MOSES LAKE - The families of the exhibitors at the Grant County Fair start rolling in the Sunday before the fair opens, and those who come from out of town may stay the entire week. One whole week. A whole lot of hours.

The chores of an exhibitor fill a lot of those hours. Animals need to be fed and watered twice a day. "He (Jacob Joslin, Royal City) has a steer and I have a pig," Clark Rookstool, of Quincy, said. "I also have a goat. The mornings are tough."

Pigs need extra attention when it's hot; most kids in swine competition have a spray bottle and stay close to their animal, spraying it to prevent overheating, Rookstool said.

All animals must be scrubbed, blow-dried and brushed before any market or fitting and showing competition. Then there's barn duty - walkways have to be kept clean of sawdust and wood chips and animal droppings.

Even with all the work there's still time to kill. On Wednesday morning a solitaire game lay abandoned on an ice chest in the beef barn.

Rookstool and Joslin weren't playing solitaire; they were enjoying some Block 40 ice cream cones. When they're not eating or exhibiting they "just walk around the fair and check out the exhibits," Clark said.

"Watch shows," Jacob said.

"Or even just hang out with friends," Clark said. Hanging out is a popular way to pass the time. The Basin Buddies 4-H group has a spot in the campground, and in the evenings the club members sit around and talk, Amanda Calloway, of Quincy, said.

Cooper Raap, of Ephrata, likes to keep his pig clean. "That and I go eat Spaceburgers," he said.

"We just hang out a little bit," Shelby Munson, of Quincy, said.

"The Spaceburgers," Cooper said.

"I don't like Spaceburgers," Shelby said.

Katelin Horton, of Moses Lake, likes the carnival rides, but not everybody is a fan of the rides. Cooper said he chooses not to ride.

Of course, things change on a hot afternoon. "We all have trailers that are nice and cool, and we like to go there," Amanda said.

The fair continues through Saturday.