Theme of Tradition Carries Through to Fair's Final Day

Morning showers weren't enough to keep the crowds away from the Arlington County Fair on Sunday.

Most fairgoers were outside despite the humidity and threatening clouds, determined to enjoy the open air, rides and food.

Sitting along a walkway enjoying an afternoon bite, South Arlington resident Beth Lofgren had a perfect view of the Fun Slide and game booths.

“I've been coming here every year since I was a kid,” she said. “It's tradition.”

Lofgren said she looks forward to the vendors every year. If her nieces and nephews are in town, they get to enjoy the rides and the games. But Lofgren's favorite part of the fair is inside the Thomas Jefferson Community Center — the vendors, particularly the the jewelry vendors.

Together, fairgoers offer a glimpse of the Arlington not always seen on the bustling streets of the Rosslyn-Ballston corridor: Couples walking hand-in-hand, parents pushing a stroller or holding a young child. Older children argued over which rides to take next, while groups of teenagers wandered through the crowds.

Around the midway games, vendors tried their best to entice fairgoers to try their luck at winning a prize.

One game operator, who asked not to be identified, said he has been working at fair stalls since he was a child in Tennessee, where he helped his father.

“I love making people laugh... To interact with families and people is my favorite part of the fair,” he said.

“I enjoy watching the little ones win big prizes they didn't think they could win, that's my favorite thing.”

Chalin Smith of Alexandria and her family have been coming to the fair for five years. In the past, she said, “the petting zoo has always been a big draw.” Despite its absence this year, she and her family still partook in their favorite thing: the food.

“Eating junk food is the best,” she said. “Funnel cake and super-sweet lemonade.”

For Susan Martin and her daughters, 21-year-old Danielle Davis and 11-year-old Cameron Davis, the food is just one of the things they enjoy. The family has always been coming longer than Danielle can remember.

“The admission is free. In this economy, you can't beat that,” Martin said. “The only thing you have to pay for are the vendors and rides."

Inside, people entered exhibits in a number of categories, ranging from gardening to arts, all with one unifying theme: “Tell Arlington's Story.”

Linda Crocker Simmons, one of the competitive exhibit organizers, said that for many people, those exhibits are the heart of the fair.

“They are a snapshot of the county,” she said.

The exhibits show what life in Arlington is all about, she said.