A pancake breakfast, rides, and the opening day parade highlight opening day

RIDGEFIELD — The Berezhnoy family from Vancouver found some shade to wait for the parade during the opening day of the Clark County Fair on Friday.

It turned out, they had to find a little more room than anticipated. Their “family” had grown since they arrived. They had four new stuffed animals, including a large red llama.

“First try, too,” Oleg Berezhnoy said of his score at the carnival.

Elsa, 10, was holding a dolphin and a dog. She earned one of her prizes by shooting turkeys with a cork gun. The key to her success?

“I was the one who got a BB gun for my birthday,” she said.

Milania, 5, was holding the big llama.

Alla Berezhnoy said she remembered watching the first opening day parade, back when the Clark County Fair celebrated its 150th year in 2018. 

The family returned, with so many others, for the 2022 opening day, celebrating the first Clark County Fair since 2019, before the pandemic.

Was it “Worth the Wait” as the theme for this year’s fair suggests?

“It’s awesome. We like it. It brings everybody together,” Oleg said.

Justin and Stephani Marvin brought their 5-and-a-half-year-old, Murphy, to the parade, too. 

“We were up at 7:30, ready to rock ‘n roll this morning,” Justin said.

The Marvin family missed the fair in recent years. It had become a tradition to attend.

“It’s been fun coming back. We have photos of our last time, when she was 2-and-a-half,” Justin said.

Stephani said the best part of the fair is the food, specifically the baked potatoes. Murphy said the merry-go-round in the carnival is her favorite.

Oh, and by 1 p.m., the Marvin family had seen a lot of the animals.

“Most of them, but not all of them,” Murphy said matter of factly.

Sounds like the family had a mission as soon as the parade ended.

“We are going to stay as long as we’ve got the energy to stay,” Justin said. “We’ve had a really nice time.”

Leading the opening day parade were the Mountain View Clydesdales. Nancy Alexander and Sandra Post were riding behind Quaid and Hammer. Hammer stands 18-2 hands. Massive and beautiful.

“It’s awesome to be back here at the fair,” Alexander said. “We appreciate them inviting us back.”

They will have a daily show, proudly displaying their Clydesdales every day at noon.

Alexander said she has been in countless parades. She started riding in parades when she was 10 years old. She is now “retirement age” and does this as a hobby.

This short parade, though, was special. It marked the return of the Clark County Fair after a two-year void in the summer schedule.

“It’s great to see everybody coming back to the fair,” Alexander said. “They’re welcoming the horses back. They’re coming down to the barn. It’s a great experience. This is a fantastic opening day. It’s great to see everybody here.”