Breathe in the scents of the Puyallup Fair. There’s something oniony and smoky meaty.  There’s that elephant ears fried sweetness, melding with the smell of ice cream cones or funnel cakes.  Breathe deeper, and smell the unmistakable carnie BO smell, just under the subtle notes of animal waste. 

Only not yet.

Wandering around the fairgrounds today, I breathed deep, I smelled ... fresh air, actually.  I saw â€" rather than crowds â€" cars, presumably for people setting up hot tubs (count ‘em, four hot tub sales booths in one fairground!) or artists bringing in their maritime paintings.  I saw a herd of electricians grazing on home-packed meals under a freshly pruned tree.  I saw empty food vending booths.

I wanted a latte. 

I made it to Sillyville, the fair’s newest addition, parched and in need of caffeine, hoping a coffee shop would materialize before my eyes.  That wasn’t to be, but I did get a preview of a well-designed area where parents and their wee ones can do their own thing out of the main hubbub of the fair.  It’s actually super cool, with a train, a mini-autobahn, and the mother of all huge slides, and actual lawn. I didn’t realize til I was struck by the presence of lawn that the rest of the fair is, like, 97.875 percent concrete.
The fair opens tomorrow, and I can’t wait to go see more rodeo action (Saturday!).  Cute boys, good smells, and a Sillyville?  I’m there. â€" Jessica-Corey-Butler