All thrills ready for fair daze.

Byline: Tim Christie The Register-Guard

The fairgrounds were abuzz Monday as exhibitors, carnival workers and vendors scrambled to get everything in place in time for this morning's opening of the 124th edition of the Lane County Fair.

Bright blue banners bedecked the front gate. Fresh sawdust was piled outside the animal barns. Inside, roosters crowed, cows mooed and sheep bleated as their owners readied them for the judges.

During the next six days, fair-goers can expect the usual mix of the traditional fair essentials such as cotton candy, carnival rides and farm animals, and new attractions to appeal to thrill-seekers and pig lovers, fair spokeswoman Carrie Matsushita said.

The weather forecast looks favorable: Highs are expected to peak at 87 degrees Wednesday, then cool to the high 70s the rest of the week, with a chance of showers Thursday and partly cloudy weather through the weekend.

Pig lovers and others may enjoy the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs - baby oinkers with names like Ham Solo and Harry Porker that will race around a 75-foot oval four times a day. The winner gets an Oreo; the losers get crumbs.

Thrill-seekers may want to strap themselves into the "Slingshot," described as an "extreme vertical thrill ride" that shoots two passengers at a time 260 feet straight up into the air in about eight seconds, then slings them back to Earth and back up again on bungee-like cords.

Live music will emanate from six stages, including headliners REO Speedwagon, the Charlie Daniels Band and Clay Walker, as well as local favorites Satin Love Orchestra, the Vipers and Jerry Zybach and his Blues Scoundrels.

Primped and groomed farm animals await visitors inside the livestock barns.

On Monday, Scott Culver and his 15-year-old daughter, Ashley, of Santa Clara were sprucing up a white Romney sheep in time for Tuesday morning's judging.

Ashley used clippers to clean up the big sheep's fleece, while Scott sprayed a mixture of oil and water to moisturize the wool.

Ashley is the third-generation Culver to raise Romneys. Her grandfather, Morris Culver, was the first farmer to register natural-colored Romneys in the United States, recognizing there was a market for black, brown and gray fleece.

Ashley said she likes sheep because "not all them are as stupid as people think," and because she likes carrying on a family tradition begun by her grandfather.

"It's a great honor to know I'm carrying on his legacy," she said.

Across the way, hard-hat wearing carnival workers assembled carnival rides operated by Funtastic, the Portland-based carnival company owned by Ron Burback and his wife, Beverly.

Funtastic operates three complete carnival units that appear at 60 events a year in Oregon and Washington.

Setting up the carnival takes "as long as you have," Burback said; crews will take about a day and a half to set up at the Lane Events Center.

Burback, 74, caught the carnival bug as a 15-year-old, picking up pingpong balls for the goldfish game at Jantzen Beach park in 1947.

What hooked him, he said, was the money. The first night he ran his own stand, he grossed $120 and cleared $60 after expenses - about $600 in today's dollars.

"By the time I was a senior, I was driving a new Buick," he said.

LANE COUNTY FAIR

Where: Lane Events Center, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene

When: Today through Sunday

Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday

Admission: Adults, $9; seniors (65 and over) and youths (ages 6 to 17), $6; children five and under, free. Discounts at www.atthefair.com

Getting there: LTD bus service to the fair is free, including the shuttle that drops riders off at the east gate

More information: On the Web: www.atthefair.com; or call the event line at 682-7335