WASHINGTON– If you’re headed to a D.C. United game this weekend at RFK Stadium, you’ll be sharing the parking lot with lions, tigers, wolves and camels.
The D.C. Capital Fair is going on through July 6th, and fair manager Ron Weber says it is an opportunity for organizers to “bring a state fair, a county fair environment to an urban setting that doesn’t normally get to experience this type of thing. ”
The fair has the things you’d expect at a county fair, such as rides, games, and a petting zoo. In addition, says Weber, a lion and tiger show, and even a wolf show.
Sharon Sandolfer of South Carolina handles the wolves. “We’d like everyone to meet our wolves down here at the fair and learn that they are not the big bad wolf,” she said. She says most of her eight wolves were rescued from an illegal fur farm in Minnesota. Among those, is the star of the show, Phoenix, which Sandolfer also calls a hero wolf.
“Phoenix, he’s our oldest wolf, he’s 16 years old and he actually saved a young girl from drowning,” Sandolfer said.
There are also lions and tigers on display. “We have male lions, female lions, regular tigers and white tigers,” says handler Georgina Donahoe. She says they put on two educational shows for fair-goers to “tell the audience and the children what they eat, where they’re born, how long they live.”
“You can’t go to zoo, you can’t get this close anywhere” with these kinds of animals, Weber said.
In the petting zoo areas, children get to pet camels, llamas, goats, sheep and a miniature albino pony.
Plus there will be a lot of good old fashioned fair food to choose from — including sausage and peppers, cotton candy, candy apples, fried dough, fried Oreos, and fried twinkies, Weber said, naming a few.
In addition to the Ferris wheel, the rides include “The extreme,” which is a claw ride which swings back and forth.
This is the first year for the fair here in D.C., admission is $8 dollars and runs through July 6th. Ticket information and hours can be found at the fair’s website www.RFKFair.com.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.
