DIY

I had completely forgotten about the DIY Street Fair until the day before. Last year, we walked there on a Friday evening, listened to some bands, and walked back. This year, I decided to look at what the kid area had to offer and was astounded. Free admission and free activities all weekend for kids. How did I miss this last year?

I told Lilah the night before that we would go the the fair the next day.
"The fair? To do what?"
"Well, I was looking at all the things we can do. The DIA has a craft tent. And there's face painting. And you can make your own snack to eat. And there will be music and games and good things to eat. And there will be a tent with different animals. Toads and a tarantula and...kestrels!" She knew all about kestrels from Doctor Who.
"Kestrels! Love a kestrel!" Apparently the kestrels sealed the deal.

She talked about the fair all through breakfast. We cleaned up and I walked down with her. Dano stayed to mow the lawn and meet us later for lunch. She chattered the entire way there. "Look, a girl! What's her name? Oh! A dog! What's he doing?" It was a long mile. When we got there, we made our way through the midway and weaved through all the vendors to get to the library courtyard that housed the kid area. Lilah Rose made it very clear that before anything else, she needed to make some art.

At the DIA tent, the volunteers gave her the usual brown paper bag with a sticker to carry her art, and instructions and supplies to make heraldry symbols. I cut out a shield-looking shape and she colored a flower, an L, and some random squiggles in pink, green, and purple. I asked her several times if she was finished when I noticed her staring off into space. She would just sigh heavily. "Mom. I'm just thinking. About art." My mistake, clearly.

When she was finished, we went to the music tent where an assortment of instruments were set up to play. Lilah ignored the drums and guitars and as usual, went straight for the piano. After making some feigned adjustments to the settings, she played the keyboard happily while a line formed behind her of other children who wanted a go at it. When mothers started to tap their toes impatiently, I told Lilah her turn was over and removed her from the keyboard. She proceeded to lie down in the grass and sob. I patted her back and told her other kids wanted to play, and she could play again later. She wailed louder.  "Well honey, I'm going to go have a snack. I'll catch up with you later." I walked away. She sobbed and followed me.

She forgot her heartbreak when we got the Whole Foods tent. They handed her a tattoo of a grape wearing a rocket pack, a ziplock, a sticker, and a spoon. She chose dried apples, peaches, mangoes, and strawberries, pumpkin seeds, and yogurt-covered raisins. We sat on a stone bench to eat the concoction. A band started to play, and there was a rush of children to the stage like screaming girls to a Bieber concert. There were bins full of bells, shakers, and rainsticks. Lilah asked if she could go and I waved her on. After a careful selection process, she chose the best shaker possible. She called loudly from the stage. "Mother. Mother! Motheeeeeer!"
"WHAT?!"
"Is this a good one?"
"Yes. It's the best shaker I've ever seen."
"Should I shake it like a polar bear?" She's heard the Outkast song "Hey Ya". Where it says "Shake it like a polaroid", she thinks it says, "Shake it like a polar bear". We just go with it.
"Yes, darling. You should shake it like a polar bear." And she shook it. For an hour. An hour. I asked her several times if she'd like to go, tempting her with treats, food carts, and kestrels. I was finally able to drag her away with rumors of an ice cream tent somewhere.

We met Dano and Rob at the rock climbing wall. Lilah was a good 20lbs too light to attempt it, I informed her.
"That's okay. I don't want to climb it. I would be too scaried." We got Dano and Lilah sliders, fries, and Faygos from the Emory/WAB tent. I wavered heavily at the Howe's Bayou tent, lusting after blackened catfish and jambalaya. I decided on the taco truck instead, nabbing a burrito as long as my arm and a lemonade for Lilah. After eating, we walked around awhile. I took her to the animal tent where she watched caterpillars and cockroaches, pet a tarantula, and was completely taken with a screech owl. She watched for 20 minutes as it yawned, turned its head, and screeched a few times. The keeper mentioned having kestrels and an assortment of raptors and eagles the next day. "So we'll come back tomorrow to see kestrels." I didn't correct her. Instead, we scored owl and newt tattoos.

Lilah worked on an ice cream from Treat Dreams while we watched a local reggae band perform. She bopped along happily. An officer at the Ferndale Police tent gave her a package of crayons, two coloring books, and a fistful of badge stickers. She pet horses named Guinness and Asher. Guinness really liked her (or the ice cream all over her hands and shirt) and nudged her affectionately. We walked an exhausted, sticky, happy child home. Lilah had a dry pull-up and peed on the potty when we got home. Sleepy-eyed and covered in police badge stickers, she took a long nap and woke up in a fantastic mood. At the moment, she is having tattoos lovingly applied by her dad and eating a homemade bagel. Anyone with kids should hit up this festival next year (lots of adult events in the evenings as well). One of the many reasons I love raising a family in Fabulous Ferndale.