As one of the largest county fairs in the state, the Washington County Fair is a popular tradition in Northwest Arkansas. The fair is a four-day event filled with performances, rides, food and daily deals. It ran from Aug. 20-24, 2024. Mark Livingston, sophomore majoring in computer engineering, attended the fair as a way to engage in a fun time with his friends. “We rode rides and saw the animals,” Livingston said. “The lines for the rides were so long, and we would stay in lines for about 20-30 minutes for a ride.” Livingston said he did not get on a lot of rides because he has motion sickness. He preferred to either stay on the side or take pictures and videos of his friends on the rides.
“I went to the Fire Ball first because I knew I would get motion sickness,” Livingston said. “Halfway through the ride, I was like ‘oh boy, I’m glad I didn’t eat anything.’” An attraction he enjoyed was the petting zoo. Livingston said he used to live on a farm and his family used to have goats so seeing the goats at the zoo was nostalgic. “I didn’t realize how many animals they had with goats, pigs, cows, and sheep,” Livingston said. One of his friends, Athena Guzman, freshman majoring in psychology, decided to attend the fair because it was “a treat after a week of academics and trying to balance being an adult.” “The fair is actually really fun,” Guzman said. “I had just recently moved to Fayetteville at that point, so it felt like a really great way to kind of integrate myself into the college culture.”
Guzman rode rides that went up high even though she has a fear of heights. She said she felt like puking a bunch of times, but she still had fun because she was there for the “experiences and enjoyment of being with friends.”
“I was like ‘I am in college, I’m a big girl now, so let’s not close my eyes,’” Guzman said. “I kept my eyes open, and it was kind of fun even if I thought I was going to die at the top of Fire Ball.”
Since Livingston and Guzman had an odd amount of people in their group, Guzman said she “decided to be the sacrifice” and be seated next to a stranger. She said meeting the stranger was the most interesting part of the night because it was so memorable for her. The fair was one of the first decisions Guzman said she made as her own person. She said she believed that one of the positives about being a college student is the ability to make plans and enjoy things outside of school with friends without having to worry about curfews or parents.
“You’re your own person, and you get to do what you want,” Guzman said. “If I want to spend $30 by going to a county fair with long lines, I’m able to do that, and I’m having fun with my friends.”