with a world-record kohlrabi that tipped the scales at more than 80 pounds. It's nothing new for Robb, however, who owns several world records. But so far, the cabbage title has eluded him.

Even the younger set gets into the cabbage-growing phenomenon, although the big veggies have a hard time competing with the big rides.

&#8220When we come with my parents, we have to do that kind of stuff - look at all the animals and the vegetables and stuff like that,” Walker said. &#8220I guess I like it, but I definitely like the rides more.”

The fair opens at noon today and then at 10 a.m. Saturday through Monday. Fireworks are scheduled for tonight at 10, weather permitting. If rain forces the cancellation of the fireworks, they'll boom over Palmer Saturday.

All of the exhibits will be open throughout the weekend, so if you haven't checked out the arts and crafts, quilts, he photography submissions or the all-important livestock exhibits, this is the last chance to do so before the fair wraps up.

Check out www.alaskastatefair.org for a complete slate of events for all four days of the fair.

Contact Casey Ressler at 352-2265 or

valleylife@frontiersman.com.