By CATHERINE ELLERTON
Moapa Valley Progress
Her limpid brown eyes welcomed all in their promise of what was to come. This young lady had long legs ‘from here to there.’ Her hands fondly caressed as she stretched languidly in the hot afternoon sun. Her name was Lily and she had come with her friends to the Clark County Fair and Rodeo. She lowered her eyes and said “I am a Spider Monkey. Welcome to the ‘Wildlife of the World’ exhibit.”
Well!…..I may have just imagined the last.
But she was there with her friend Goldie the Tarantula, which moderator Karla of Pacific Animal Productions introduced to two young audience members. There were a lot of oohs and aahs and giggles and “Get it off my hand….please!”
In addition Tyron the South American Lizard was introduced. Inside the tent one could find an African Pixie Frog, a Screaming Hairy Armadillo, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and a whole bunch more!
What a great way to start a journey throughout the fairgrounds! Maybe I would try the Gators and Taters…..or maybe later.
As I crossed the lawn I smelled a burning type fragrance coming from one of the entertainment tents. There on stage was comedian/juggler Alex Clark demonstrating his craft with fire sticks! At the end of his very entertaining act I wandered up to find out what possessed him to juggle with fire. Alex is from Los Angeles and began juggling at about 15 years of age with Christmas ornaments. He soon graduated to fire sticks which have opened the world to travel for him.
I continued my journey and saw out of the corner of my eye “Jump! The Ultimate Dog Show.” Well, curiosity got the better of me and I wandered over to find 3 to 12 year old rescued dogs jumping for joy. They were very adept at catching Frisbees – if only the wind would not interfere. They would do anything for their rescuers and trainers Lou and Mindi. They would jump over standards, stand on their hind legs and dance and balance on ropes.
At the food court, I pondered whether to get Chinese BBQ or Navajo Tacos or Beef Jerky or Teriyaki. I took a moment to wander through the Commercial Tent with Texas Twister in hand. This area was filled with interesting clothing, jewelry, purses, brilliant wood sculptures, books, Bistro Blends of Napa Valley, Chinese Massage, Dried Fruit, candy and many other tempting items. There were games to play and politicians to question.
Once one’s hunger was satisfied the strength was found to continue to wander through the fairgrounds watching the many entertainment acts.
The Easter Bunny was seen hopping about the grounds and the D.A.R.E. Lion was roaming about. And the crowd was tapping their toes to the joyous music of Washboard Willy as he wandered about. A balloon of any size and shape was available from the Totally Twisted Balloon Design lady.
There was any type of music, dance and comedy act to satisfy the crowd. From the close harmony songs of “In Harmony,” to the Break Dance Comedy Duo of Alfred and Seymour to DSB – a Journey Tribute Band to the Bilbray Elementary students of Las Vegas and their tumbling and singing act – there was something for everyone.
Soon I found myself in the Nevada Dept. of Wildlife tent where I ended my day with a very informative session with Kathy C. – a volunteer instructor. This was given in front of a large poster showing the wing span of different birds. After checking my ‘wing span’ I was advised that from the elbow to the wrist is your foot size (I’ll never divulge), your leg is your arm size; your arm to arm (reach) equals your height.
I posed the question that as we age and shrink in size, and bend over a bit, do our arms get shorter or do they drag on the ground – hence a return to our evolutionary beginning?
It was time I left, I decided, and vowed to come back another day at the Fair.
