Today and tomorrow are special events for children, including Marvelous Marvin’s Circus Arts.

Providence Journal file

Hear songs. Take rides. Win prizes.

The five-day 42nd annual Washington County Fair is under way. It began yesterday in Richmond and continues through Sunday, involving carnival rides and games, music performances and children’s activities, with an emphasis on classic contests: egg toss, sack race and three-legged race.

You’ll find a Ferris wheel and more than 130 food vendors. You’ll also see all kinds of farm animals: rabbits and sheep, goats and pigs, cows and cattle.

At its core, this is an agrarian fair, started by the Washington County Ponoma Grange in 1967. So there will be lots of youths participating in 4H competitions and exhibits, and in FFA (Future Farmers of America) events. But adults will also be competing, too, with tractors, vegetables and animals.

The fair’s focus may be agriculture, but its main draw is something else.

“A lot of people like the animals, but not as much as the stage entertainment,” Pete Fish, the fair’s chairman. “That’s for sure.” (He also says, “I wonder how many people don’t know what a cow looks like.”)Every day at the fair there’s a different featured performer. Tonight, it’s Bomshel, a country-singing female duo from Tennessee. Tomorrow night it’s country singer Lee Bryce from South Carolina. On Saturday night, it’s country singer Josh Gracin, a former contestant on American Idol. And Sunday night, it’s country singer Jamie O’Neal, a country singer from another country: Australia.

The country music connection isn’t a coincidence.

“The fair grew out of a rural tradition,” says Heather Daglieri, co-chairperson of music entertainment at the fair. “Country music is an American tradition. And there actually is a pretty big base of country music lovers in Rhode Island.”

The fair will also feature a stage for local bands, which will play in the late afternoon and early evening, today through Sunday: Before and After will play oldies; Goldrush and Gale County will play country.

Today and tomorrow have special events for children, with Marvelous Marvin’s Circus Arts Workshop and Mad Science Presents Fire and Ice.

Every year, the fair attracts about 100,000 people, mostly from Rhode Island, Connecticut and Massachusetts. The roads around the fair can get congested. Staff will direct you to open fields that serve as lots for parking, which is free.

The first thing you see as you enter the venue are the rides, dozens of them, from whose twirling arms and twisting tracks and high-flying cars come screams of, um, delight.

The sounds, sights and smells of the usual fair you’ll find here. But you’ll also find some unusual aspects: a lawnmower race, a motorcycle rodeo and a dung-throwing competition.

“Throwing dung is like throwing a Frisbee, except it kind of crumbles at the end,” Fish says. “You don’t get a lot of people catching it, just throwing it. It’s a big event with politicians. They can throw it.”

There’s also a Rhody Rovers Motorcycle Rodeo, which will involve about half of the 75 members of the Rhode Rovers Motorcycle Club.

“We show that motorcycling is a family recreational sport,” says Peter Tanner, a Rhody Rover member and chairman of the event.

You’ll see the motorcyclists demonstrate safe riding skills. You won’t see them roping any calves.

It’s called a rodeo, Tanner says, “to fit in with the fair.”

Back to Fish’s musing: You do know what a cow looks like, right? They’re those big cud-chewing, udder-endowed bovines that make the sound “moo.” You’ll see more than 100 of them at the fair, in addition to hundreds of other farm animals: cattle and sheep, chickens and goats. Some will be tended by adults; others by children.

The judging of the animals is in two general categories: preparation and presentation. There’s importance placed on primping.

“The animals will be washed,” says Julie Brodeur, co-chairperson of livestock at the fair. “They’ll all have hair cuts and hair styles. They’ll look their best.”

But the animals also have to act their best. That’s where the handler comes in, to encourage good behavior and flaunt an animal’s assets.

“The kids are judged on how well they show an animal and bring out that animal’s best points,” says Brodeur. “Most of the animals the kids show are pets, so they’re friendly and lovable.”

People can pat the animals. But mostly, fair organizers say, people should appreciate the animals and those who raise them.

“If we have no farmers, we have no food,” Brodeur says.

Vegetables, herbs and flowers are among the many horticultural competitions.

“Some people are competitive,” says Walter Taylor, co-chairperson of agriculture at the fair. “Others just have something growing in their yard and will bring it in to see what happens.”

