Lakefair gets a bum rap from Olympia's hip elite. They ask, Why go to Lakefair? they ask. So I can deal with cruddy rides, overpriced food and lowlife town folk? Fat chance. I'd rather sit here in the bar pretending to read my Nabokov, thank you very much.

Normally I'd disagree with my hip brethren. Sure, the fair might not always provide for an idyllic summer romp àla The Sandlot, but it's certainly enjoyable. Enjoyable and quintessentially Olympian. Polishing off an overpriced Demo Burger right after a ride on the Zipper is as Olympian as a weekend protest on the corner of Fourth and Water.

But there was one daunting problem with this year's Lakefair that made sitting in a bar reading books an appealing alternative: The rain.

This year's fair was plagued by some of the worst summer weather in recent history. All week long the Zipper was wet, the grass was muddy and the Ferris wheel was cold. If it wasn't for the favorite Lakefair pastime of walking around trying to pick up a sexy partner, the week might have been a total loss.

Thankfully, the Lakefair Meat Market came through, even though many of it's participants were wearing galoshes. Per usual, groups of high-school-aged girls and boys roamed the fairgrounds like packs of brightly dressed hyenas. Play fighting and the gratuitous use of slang were part of the mating dance. Disregarding parent's advice and the weather, flip flops and shin-length cargo shorts were this year's wardrobe of choice for the young.

Of course, it wasn't just high school kids finding love. Hippies reeking of wet hemp, twerked-out tweakers dressed for sunnier days, parents enjoying the beer garden while bundled in gloves - you name it. Lakefair love extended to every demographic, as it always does. The rain failed to dampen one of Olympia's most notorious single's scene. With a little luck and some weather-appropriate footwear, it was easy to find a bumper car partner by the end of each night. 

And for those few who did strike out, there was the post-Lakefair bar scene. Olympia bars, as the Nabokov readers know, never see the rain.  

Capital Lakefair

Held annually beginning on the third Wednesday in July
Capitol Lake Park, Olympia
360.943.7344