Fayette County Fair LIVEBLOG

It's the last night of the fair. I was able to connect to their WiFi. Let's liveblog!

Newest updates are at the top. 

8:57:  Well, my phone died and we're out for the night. But it was a good time. We didn't stay for Cassadee Pope's entire set, but we liked what we heard. Ended with sundaes and milkshakes. Should've kept count of the girls wearing short shorts with cowboy boots. Shout out to the poor donkey with a sign on it encouraging fair goers to vote Republican, and shout out to the poor cows across from a burger stand. I think demo derby fumes did something to my brain. Goodnight!

8:12: Wandered over to hear Cassadee Pope from "The Voice." She sounds great!

8:05: My cop car won!

7:43: Cars with Confederate flags--5

7:40: I appreciate the fact that there's a police car in this round. 

7:38: Wish I would've thought to count camo and cowboy hats earlier. 

7:31: How/why do people wear flip-flops here?

7:17: Cars with Confederate flags--4

7:15: Cars with Confederate flags--3

6:41: Guys...lawnmower demo derby is THE BEST. 

6:35: Cars flying Confederate flags--2

6:26: Just forgot I was in public and burped out loud, then remembered it doesn't matter. 

6:25: This is going to kill my phone battery and data usage, and these metal bleachers are gonna kill my back. 

6:20: Dear sir with the nice hat and polo shirt tucked into your jeans, I think you're in the wrong place. 

6:10: Mullet count--1

6:00: Overheard--"You're gonna need new shoes by the end of the night." Unclear if this is due to poor fair terrain or already deteriorating shoes. 

5:45: Best tee shirt slogan of the night is "Whoever said diamonds are a girl's best friend never had goats." Which I can't comment on because I've never had goats, but I can say I do love goats. 

5:35: Humans wearing cowboy boots--3. Humans wearing Confederate flag apparel--3. Not the same humans. Also smaller numbers than I expected, but the night is young. 

5:30: Mom has given me the rest of her smoothie. Consolation prize. 

5:27: I thought getting here an hour early for the demolition derby was a bit much, but Mom was right--the stands are already packed. 

5:25: Mom bumped my smoothie after I set it down an spilled a solid half of it 😭

5:20: Got haluski and smoothies!

5:16: Great news! The commercial building has a stand to suit all your Confederate flag needs. Just in case you still think flying that flag is appropriate. Bonus "Don't tread on me" accessories to match. 

5:12: Overheard at the fair: "We're not playing the fish game. We don't need to take home an animal."

5:10: Gettin' harassed at the midway. 

5:07: We're in!

Geibel grad now playing for Pittsburgh Passion

One of my '07 classmates, Remy Olinzock, is playing for the Pittsburgh Passion, which is pretty cool!

From a blog post about her:

Having competed in indoor women’s football in Cleveland and Toledo, Olinzock was not only one of the club’s fan favorites, but exemplified strong leadership. Earning All-Conference honors at her position, she was a beacon of optimism on a team that tried valiantly to place victories in the wins column.

The whole post is worth a read, as it talks more about her background and football, which means there's a bunch of football words I don't understand, but it definitely sounds like Remy's contributed to some big successes of teams she's played on in the past. And I'm sure that'll continue with the Passion.

It's always great to see anyone from the area accomplish something like this, but it's even better when it's a former classmate.

Good luck to Remy and the Pittsburgh Passion!

Ah, Fair Season!

Oh, Fayette County. I came to visit both days this weekend, and I legitimately had a good time.

First, I went to Ohiopyle and hiked a trail to Cucumber Falls, where I followed my boyfriend across all sorts of rocks. And while I intended to hit the fair afterward for the annual Clarks performance, I was too worn out, so we went to dinner at Maywood Grill instead. And it was pretty good. I had the penne with vodka sauce, boyfriend had the shepherd's pie, and we coincidentally ran into my newly engaged brother and his fiancée. By the way, if they plan a Fayette County wedding, you can bet I'll be there blogging along the way. Anyway, I highly recommend the buckeye cake. The restaurant in general is a nice little place to grab some food up in the mountains, especially if you're trying to avoid Ohiopyle crowds. It's worth wandering out of the park area, for sure. And keep in mind I've never had a bad meal in the mountains.

I did make it to the fair Sunday, though. I'd love to do a liveblog, but my phone's data plan for the month and bad service in the arena aren't interested. If I end up back there, though, I shall try again!

