Something old, something new at 99th fair

Things were off to a subdued start Thursday at the Whidbey Island Fair, possibly due to the presence of dark, menacing clouds overhead.

But as the morning shifted into afternoon, sunlight poured down onto fairgoers in search of critters, fried foods, thrilling rides and other activities.

Over in the goat barn, 4-H kids readied their animals to compete in the showmanship event. Ava Stamatiou of Langley cleaned the hooves of her goat, Aspen, with a toothbrush and dish soap. By going the extra mile, she hoped to impress the judge.

The 18-year-old has competed in 4-H since kindergarten. When her parents offered her the choice between goats or a dirt bike, it was an easy decision. She competes alongside her younger sister, Lia, who is 16. The sisters show pack goats, which Ava thinks have become an increasingly popular choice over the years.

“We take the goats hiking sometimes on the island,” Ava said. “We like Putney Woods and Trillium trails. It’s always fun when you run into people. They kind of have to do a double take – goat, deer, dog, what?”

This summer marks Ava’s last year competing in 4-H.

“It’s been a huge part of my life and I can’t be grateful enough for it – the friends I’ve made, the experiences I’ve had, goats I’ve had,” she said.

Out on the midway, a different kind of animal – a colorful turkey named Liberace – rolled up to passing kids and introduced itself. The animatronic is the creation of Jules Bamberger, a longtime entertainer of the Whidbey Island Fair who drives up from Santa Rosa, California every year with his life-sized interactive robots.

“I was recruited by a German scientist and he hired me to come over to Dusseldorf and train me,” Bamberger said of how he got his start.

For many years he worked the corporate circuit, putting on shows for start-up companies in the Silicon Valley and beyond, until airport security became stricter.

“I was really corporate, mostly, until 9/11 because I used to fly the robots everywhere and then they wouldn’t let me because they were afraid they were bombs,” Bamberger said. “I had got to my first job after 9/11 and they had ripped the robot apart. All the wires were pulled out.”

So he started coming to fairs, which he realized were a lot more fun because of the kids’ interactions to his robots.

This year might also be his last fair.

Aside from the familiar faces fairgoers might recognize from years past, there’s plenty of new things too.

Jo Ellen Margenau of Wisconsin got her first taste of deep-fried butter from a new vendor that coats cookies, candy bars and other delights with a thick batter.

A dairy lover, Margenau is visiting her daughter in Oak Harbor for the summer.

“I’m gonna have fried butter every breakfast,” she pronounced gleefully after her sampling.

Over at the Fiddle Faddle Farm, kids made racecars out of carrots and took turns releasing them down a steep incline with the help of South Whidbey Cub Scouts Pack 57. Discarded carrots were taken to the nearby petting zoo and given to Raja, the 12-year-old tortoise from Critters and Co. Pet Center and Rescue.

As noon approached, carnival rides came to life, although younger kids preferred the giant slide. The Ferris wheel had a steady line throughout the afternoon.