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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 22, 2005 Jim Vencill, 17, of LaGrande is silhouetted against a video screen as he plays a computer combat game at the Jackson County Fair Thursday. The technology area, with its selection of games, was a popular spot for the younger set. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Fun at the fair is just a click away Some say the best thing about the Jackson County Fair is playing video games By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune D.J. Moore didn’t spend Thursday afternoon eating himself into a coma, riding the Tilt-A-Whirl until he hurled or any of the other activities 16-year-old kids might do at the Jackson County Fair. No Slurpee brain-freeze, no hypnosis and definitely no more 4-H now that Moore’s pig sold at auction Wednesday night. "There really isn’t much here, in my brain, that’s appealing about the fair," says Moore, of Medford. The only thing on his radar screen is what’s on the computer screen in front of him. Battlefield II, the hot new video combat game in which Moore is trying to out-gun another nearby teen, who is equally unimpressed with the rest of the fair. Advertisement "It’s the same rides, the same everything every year at the fair," Moore says. "Nothing here changes. But Battlefield II is different. It changes every time we play." This is the changing face of the Jackson County Fair, where big cows and big quilts and other traditional "open class" competitions are no longer the top draws. It’s the game competitions inside the computer-game portion of the Technology Pavilion, where an estimated 30,000 people will visit during the fair to make it one of the main attractions this year. When it comes to kids today, seeing who makes the best doll dresses isn’t even on the same playing field as a Madden 2005 cyber-football tournament. "For our parents, it was jams and jellies at the county fair and for us it was other open-class competitions," fair manager Chris Borovansky says. "For these kids, this is what they do on a regular basis. This is their open-class competition." The computer games are so big, even the carneys get into the act. David Goodwin says he spends every break from his Butler Amusements carnival job in the technology tent, playing the Battlefield II game that is part of the Cybercenter Gaming Center. "What do you mean there’s other things to do?" Goodwin says. "You see one carnival, you’ve seen them all. So if you find something you like, you’ve got to have it. "This keeps me sane," he says. Parents, if you lose your kid at the fair, head for the techno-tent, where you’ll probably find him hitting up-arrows and swing buttons so Obi-Wan Kenobi can fillet Darth Maul with his lightsaber. "This is the best thing you can do that doesn’t cost money and doesn’t need tickets," declares C.J. Atkins, 14, of Medford, while flying a Republic airship in the Star Wars video game. Face it: Janet Jackson could be having another wardrobe malfunction at the nearby Lithia Motors Amphitheater and these kids wouldn’t hit the pause button to see it. Gus Whicheloe already sees all he’s otherwise not supposed to see — and without leaving the techno-tent. "I don’t even have a PlayStation 2," says Whicheloe, 9, of Cave Junction. "My parents won’t let me get one. I come in here, though, and I can play all the games I want. "I’ll probably be here all day," he says. Whicheloe will have plenty of company. In the Project A corner of the computer tent, Jason Tarrant says he’s seen these kids playing computer games so often that he now recognizes them from past fairs. "See that blond kid there?" says Tarrant, pointing to Brian Whicheloe, Gus’ 14-year-old brother. "He’s been glued to that game all day, every day. I think he’ll need spectacles by the end of the week." Moore doesn’t see any more worthwhile way to kill time than killing armed combatants while he waits for someone to cut him the check from his pig’s sale. "After you go to the fair 10 years straight, there’s nothing else to do," Moore says. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Fun at the fair is just a click away ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s