The view from the Big Wheel. (Staff photo: Mac Larsen)

Arriving at the Old Time Fair on Saturday, my agenda was simple: go up in the Big Wheel and eat something fried (that should not, normally, be fried).

I succeeded.

It was the second day of the 69th annual West Linn Old Time Fair. Held every year in July, this year’s iteration brought thousands of visitors from around Clackamas County to Willamette Park, where the green baseball outfields transformed into an amusement park and the McIntyre Main Stage hosted a pie-eating contest, a pet show, music and aerial performances. 

I knew that I needed to arrive in time for the pie-eating contest. I was not disappointed and when I ran into West Linn recreation coordinator Allissa Caceres in between rounds, I almost asked if I could join in. Thankfully, I did not.

This didn’t stop me from being incredibly impressed by the contest winner, who put down a giant slice of berry pie fast enough that I almost missed it. 

However, I needed to save my appetite for a West Linn Lions Club burger or an elephant ear. Or both. 

It was pushing 90 F on Saturday and the Oregonian instinct to hide in the shade was hard to fight. I swung by the West Linn Police Department’s community station, watching high schoolers chat with School Resource Officer Jabral Johnson before sticking my head underneath one of the misters. 

Challenged to play cornhole by a pair of students, I sank the first bag in one shot and stopped while I was ahead to go looking for the Lions burgers. I walked over to the Willamette Park covered patio area to find West Linn Lions grilling and chatting, despite the warm weather. 

I started with the burger, served to me by an enthusiastic group of scouts from Troop 555 and a volunteer in a bright, tie-dyed shirt. 

The burger was delicious and a reminder that grilled onions make everything better. After a stroll through the rows of fair vendors, I stopped by the beer garden to watch the band Soundcheck perform. 

Like a bee to honey, the lead singer and guitar player had drawn me to the beer garden stage with the familiar opening riff of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” followed by a lights-out rendition of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Woodstock.” These guys are rock stars, but I knew it was time to investigate the carnival rides. 

My favorite ride, a stand-by of fairs and amusement parks, is the Tilt-A-Whirl, but after a refreshing cold brew coffee from Tom’s Traveling Coffee Cart, I was hesitant to get spun and shaken around like a soda can. So, the Big Wheel it was. I knew the view from the top of the ferris wheel would be something else, with Willamette Falls Drive spreading out to one side and the river to the other. 

My Big Wheel dreams were dashed when I read a sign posted to the guardrail, “NO SINGLE RIDERS.” But, that didn’t stop the operator from gesturing me over when he saw my camera. 

“Is the view up there good?” I asked. He nodded his head enthusiastically. 

He wasn’t wrong, but I also remembered slightly too late that I was afraid of heights and that the Big Wheel would take me out of my comfort zone. 

Clinging to the railing with my left hand and my camera with my right, I zoomed in on the rides below me. The Willamette twinkled in the mid-day heat. It was worth it.

So, having conquered my newly discovered fear of heights, and with the last performer from A-WOL aerial dance collective finishing her performance at the McIntyre stage, I found the fried food I was looking for.

While the elephant ear remains the king of carnival food, I chose something that brought me back to my frequent childhood trips to Oaks Amusement Park: deep-fried Oreos. 

With a satisfying plop and sizzle in the fryer oil, the pack of Oreos were drizzled with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar. 

I ate them under the tree in the shade, and thought that, next year, I would skip the Big Wheel and go straight for the elephant ears.