The Slice: When it comes to location, it’s just not fair

I’m not sure why this continues to bug me.

I mean, I understand that most of Washington’s population and money is on the West Side. And I am more or less used to the fact that our state capital is located in far-away Olympia. Et cetera, et cetera.

But it never ceases to annoy me that the Washington State Fair is in Puyallup.

Shouldn’t it be in, say, Wenatchee or Walla Walla? Some place more or less central.

OK, I understand that Washington is not the only state where the preeminent fair is not situated in the middle of the state. I also realize there are plenty of fairs scattered across Washington. Spokane’s Interstate Fair is a fine example.

I get it. We are not fair-deprived in Eastern Washington.

But Puyallup as the site of the big show? That just seems wrong.

And it’s nothing personal. Never having been there, I have nothing against Puyallup. I’m sure it’s a good place to hold some sort of a carnival.

But the state fair?

Imagine a little girl in, say, Spokane Valley, asking her father if the family can visit the state fair.

“Daddy, can we go to the state fair? It’s the fair for all of Washington, you know.”

“Sure, sweetie. We’ll just pack up the family truckster and plan on a 600 mile round-trip journey to gag down some corndogs and see some bunnies.”

Clearly, I need to just get over this.

The Spokane Interstate Fair is a good fair. It’s not the state fair, mind you. But it’s a fine fair.

And it is named after two states, so maybe it’s twice as good.

Today’s Slice question: Maybe this has happened to you. You’re reading about a city where you once lived or at least visited. And several of the cultural attractions and restaurants touted in the story are unfamiliar because they did not exist back when you were there. It happens. Things change.

Which brings us to today’s question.

When people who once lived here read travel articles or city profiles about Spokane, what do you suppose is the most often mentioned local attraction that was not here back when the Lilac City was their home?