Sometimes you’d be surprised.

“In some cases you’ll see vegetables you’ve never seen before. You can see 30 different types of tomatoes. Then you go to peppers and corn. You get abnormal shaped vegetables. Instead of being round, maybe they’re square, or something like that.”

The “something like that” classification includes exhibit entries by children.

“They’ll take a small squash and make a spider out of it. They come up with some strange things.”

Some things about fruits and vegetables aren’t strange at all. The seeds are natural. Some people plant them; others compete with them.

See for yourself at the watermelon seed spitting contest.

Watch, or compete.

“All you need is a watermelon seed and a mouth to put it in,” says George Whitford, the contest chairman. “I’ve seen kids who spit it and it drops on their shoes. You’ve got to practice a bit.”

Practice accuracy, not distance.

This contest involves trying to spit a seed into a cup, or closest to it, from about 10 feet away. There’s a division for children, and one for women, and one for men.

Women and men don’t compete against each other. It’s better that way, according to Whitford.

“Sometimes the men are better than the women. Or some men don’t want to get showed up. But I think men are better spitters.”

The Washington County Fair, on Route 112 in Richmond, is today through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $9, free for children 10 and younger. Parking is free. For more information, including a complete schedule of events, visit www.washingtoncountyfair-ri.com.

ALAN ROSENBERG: The Washington County Fair, from A to Z1

M is for Museum: the South County Museum’s director, Jim Crothers, is giving blacksmithing demonstrations.

The Providence Journal / John Freidah

There’s an alphabet full of fun at this year’s Washington County Fair, the 42nd to grace the fairgrounds in Richmond.

Don’t believe me?

Here goes — and I’m only scratching the surface.

A is for the Ashaway Apiary, selling its honey and honey butter, and bringing an observation hive that includes a queen bee and a couple of thousand workers. And A is for the dozen or so pretty Antique Autos, including a yellow Studebaker Lark VI convertible, on display yesterday only.

B is for the Bunny Race, being held at 9 a.m. tomorrow. B is for beautiful Butterfly Gardens, created by several chapters of the Future Farmers of America. (Congratulations, Chariho, on the blue ribbon.) And B is for Barbecue, delicious smoked chicken, beef and other delicacies being sold again this year by the South Kingstown Athletic Booster Club, but in a new, more conspicuous location. “We’re right by the corn dogs,” said a delighted Mary Lou Morisette. “You can’t beat that.”

C is for Corn Chowder and delicious Corn Fritters — greasy, perfectly brown, and full of corn — both being sold by the West Kingston Fire Department. And C is for Canes with wooden animal heads — elephants, ducks or cows — as their heads, for sale at the Hand Tools booth.

D is for Deep Fried Twinkies, artery-clogging indulgences being sold, ironically enough, by the Westerly Ambulance Corps. D is for Doughboys, sold by the Richmond Volunteer Fire Association, and topped with your choice of cinnamon, sugar, or a mixture thereof. And D is for the Dunking Booth sponsored by the Chariho Cowboys football and cheerleaders.

E is for Embryology, one of several 4-H curricula available for classrooms or groups, a poster at the fair advises — contact your local 4-H office. And E is for the Egg Toss, at 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

F is for the Ferris wheel that greets you when you drive in off Route 112. F is for the Rhode Island FFA Alumni, selling a delightfully simple dessert that’s just a sliced, tart Granny Smith apple with caramel sauce poured over it. And F is for Fireworks, at 9:15 tonight.

G is for the Grove of trees that form a natural, shady amphitheater facing the fair’s main stage. And G is for Josh Gracin, the American Idol second-season finalist who sings on that stage at 1 and 9 p.m. Saturday.

H is for the Hope Valley Ambulance Squad, standing by to provide first aid. H is for Holsteins, the cows being shown yesterday morning in Ring #1. And H is for Hosmer Mountain white birch beer, a refreshing drink like a clear root beer, being sold at the Forty-Niner Corn Dog booth.

I is for Ice Cream, made by DeCiantis, being sold in nine flavors (including one that’s sugar-free) by Perryville Grange. Brownies and sundae toppings are also available.

J is for Jonnycakes, those little cornmeal fritters full of both flavor and Rhode Island history, being sold once again by the Carolina Volunteer Fire Association.

