Stories from the fair: A carny barks

As the last glimmers of sunlight shot across the Clovis night sky on Tuesday, Richard Willadsen leaned against a wall adorned with massive stuffed animals on the midway at the Curry County Fair.

Behind Willadsen were rows of glass bottles. Some Coors. Some Miller Lites. All begging to be shattered by a baseball thrown by someone willing to cough up a couple bucks.

But after 45 years working at stands like this one, Willadsen's voice has turned gravelly, in a nearly imperceptible fashion. At times it's difficult for his voice to reach passersby. Instead, it gets washed out by the cacophony of fair sounds.

"It's all the hollering," Willadsen said of losing his voice.

The years spent smoking cigarettes, which led to a COPD diagnosis hasn't helped either.

Willadsen, a leathery 64-year-old man, said this could be one of the final fairs for him and his diminished vocal chords. But he was engaged on Tuesday.

As a bulky, broad-shouldered 20-something passed by, Willadsen huffed out "Those big arms can definitely break one of these bottles."

The man stopped and contemplated, maybe thinking about winning a massive Scooby-Doo, his athletic prowess defeating a beer bottle.

The man politely said "I'm good" and strolled away.

"Sissy," Willadsen chuckled out.

And so on it went for the rest of the night.

The fair runs through Saturday at the Curry County Fairgrounds.