Over the past couple of weeks, I've been trying to attend any festival/fair out there so as to preview potential outings for Seth. Where once I would of wandered thru (leisurely) checking out all the arts, crafts and foodie attractions...now my eyes are constantly drawn to kiddie rides, interactive booths, and the availability of "mom I have to go now" locations. And of course, I'm having to do this at a break away speed while packing Seth kangaroo style in my Baby Bjorn (2nd hand- can't afford the off the shelf price) carrier.
Kent Cornucopia Days--basically every 5th booth is a repeat of something previous...ie those "leaf free" gutters you've been just anxiously awaiting to replace....hahaha Oh and the kiddie/food section is so far off the beaten path that you'd have to repark the vehicle in another sector of the city in order to experience it all. In 80+ heat, no shade, and with a baby in tow- on foot was not an option.
Taste of Tacoma- Again 80+ weather, very little shade, and basically every 5th foodie booth repeated itself. Now if you are kid free...you could of enjoyed the various live bands blasting their sounds at full concert noise level, wandered (or stumbled) from the Wine Garden to the Beer Garden, and sampled your way around the site. Since only 3 or 4 token kiddie rides were offered, parking was $10.00 (don't even think about parking in a nearby neighborhood since the local residents love to put up No Parking signs on their curbside, but are more than happy to allow you to park on their lawn for $5 to $7 dollars- don't figure) and the "carnival" attractions mean you'll be shelling out $20.00 to win your kid a $2.00 stuffed toy....not impressed.
Fort Nisqually- great for both adults and kids- bonus that the kids will be LEARNING something from the hands-on exhibits and one on one interactions they'll have with the personnel performing reinactments of the pioneering time period. FYI- be on your toes....the gentleman at the general trading store will offer lots of dialogue, demonstrate hand trading signals, and then quiz you to be sure you were listening extremely intently. Yikes! ha ha
Sumner Days- Very nice. They had plenty of booths offering.....(gasp!) homemade items. Yep- no flipping them over to find they were manufactured out of this country....actually made by someone's hands here...and local. And one side street just for kid's activities.
Our favorite so far....Puyallup Meeker Days. Booths offering local goods, plenty of blow up rides/toys to keep the kids entertained (and hopefully wear them out), great selection of foodies, and a live play performance of Alice in Wonderland that encourages both vocal and physical involvement from the audience.
No comments:
Post a Comment