ALTAMONT — My Murphy’s first trip to the Altamont Fair began Wednesday morning, but didn’t actually materialize till Friday afternoon. 

Writing about Murph is something I’ve yet to do and, thinking as I write this, is a bit odd given that she’s been my favorite thing in the entire world — really, ever — since September 2023.  

So late afternoon Wednesday, our plan began to formulate: Hit the fairgrounds early Thursday morning so Murphy could interact with the animals because, one, it would be ridiculously adorable, and two, 10 a.m., when the gates open to the public, is the middle of the afternoon for Murphy; 7 a.m., when they opened for the morning competitions, was really the sweet spot. 

That was the plan.

On Wednesday night, as her nose did its best impression of a leaky faucet, Murphy’s temperature hit 102 degrees. 

The temperature thing gets my wife, Meghan, and me extra worried because Murphy is prone to febrile seizures. Per the Mayo Clinic, “A febrile seizure is a convulsion in a child that’s caused by a fever … Febrile seizures occur in young, healthy children who have normal development and haven’t had any neurological symptoms before.”

It’s just about the scariest thing in the world when you’re holding your daughter and she begins to shake involuntarily and uncontrollably. Here’s a “yeah, no shit” and “thank God” for you — again, from the Mayo Clinic: “It can be frightening when your child has a febrile seizure. Fortunately, febrile seizures are usually harmless, only last a few minutes, and typically don’t indicate a serious health problem.”

The first time it happened, we ended up at the emergency room of Albany Med’s children’s hospital at about 2 in the morning. As she endured one medical professional after another at Albany Med, Murphy would, through tears, always wave and say goodbye — putting a smile on the face of every nurse, tech, and doctor who exited the room.

(A visit to the doctor’s more or less confirmed what Meghan had suspected, a confluence of events took their toll on our baby: “It’s going around,” which is a real thing when it comes to kids in daycare, Murphy’s molars are coming in, and ragweed is out of control — all things that, individually, would knock out an adult for days, but, in combination, put a toddler out of commission for only about 36 hours.) 

By Friday morning, her temperature had returned to normal. 

And if you saw her Friday afternoon, you’d have had no idea that Murphy was operating at half-speed. “Hi, sheep; hi, cow,” could be heard repeatedly. There wasn’t an animal Murphy encountered that did not receive a greeting — and it’s a trait, I’m exceedingly proud to say, that’s applicable to all species.

It’s one of my favorite things when Murphy waves hello to an adult, receives a hello in return, then asks, “How are you?” I don’t think people expect a child not yet 2 years old to have conversational skills superior to those of Generation Z. (Murphy, not surprisingly, is an Alpha — the generational name given to her age cohort).

That’s it. That’s the column. 

But Sean, “What about the fair?”

Well, Murphy’s first fair experience lasted about half-an-hour, and that includes standing in line. Meghan and I were so worried about her overheating that we were either trying to give her water, put on her hat and sunglasses, or asking if she felt OK (news flash: “I OK, Daddy”), so, for our own peace of mind, we called it a day. 

But now, just days removed and with an already rose-colored point of view, Murphy’s first fair was an unqualified success. In addition to her interaction with real-life animals, Murphy conquered a giant fear. 

She had, prior to Aug. 15, had a thing about animatronics.

It didn’t matter if it was one of her favorite characters: Bluey, or Bluey’s sister, Bingo; or Elmo and Abby Cadabby; or one of those one-dimensional characters from Cocomelon. If the doll moved and/or made sounds, Murphy was not cool with it. 

But on Friday, on her terms, that was no longer the case. 

As we walked around the fairgrounds, numerous vendors were selling small, leashed animatronic bunnies, and each time Murphy took notice. (Murph loves bunnies; she highly recommends the “Guess How Much I Love You” series.)

As we neared the Gate 1 exit, she made a beeline for one of the bunnies. 

Meghan and I were stunned. She picked the thing up and started to take it for a walk; $12 later, Murphy had her first pet. 

Oh! Then there was the Thursday night bath. This one was awesome. 

Like most young children, Murphy is not a fan of water being poured on her head. But for some reason, when it came time to rinse, her reaction was, “Head?”

Over the course of two days, two giant fears were overcome. It was amazing. 

So, yeah, if you didn’t make it out this year, be sure to attend the 2026 Altamont Fair.