A Day at the Races

It's hard to believe but I have never been to to a county fair ... ever. When I learned there were worm races at the Del Mar Fair, I was beside myself with excitement. Seasoned fair-goers are probably scoffing at the idea of a worm race, but I ask them...what does the track look like? Dunno. What does a winning worm look like. Dunno. What motivates worms. Dunno. Hah, so don't be too quick to dismiss worm races unless you've actually been to one and can answer the foregoing questions.

This is a photo of the track. The ref takes a red wiggler from the pile of dirt in the center of the track and places it in front of the contestant on his/her letter.

Next, the Ref squirts Magic Worm Racing Spray (H20) on each participating worm. AND THEY'RE OFF!!!

One little girl (she's the doll with the green scrunchie in her pony tail) was desperately trying to get the Ref's attention to tell her that her worm was dead. Nah, she's not dead, exclaimed the Ref! She just needs more secret spray. [Okay, just for the record, I think her worm was dead.]

Anyway, the Big Winner by far was "M", who bought the house down. Now this is what a winning worm looks like!

As for motivation, the lettuce you see on the track is really just a bunch of who-ee to give the kids something to do while they are waiting for one of the worms to haphazardly slide over the finish line...perhaps heading back to the cradle of dirt in the middle of the track. If anything motivates our little friends it's water and possibly dirt! Stay tuned for more Fair news...racin' piglets are next!