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KENNEWICK -- Of course there are horses. Kids expect them at the fair, not to mention pigs, goats, sheep and ducks. But there also are cartoons and physics -- and all for free.
Among the equines are the miniature Thunder and Carmel, who patiently allowed children to pat their necks Thursday in the Old McDonald Barn at the Benton Franklin Fair.
Along with the pigs, goats and sheep, the mini-horses are among the many daily children's activities. And today is Kids Day at the fair.
Rebekah Clipper of Richland and daughter Rowan, almost 2, made the Old McDonald Barn their first fair stop Tuesday.
"My daughter is in love with all animals," Clipper explained.
Rowan found the ducks, who were swimming in a pond outside the barn, most exciting, her mom said.
Linda Lively of West Richland demonstrated how Thunder likes to be scratched on his neck
She said the 13-year-old, despite his size, can pull a cart weighing twice his 150 pounds.
Not far away, Mollie Greenough, 9, of Kennewick, was making shapes using magnets at the Super Science Company tent in the Kids Zone. She said her favorite activity was at the Mind Bogglers station, where centrifugal force was the key to separating an X-shaped metal puzzle.
The butterfly covering her face looked professionally done, but her grandfather painted it before she came to the fair.
The activities help teach children about Newton's Law and some basic physics principles, said Tammie Ryan of Prineville, Ore., Super Science Company owner.
Morgan McCartney, 9, of Bellevue, said she was looking forward to building a chute that would direct a marble into a cup.
And each year, she hops onto a pedal tractor to try the tractor pull. Her mom, Karen Wright, said the weight the tractor must pull gets heavier the more the rider pedals.
"Nothing's boring," Morgan said. She and her mom will spend four days at the fair.
At Picasso's Place in the Kids Zone, children can create masterpieces or sing karaoke.
Owner Tom Jorgenson of Los Angeles said he teaches children how to draw cartoons in 15 minutes. The markers, paper and easels await.
Other kids took turns singing, speaking or making noises into a microphone at the Kiddy Karaoke station. Jorgenson said the karaoke is for children 7 and under.
The station doesn't have music, but he said music isn't necessary for the kids to follow, or not follow, a tune.
In the Kennewick Farmers Market building, children can play video games or try to find a queen bee in a hive.
The video games at Agrium's booth teach children how crops are grown, said Bill Buechler, Agrium shift supervisor. Agrium has a chemical fertilizer plant in Kennewick.
The Agrium booth also has a station where kids can plant sunflower seeds for free.
Perry Steadman, Mid-Columbia Beekeepers Association vice president, said it can take a good eye to find the queen among the 5,000 bees in the display hive. She has a green dot on her thorax to help people spot her.
The display hive only has about a tenth of the bees a regular hive would include, Steadman said. A hive usually has 30,000 to 60,000 bees.
The association also has fun facts to share. Steadman said for a bee to make 150 pounds of honey, it would take the equivalent of 13 roundtrips to the moon.
The animal petting isn't limited to the Old McDonald Barn.
In the rabbit barn, 4-H participants had their rabbits lined up on a table for children and adults to pet.
Courtney Ballard, 13, of Richland, was corralling her rabbit, Lincoln, so children could pet him.
Her Mini Rex likes to be petted, said the Rada Rabbits member.
Many people don't realize that rabbits actually have 28 teeth, Ballard said. Only four are prominent, and the rest are farther back in the rabbit's mouth.
Kennewick General Hospital is giving away punch balloons at its booth near the Kid Zone.
Liz Syer, KGH director of marketing, said they expect to hand out 25,000 of the balloons.
And children can win a prize with a free bean-bag toss game at the Mid-Columbia Libraries bookmobile.
Nancy Graf, Pasco branch manager, said everyone wins and has the option to choose from a book, a pass to the Three Rivers Children's Museum or a Frisbee.
Coloring books and "911" water bottles were available at the Benton County Emergency Services booth across the path from the KGH booth.
Sara Schwartz, emergency services information officer, said what is most popular is the free child ID badges, on which parents can write their child's name and a phone number.
The badge can help find a parent if a child becomes lost, she said.
The Young Marines were helping make the badges, and Schwartz said last year they gave out about 1,500.
Food prices at the fair start at about $2.50 for a hot dog and range up to $10. Among the favorites are elephant ears for about $5 and cotton candy for about $3.
-- Kristi Pihl: 582-1512; kpihl@tricityherald.com