K is for Kettle Korn, sweet popcorn sold by Cub Scout Pack 1 of Ashaway. K is for Kielbasa, Polish sausage sold with sauerkraut by the Hope Valley Fire Department. And K is for Kiddie Land, a collection of rides for the little ones.

L is for Livestock — all the cows, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys and other creatures that help give the fair its farm-country character.

M is for Museum — the South County Museum, whose director, Jim Crothers, is giving blacksmithing demonstrations using a portable forge that looks very much like the bottom of a Weber grill. And M is for the Midway, run by Rockwell Amusements, the same folks who run the midway for Bristol’s Fourth of July celebrations. Ride the “Wild Wind,” “1001 Nights” or “Pirate Paradise;” have a man guess your weight and age; throw a dart to win a giant stuffed bear, tiger or Spider-Man.

N is for the National Anthem, played over the fair’s loudspeakers yesterday at noon. Commerce did not stop, but many people stood with their hands over their hearts, and a soldier in desert fatigues and beret saluted one of several flags displayed around the grounds.

O is for Old Time Photos, the kind where you pose in cowboy gear, flapper finery or Civil War uniforms, and are shot in sepia tones. O is for an ancient Oliver tractor that’s part of an exhibit of antique farm equipment in the Washington County Pomona Grange Industrial Building. And O is for Onion Blossoms, deep-fried onions being sold by the Rhode Island State Grange.

P is for the Portuguese American Club, selling cacoila (Portuguese braised beef), as well as chourico and pierogies.

Q is for the fair Queen, being named last night after press time. And Q is for Quince Jelly, sold in the general store under the Washington County Fair label.

R is for Restrooms — the kind that are clean and indoors, in permanent buildings, not in rows of portapotties. And R is for the Rhode Island Division of Agriculture booth, where signs implore, “Save RI Farms …Buy Rhody Fresh,” and “Consider Becoming a Beekeeper — Ask Us How.”

S is for Sun, a welcome sight yesterday after two days of rain started the week for those setting up the fair. S is for Shade, in generous amounts, given by trees that have stood for generations. And S is for 14-year-old Sammy Dallas of West Greenwich, youngest member of the Rhode Island Spinners, who yesterday were in the Industrial Building demonstrating the arts of spinning thread from wool and weaving cloth from thread.

T is for Turkey Legs, being sold by the Cross Mills Volunteer Fire Department. And T is for the Tractor Pull, so popular that there are two: yesterday’s, featuring the Connecticut State Tractor Pullers, and tomorrow’s 6 p.m. New England Garden Tractor Pull.

U is for Udder Space, the fanciful name for a barn where cows from Remington Farm of West Greenwich are on blissful display. And U is for the URI / CELS 4-H Youth Program, whose building includes nine holes of indoor mini-golf (play all day for $1), kids’ artwork, and displays on animals (an exhibit lauding “My Goat Candy” took a blue ribbon, and justly so).

V is for Virginia and Vermont, both of which sent residents to enjoy the fair, if the license plates in the parking lot yesterday were to be believed. It’s also for Volunteers, the dozens and dozens of folks without whom this event couldn’t run.

W is for a 1924 Wurlitzer Band Organ that makes its circusy sound with that era’s version of computerization — a perforated paper roll that tells the instrument what sounds to make. And W is for Waxed Hands, for sale along one of the fair’s shady lanes. You dip your hands in cold, soapy water, so you won’t feel the heat, and then into any of six colors of hot wax, explained 16-year-old Kristina Knapp of Wyndham, Conn. You can choose any combination of colors, Knapp said, and any pose, “except for the middle finger itself.”

X is for Row X in the parking lot, which can probably hold 2,000 cars, according to fair vice chairman Thomas Buck. Now, technically, the signs on the light poles stop when the poles do, at Row O — but the parking lot continues on back a good way after that.

Y is for Youth, all the Future Farmers and 4-H members whose work adorns the fair’s buildings and barns, and who help staff the food booths. They’re everywhere at the fair, and it’s a pleasure to see.

Z is for the Zipper, one of the rides on the midway, a sort of vertical Ferris wheel. And Z is for Zero — the chance that you won’t have fun if you go to the Washington County Fair.

Alan Rosenberg is The Journal’s South County regional editor.

brourke@projo.com