Take the bus to the fair

I took a new-to-me route yesterday, the No. 8 Chinden to the Western Idaho Fairgrounds. I was one of three people who got off at the stop at Chinden and Kent in Garden City, a short walk to the entrance gates. The other two were teenage girls probably arriving to take advantage of the fair's special rate for rides between noon and 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Of course, since bus service ends around 6 p.m. and most people stay at the fair well past that, it'd be hard for many fairgoers to rely on Valley Ride for a trip home. But the lack of evening service wasn't an issue for me since I was meeting my husband, who arrived later.

How many times have your family fair schedules been staggered so that you wound up with two vehicles at the fair? How many times have you gone out of your way to shuttle your older kids to the fair when they could've taken the bus instead, saving you at least one trip? Both Route 8 and Route 10 (Hill Road/Maple Grove) serve the fairgrounds.

Why not take the bus to the fair this year? Hint: If you have to transfer to a fairgrounds route (as I did from the No. 3 Vista), a $2 day pass is your best bet even if you are only riding one way. Also remember that most Valley Ride routes (including Nos. 8 and 10) run only once an hour during the middle of the day, so make your plans accordingly if you need to arrive by a certain time. And since there's so Sunday service at all, forget about riding the bus for the 2007 fair's final day.