While most folks around these parts think of the Western Washington Fair as a place for kiddie rides and photos with Dora the Explorer, there are still a lot of things to do for adults that don’t involve getting scone jam smeared on their pant legs.



Some of the things are high energy, while other grownup activities are more cerebral.

Here’s some top picks in the latter category:



First out of the shoot for food for the brain is the Pacific Northwest International Photography Exhibition, which has a collection of images that range from the journalistically impactful to the digitally enhanced artwork that seems more bound for galleries than for fair walls. Even some of the images created by children just out of toddler status are amazing.



Also in the Pavilion building is a collection of other works of art in various media, from water colors to pencil sketches to sculptures and oil works, all from local artists who feed their souls in backroom painting spaces after hard days at their day jobs.



For the sophisticated fairgoer, there is the Park Bistro for Washington wine education classes where wine experts will discuss grapes, how they are grown and where in state, and do a bit of wine tasting to illustrate the various types grown right here in the Evergreen state.



Of course there are always the Department of Agriculture’s giant pumpkins weighing in at more than 400 pounds, and organic gardening. Since it is a fair, there will also be a host of hobby displays that range from collectibles to dolls. There will also be quilts, knitted items, baking and food contests, and all sorts of farm and down-home sorts of displays and activities.



For some middle-of-the-road entertainment, a mix of brain and energy, adults should check out the free shows by the likes of Dr. Travis Fox, a hypnotist, who will make folks do silly things during their trance each day at 4 and 7 p.m. at the Coca Cola Stage.

Other performances of note include the Coats, who will be doing their thing Sept. 14 to 16.



Higher-energy activities to watch include the Rodeo — The Ariat Playoffs of the Wrangler Tour Sept. 7 to 9. These bull riders and calf ropers take “being manly” to a whole new level. That stuff looks painful. And it is definitely high-energy, even just seeing the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales do their draft horse demonstrations is enough to get most hearts beating a bit faster.



Also in the animal category is the Dock Dogs show, Sept. 20 to 23, where audiences can see dock dogs leap off a dock into a 40-foot stream.



For more active events, there is the WB Crash the Backlot Tour, Sept. 13 to 16, where men can be boys as they crash with other man-boys during free Xbox gaming times that end with prizes and snack samples.



For more musical activities there is the concert line-up that runs from Daughtry to Kellie Pickler with Clint Black, to “Weird Al” Yankovic to Devo.



And there are always the ride, the Extreme Scream, that slingshot ride that makes folks puke.

Puyallup Fair

When: Friday, Sept. 7-Sunday, Sept. 23

Where: 110 Ninth Ave. S.W., Puyallup

Admission: Adults $10; students (6-18), $8; seniors (62+), $8, 5 and younger, free.

Parking: $8 Monday-Friday, $10 Saturday-Sunday

Public Transportation: Pierce Transit, 253.581.8000

Information: 253.841.5045 or www.thefair.com

Puyallup Fair Guilty Pleasures

Karaoke

Karaoke? How embarrassing is that? Everybody — everybody — hates karaoke. But how is that possible? Earlier this year, I was two pitchers into the night at Tacoma’s West End Pub, and this little man sang the Bon Jovi song “Shot through the heart, and you’re to blame, darling you give love a bad name,” except he couldn’t pronounce the R’s or L’s, so it was, “Shot thwu the hawt, and yu to bwame, dawwin you give wuv a bad name.” It was a seminal moment in my love of people who can’t sing and the songs that move them to do so anyway. And yes, I, too, am a person who can’t sing but who has been known to take a microphone and butcher the best: Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces” is my favorite.



Man, you should hear me miss the high notes.



Therefore my Puyallup Fair guilty pleasure will be the two karaoke contests. — Suzy Stump



Metro Parks Battle of the Idols

Sept. 15-16, 7 p.m., Showplace Stage

Idol contest winners from around the Puget Sound area compete for a grand prize of $1,000.



Karaoke Contest

Sept. 14, 7 p.m., Showplace Stage

Fairgoers compete for cash prizes. Open mic registration starts at 6 p.m. It’s first-come, first-served.