Pigs, trucks and barbecue at the Washington State Spring Fair

Roll up, roll up, folks — you have four days to see as many monster trucks, cute baby animals, daredevil firemen and barbecue chefs as you can. Yep, it’s the Washington State Spring Fair, running April 20-23 at the Washington State Fair Events Center in Puyallup. It will have all the usual favorites and plenty of new attractions, from music to animals to food.

Racing pigs and dancing horses

Spring is all about babies — baby animals, that is, and this year’s Spring Fair has all the animal cuteness you could want. Back again are the popular Swifty Swine racing pigs, scrambling for that finishing-line Oreo (daily, Fountain Stage) and the Dock Dogs, who race down a 40-foot runway into a 27,000-gallon pool (daily, Red Gate). There also are the dancing horses of Banda Perla Blanca (April 22, Paulhamus Arena) and Mariachi Ayulta (April 23), stepping in time to the band. Plus, a barnyard of baby farm animals will be in the Centennial Tent, exotic predators (daily, Expo Hall) and an interactive pirate parrot show (various times, Coca-Cola Stage).

Chain saws and monster trucks

If engines are more your thing, there will be plenty of those. New this year is the chain saw and big engine show, with demonstrations of the Buckley Log Show Hot Saws, a chain saw modified with a V-8 engine and more (April 22-23). Motorsport Mayhem returns with colliding monster trucks and smashing cars (various times, Grandstand).

Also new this year, a 30-minute laser light spectacle (8 p.m. and 9 p.m. daily, Red Gate).

Barbecues and daredevil firefighters

Two new events this Spring Fair involve fire — in very different ways. The Daredevil Fireman show features comedy dives, Olympic-style dives, a high dive and a fire dive (various times, Midway Boulevard), while the Barbecue Competition sees local competitors cooking up their variations on classics to vie for the blue ribbon and the People’s Choice awards (various times, Contest Arena).

Outdoor adventure, storybook settings and gardens

Explore the real and make-believe worlds at the fair this year with three exhibits. New, the Storybook Village lets you journey through a land of classic fairytale fables (daily, Red Gate building), while at the outdoor adventures exhibit, you can get kayaking tips, do a hiking/snowshoeing simulation, see a 40-foot canoe from the Nisqually Tribe and more (daily, Expo Hall). The Northwest Living and Garden show returns with vendors, displays, inspiration, and a garden question and answer by Ciscoe Morris (daily, Q&A 1 p.m. April 23, Mattress Firm Showplex).

Artists, music and more

Other Spring Fair attractions include Artists in Action (Hobby Hall), Creative Kids (Kidzone, Pavilion), fireworks (9 p.m. Friday, Saturday), the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage Center (Red Gate), a Diversity Celebration (Saturday, Showplace Stage), Celtic music from the Gothard Sisters and roving entertainers.

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 9:34 AM with the headline "Pigs, trucks and barbecue at the Washington State Spring Fair."