COEUR d’ALENE — A relaxed energy filled the air Friday afternoon as the North Idaho State Fair opened. Guests included longtime participants excited the fair is open this year as well as visitors new to the fair experience.

Young Daniel and Joshua Lowe will be showing their market lambs as first-year members of Rathdrum’s Sparkles and Spurs 4-H club.

As they confidently walked their Hampshire-Suffolk cross breed sheep, the boys' father, Joseph, said the lambs will be auctioned on Sunday.

The plump animals are about seven months old and the boys have been raising them for the past five months.

Their names are Chops and Flank, the boys said. “Like flank steak,” said Joseph Lowe, chuckling.

“My favorite part is when we’re raising them,” Daniel said as he strolled his sheep across a grassy patch. “Walking them around and having a long time to spend with them is the best part.”

Baylee Voss, a youth member of the American Rabbit Breeders Association has been keeping rabbits for about four years.

Showing numerous rabbits this year with her brother, Owen, their brood of bunnies includes Sassy, the five-month-old Mini Lop, a Satin Broken breed they named Magma and Otis, a rabbit of one of the largest lop breeds.

Between the two, they have a widely-varied brood of bunnies.

A more seasoned member of the ARBA, Becky Kite has been breeding and showing her rabbits for 22 years.

“These guys are addicting I tell ya,” Kite said.

Kite’s venture into rabbit keeping began decades ago when she had taken her now 28-year-old daughter to a Moses Lake county fair.

“She just had to have a mini-lop, she begged me and begged me” Kite said. “Eventually I brought home our first bunny and that has led to the hundreds we’ve kept since then over the years.”

Another first in the fair’s history is the representation of the literary arts in the fine arts pavilion.

A rowdy group of local authors from the Idaho Writers League showed up Friday to staff the booth.

The group is offering published books for sale by local writers like Anna Goodwin, who published “A Path Beyond” and two other works.

Daily prize drawings will be held and a big part of their agenda is bringing a healthy dose of creative inspiration to the crowds.

Suzanne Holland, superintendent for the organization, will be leading daily creative writing prompts so fair-goers can flex their creative muscles.

“We are doing a session on haiku poetry, and another on how to write a freestyle rap,” Holland said.

League member Mark Griswold said he will be doing live readings of his work as well as reciting work by other members of the group.

The Idaho Writers League meets twice a month and heartily invites writers from all backgrounds to participate.

The second Wednesday of each month they meet from 9 a.m. until noon at the Jewett House at 1501 E. Lakeshore in Coeur d’Alene and every third Thursday from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m. they gather at the Church of the Master near Kathleen and Ramsey.

Children are often the most enthusiastic of fair visitors and Sawyer McLinden, 3, was no exception.

As he became enamored creating giant bubbles with a hoop, his parents, Tracie and Sean from Post Falls, said the family is thrilled the fair is back up and running.

“Oh yeah, we are so ready to get out again,” Tracie said, rocking her infant daughter.

Three members of the Blazen Divaz decked out head-to-toe in glittering costumes waited in line to get elephant ears.

“We’re excited,” said Julia Parmann, who owns the Blazen Divaz along with her husband, John.

“We’ve got 30 ladies looking forward to performing,” Parmann said. “And we’re looking forward to the funnel cakes and the elephant ears!”

The Divaz brought back their classic Western costumes this year, Parmann said.

Also inspired to compete in other aspects of the event this year, Parmann is trying her hand at fine arts. She entered three photos and one painting.

She did admit she hadn’t yet gone to see the results of judging because she was still too nervous.

Maybe the two performances Friday night will warm her up to the idea.

The Blazen Divaz will be performing again next Friday night at 5 and 7 p.m.