The weekend of the Great Fair is one of my favorite times of year here in Fountain Hills.

The weather is usually mild, thousands of visitors flood the downtown area and there’s always a heightened sense of community buzzing in the air throughout the event. Everyone seems happy to be out enjoying the day, meeting new people and checking out what the latest crop of vendors has to offer.

I can’t tell you how difficult it is to maintain my composure on the Friday afternoon of the Great Fair, knowing that everyone else is already having a good time along the Avenue of the Fountains while I sit at a desk and work. I’m not jealous or anything. Nope.

The Great Fair has even become an annual tradition for many of our friends who live across the Valley or as far away as Flagstaff. They all head over on Saturday or Sunday morning and, as a group, we walk down to the festivities.

We have to walk because, living only a mile from the downtown area, we probably couldn’t park any closer due to the number of vehicles that cram into the local parking lots. I’m not complaining here. Having that many visitors is a great thing and, hey, I could always use the extra exercise.

Our typical trip through the fair is to walk down one side of the Avenue, grab lunch and relax somewhere along Saguaro Blvd. and then head back up the other side before calling it a day.

Along the way, we like to check out all of the great arts and crafts that are on display and maybe pick up something for the home or office. I’m on the lookout for some wall art this year, as these office walls are still looking pretty bare two months into the new gig.

And no trip to the Great Fair would be complete without visiting the soup and dip booth. My friends and I all know exactly what each of those dips tastes like, but that doesn’t stop us from sampling just about every single flavor every time the Great Fair rolls around. You can’t put free samples in front of a bunch of 30-somethings and expect them not to make an event out of it.

After all of that, we typically settle down in a local restaurant to cap the whole thing off with even more food, drinks and fun.

Like I said, it’s a great tradition and, because of it, I always look forward to the Great Fair.

I know we’ve already encouraged everyone to go out and enjoy the weekend multiple times in this week’s edition, but I’d like to add my voice to that chorus of praise for the big local event. It only comes around twice a year and it’s always worth the time to go out and join the community for such a fun occasion.

This weekend’s Great Fair is also a special one for me because my mom plans on visiting from Parker to take part in the adventure. She’s a little lady, but she has a big heart and a Southern accent that you can’t miss.

Just be careful if you happen to spot us on the street and come up to say hello. She’s a hugger. You’ve been warned.