TRUMBULL COUNTY Fair kids won't get rained out

Paved parking and shuttle buses are available through the weekend.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
BAZETTA -- A good, heavy rain can clear the midway of pedestrians, close down the Italian sausage shops and leave the $2-a-game hucksters in the contest booths lonely for customers.
But across the Trumbull County fairgrounds, in the stables and under roof, the fair goes on.
Hundreds of children take up near full-time residence during fair week, and for them, Thursday was business as usual, despite the afternoon downpour.
Judges examined hamsters and rabbits; cows' stalls were mucked and horses were paraded on display.
"I think a lot of time there has been mud at the fair anyway," said Lori Vannelli, 18, whose cat, Emma, was judged best in show. "It's not too bad."
The torrential rain kept many members of the Silver Claws club glued to Catopoly board (think feline-centric Monopoly) set up between cages.
But outside, a gang of three youngsters slid in the mud and threw gobs of the gooey stuff at one another, and even a few of the cat people demonstrated they were not afraid of water.
Heather Wells, 13, hit the rides and came back soaked to the bone.
"I usually take rides every day," she said. The rain was sufficient to deter her until Thursday, but couldn't make her stop.
In a horse ring, children showed off their riding skills while wrapped in plastic ponchos. The ring -- the site of a mud catch and football yesterday -- was soup.
"It is just a big mess, but I think some of us are still having fun," said Betty Sivis, 17, as she watched a Western pleasure-riding event from under a roof.
She won second in Western Showmanship, but withdrew from pleasure-riding because her horse is spooked by mud.
Relax under cover
A few barns over, the llamas seemed relaxed. They, after all, have it good at the fair, with a fan for each and someone giving them a snack every five minutes, said Mandy Miller, 24.
Next to their stalls, three members of the Lyrical Llamas Club played cards and adults swapped jokes.
What's the difference between a one "l" lama, a two "l" llama and a three "l" lllama?
A one "l" lama is a Tibetan monk; a two "l" llama is an animal, said Jennifer Roden, of Mecca.
And a three "l" lama?
"That's a heck of a big fire," she said.
Meanwhile, paved parking for the fair is available on the campus of the Trumbull County Career and Technical Center in Champion, today through Sunday.
Shuttle buses from TCTC, off state Route 45, to the fairgrounds will run constantly from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. through Sunday.
Parking areas at the fairgrounds remain open, but they are extremely muddy.
A tractor was used Thursday to remove stuck cars.