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Moving people and dollars at the fair Photo by Bob Pennell Kelly Clark holds her niece, Samantha Moore, as her daughter, Brittani, center, and another niece, Kayla Moore, zoom down the giant slide with her during opening day at the Jackson County Fair. For this family, the price is right BY KELLY STEWART As Kelly Clark stands in the carnival line with her daughter and two nieces, the girls gaze and point at blinking lights and twirling machinery. "I want to ride that one," says Clark's niece, Kayla Moore, who stares at a ride that rises to the top of a pole, then whooshes down to the bottom. It's almost noon on Tuesday, the opening day of the Jackson County Fair. Clark and the girls have been exploring the exhibits and animal buildings since 10:30 a.m. The Central Point residents are planning to stay at the fair until 10 p.m. to see country singer Bryan White's performance. Clark knows keeping two 7-year-olds and one 4-year-old busy for nearly 12 hours will take money. She paid $8 for fair admission -- she had a free coupon for herself and paid $4 for the older girls. Niece Samantha Moore, 4, got in free. The rides are more expensive. Clark shells out $48 for the four of them to whirl through the carnival rides. "It's a good price for the carnival," Clark says, as the girls run to their first ride, Kiddy Bumper Boats. "It's $12 for five hours." Fair spending Cost of Kelly Clark's day at the fair with three children: Admission: $8 Carnival: $48 Food: $30 Bryan White T-shirt: $20 Total: $106 Fair-goers can spend $10 for 28 tickets to carnival rides, but Clark bought arm bands instead for a better value. "These get you on any ride," she says. Most carnival rides "cost" three or four tickets each. Kiddy Bumper Boats costs four. Instead of tearing off tickets, the kids simply show off their arm bands and jump into colorful boats floating in a pool. Soon they move on, down a colorful carnival stretch where each booth displays wares: brilliant pink and orange stuffed animals, yellow plastic ducks. "Winners every time, guys," cajoles a fishing booth promoter. "Everybody plays, everybody wins." Clark, her daughter Brittani, and Samantha walk past without a second glance. Kayla turns around to look, but doesn't stop. "Hey, check it out, even if you don't want to play," urges a blond teenager in sunglasses manning a baseball-throwing booth. He motions toward a stack of blocks players need to knock down to win a stuffed tiger. Each baseball costs $2. Clark pauses by a carnival ride while the girls wait in line. She says she doesn't lay any ground rules with the girls about what they can and cannot buy, but they don't beg. She does set rules for herself before she steps foot on the fairgrounds. "I bring what I'm going to spend," Clark says. "When it's over, it's over. That's the only way to do it. Otherwise, I think you can overdo it." Through her experience with the fair, she knows what activity costs the most: eating. "Food's expensive, but it's good," she says. She and the girls ate corn dogs, Italian sausage dogs, a burrito and curly fries. Clark, who has lived in Jackson County all her life, has been going to the fair since she was 7. She takes her daughter and nieces because they enjoy it, and she enjoys spending time with them. "It's something to do together," she says. "It only comes once a year. We make the whole day out of it." Today's schedule : All Day/Strolling: Lashes the Clown, Bubbles the Clown, Annie the Clown, Quichua Mashis Music, Gary the Balloon Man, Flamingo and the Ostrich, the Ukelele Man. Demonstrations in the Padgham Pavilion: Quilting, china painting, canvas and plywood artist, tole painting. 8:45 a.m. -- FFA swine showmanship, Olsrud Pavilion 9 a.m. -- 4-H horse classes showmanship, Isola Arena 10 a.m. -- Cyl-ebrity Dancers, Dinner Theater Stage 10:45 a.m. -- 4-H parade of swine banners, Olsrud Pavilion 11 a.m. -- 4-H swine showmanship, Olsrud Pavilion; Gentlemen Songsters, Dinner Theater Stage; The Reflection, Garden Stage noon -- Butler Carnival opens; Old Time Fiddlers, Dinner Theater Stage 1 p.m. -- 4-H trail horse classes, Isola Arena; Guido's School of Magic, Chaisson Park 1:15 p.m. -- Gentlemen Songsters, Dinner Theater Stage 1:30 p.m. -- Top Line Sound of Sign Performance Troupe, Garden Stage 2:15 p.m. -- Rogue Drifters, Dinner Theater Stage 3 p.m. -- Low Flying Ducks, Garden Stage 3:15 p.m. -- American Tae Kwan Do, Park Stage 4 p.m. -- Side by Side, Dinner Theater Stage; Kids' contests, Chaisson Park; Guido's School of Magic, Chaisson Park 4:30 p.m. -- Top Line Sound of Sign Performance Troupe, Garden Stage 5 to 7 p.m. -- Birdhouse building, Smokey's Playland 5:30 p.m. -- John Nilsson, Dinner Theater Stage 6 p.m. -- Pork buyer's barbecue, Olsrud Pavilion; Southern Oregon Songwriters, Garden Stage 6:30 p.m. -- American Tae Kwan Do, Park Stage 7 p.m. -- The Shirelles and The Drifters, AT&T Headline Stage; Side by Side, Dinner Theater Stage; 4-H horse fun night, Isola Arena 7:30 p.m. -- Swine and goat auction, Olsrud Pavilion; Guido's School of Magic, Chaisson Park 8 p.m. -- Chocolate cake contest, Padgham Pavilion 8:30 p.m. -- John Nilsson, Dinner Theater Stage 9 p.m. -- The Shirelles and The Drifters, AT&T Headline Stage 11 p.m. -- Gates close Midnight -- Carnival closes Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA