Grandpa's Fair

For many years after he retired, my Grandpa would work at the fair gates of the Easter Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot, Idaho.  Everyone knew him and loved him. (In fact, he would come home with pies, donuts, and all sorts of goodies that people would bring him. I wasn't kidding.  Everyone LOVED him!) 

During the year when we would talk to him and ask him if he was going to work at the fair again that year, he would always reply, "If they will have me!" He really thought of it as a treat. It became one of the highlights of his year. 

And it is a highlight of my memories of him. 

I  loved to go to the fair. We would call it "Grandpa's Fair". We went a number of times growing up.  In college I went with my roommates.  After I was married, we would go and eventually I took my boys.  

And we would always bring him a tigers ear to his gate entrance before we would leave for the day. It was kind of surreal to go for the first time since he has passed away and have him not be there. 

"Truck Grandpa" (which is what my boys have always called him) has a very special place in my boys heart.  Especially Ernie.  He adored him. 

 It was so neat to be able to go to "Grandpa's Fair". 

Robert won Claire this water bottle:

And all he had to do was a whole LOT of these:

We were so proud of him :).  Actually everyone else we saw while we were waiting gave up, so he really is awesome. 

We had an absolute blast at the fair.  

My boys loved it.  

We loved it. 

Don't worry, we stopped and got some delicious tigers ears in honor of my Grandpa.  And I thought of him the whole time we ate them.