It was packed Sunday night, for some reason. My mom and I ended up parked almost all the way down at the end of the field by the woods, and we took the shuttle up to the entrance, which actually made for a pretty hilarious ride. It was a good, lively crowd, and there were jokes about the shuttle being the best ride at the fair. If you use the shuttle service, though, guys, please tip your drivers!

My Maywood Grill leftovers weren't enough of a dinner for me, so of course I ate some fair food. I recommend Marilyn's Kitchen's gnocchi, Connellsville band's cheese fries, and basically anyone's lemonade. And of course, basically anyone's haluski, especially if it's made by a church or volunteer fire department.

I was there with my mom to enjoy the annual Hubcaps show, which was great as always. Tribute/cover bands aren't everyone's thing and I totally get that, but if you're up for it, they put on a really good show, and the band's truly packed with talent. I think that might get overlooked because they are a cover band, but I'll praise anyone who can do "I Will Always Love You" justice the way they can. Seriously. I don't take Whitney Houston covers lightly.

Scandals of fairs past are rearing their heads--the livestock barns now have signs up advising owners that animals should be secured for fireworks. And it seems like we can't get through a fair anymore without something tarnishing it, whether that be dirty diapers smeared on car windows or dead horses. This year, we're going strong just a few days in, and we've upgraded to hurting humans!

A fair employee--and I hope now former fair employee--is in the county jail after running over a man with a truck on Saturday.

David Lee Weaver, 55, of Cape Coral, Fl., is charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with a vehicle, driving under the influence, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person after allegedly striking Ryan Anthony Graft, causeing severe head injuries and fractures.

I just hope it wasn't a shuttle driver.

Can we make it through the rest of the week without any trouble, guys? I have my heart set on a demo derby and haluski.

And remember, you can't take weapons to the fair, but you can win them there!

Get well soon, Mr. Orlando!

Today, I realized that more content makes its way to Facebook than it does here, and that a lot of people avoid Facebook for very good reasons. So it's time to make sure there's a little more overlap so y'all are all up-to-date.

So for starters, former Geibel teacher--the man who taught me geometry, trigonometry, and pre-calculus--and calligrapher Mr. Orlando has unfortunately broken his wrist and will be out of the calligraphy game for a few weeks.

But on the bright side, Mr. O is also featured in the new book 100 New York Calligraphers.

"Irony and agony. Well played, Universe," he said on Facebook.

While Mr. O's wrist heals, check out his Etsy shop to buy some of his gorgeous calligraphy--I've bought some of his cards in the past, and I have a piece of his that I bought a few years at the annual Geibel auction that's one of my favorite things in my apartment.

Fresh fruit and veggie distribution

Taken from a post to the Facebook group Good Things Happen in Fayette County.

NPP (Neighborhood Partnership) and RFEC (Republic Food Enterprise) are sponsoring a fresh fruit and vegetable distribution at the East End United Community Center (150 Coolspring St. Uniontown) every Wednesday from noon until three.

Residents of Gallatin Avenue and Uniontown's east end are eligible for a $10 bag of produce, which can be reserved by calling Marlene at 724-437-1660.

A farmers' market will also be set up with other items available for purchase and will accept cash, SNAP, and farmers' market checks.

The Nam on Facebook: Confederate Flags

You know what I call that?

Progress!

Personally, I don't notice too many Confederate flags around Fayette County anymore, but I'm also not around very much. Although I was in town a couple weeks ago, and shout out to Nguyen's and their sushi lunch special they serve in a damn boat.

If you'd like an added bonus from this poster, check out her blog series on first-world problems. Fayette County makes a brief guest appearance in the most recent one. Enjoy!

Scenes from Ohiopyle

It's been a busy, rainy summer.

But before all that, I managed to make it up to Ohiopyle and snap some nice pictures, I just never thought to post them...until now.

First, come critters.

A frog hiding in the leaves!

If you look close, there's a little #frog amongst these leaves #animals #nature #latergram

A photo posted by Janelle (@littlejanelle) on Jul 13, 2015 at 4:35pm PDT

Some tadpoles!

Little tadpoles! #nature #latergram

A photo posted by Janelle (@littlejanelle) on Jul 13, 2015 at 3:53pm PDT 

And now, nature. The view from the rocks along the river was pretty nice.

View from Ohiopyle a while ago. #latergram #nature #river

A photo posted by Janelle (@littlejanelle) on Jul 13, 2015 at 3:31pm PDT

But the nicest? This view from the bike trail's bridge.

The Mighty Yough #river #nature #latergram

A photo posted by Janelle (@littlejanelle) on Jul 13, 2015 at 4:37pm PDT