I’ve been to many fairs throughout my life.

In my hometown of Olympia, there is Capital Lakefair. It’s pretty small and set up close to the capital building. My friends and I attend every year, the highlights for us being the elephant ears, the weirdly-colored stuffed animals available as prizes and the fireworks at night.

I’ve also gone to various fairs in Portland, Ore., because of family living around the area. Then there is the Puyallup Fair I attended several times during college in Tacoma.

I always felt all fairs were basically the same after these experiences, but my time at Grant County Fair proved my theory wrong. It is different than any other fair I’d seen, and pleasantly so.

First, the aesthetics are great. The mural painted on the walls of the entrance is beautiful. I was impressed each building features something different, providing something of interest for everyone. There is a historical building, a 4-H building and a flower building. 

I appreciated the signs telling where buildings and stages were located. It made it easy for me to find the location of my stories.

Then there were new experiences.

The first day the fair opened, a few co-workers and I went for lunch. Our editor Bill Stevenson bought us each a Spaceburger, something I’d been hearing about from many Moses Lake locals since I moved here. I expected it to be a huge burger I wouldn’t be able to finish. To my surprise, I found Spaceburgers are small and perfectly shaped like a spaceship. After I amused myself by making it fly in the air for a few minutes, I took my first bite and thought it was delicious. We then dressed in western gear and posed for a picture at a photo booth.

Other memories include listening to the band Hiawatha play some of my favorite classic rock songs and hearing interesting stories from locals.

I’ve only lived in Moses Lake for about three months, but I am already impressed with how friendly people in Grant County are. Where I’m from, you walk forward, usually in a rush, and rarely speak to strangers. Most people here smile at me as they walk by, strangers converse with me in the grocery line and seem to genuinely care about how I am doing. I felt this again at the fair as people came up to me to talk and asked me if I needed any water.

I also learned more about animals than I ever thought I would. I now know things like the different breeds of some animals, how to properly care for them in the heat and prepare them for the fair.   

I also know the distinction between showing, classes and rallies. I never heard of 4-H clubs before last week and can now name a handful.

I’m already excited for the next Grant County Fair. I plan on trying more food, taking more pictures and remembering to wear sunscreen.

Sarah Kehoe is the Columbia Basin Herald health and education reporter. Her co-workers were amused with her flying her Spaceburger and enjoyed her enthusiasm for the Grant County Fair.