I went to our state fair today. Some things never change. Freddy the Farmer, for instance. I remember the over sized talking man sitting outside in pretty much the same place for the past 40 plus years. He seems not quite so large these days or maybe that’s just my memory.
The smells are always the same. Caramel Corn for one and the smell of fried food. Then there’s the always lingering, unidentifiable smell that teeters between…well lets just leave that one alone.
Last year the rage was the Donut Burger, or so I am told. I didn’t attend the fair for the past couple of years. Donuts and a hamburger, together? Who thinks up these things anyway? This year was the deep fried Derby Pie and the Fried Kool Aid. Yup…Deep Fried Kool-Aid.
Fried Derby Pie I somewhat get but fried Kool-Aid? So my friend and I just had to try that one. It was basically a funnel cake with Cherry Kool-Aid mixed in the batter. They looked like pink hush puppies with powdered sugar sprinkled on top and they tasted like a chewier, cakier version of the funnel cake.
One thing never changes is the amount of walking we did. We walked and walked and walked some more. We saw the lastest, greatest, miracle-working products. I got my right tennis shoe cleaned while holding the kit with all the products that could make my left shoe look just as clean and oh, so many other items as well. I was asked to “help a brother out” and fork over $35 so I could have a matching set of shoes.
As much as I wanted to help him, I walked away with one shoe cleaner than the other.
The most interesting thing I saw, and no it wasn’t the people this year…we were there on senior day…was the duck race thingy. There were a dozen or so ducks in a tiny body of water floating around until they came to a conveyor belt that lifted them up to the top where some duck food (I presume) was waiting. As the duck stretched it’s neck to grab a mouth full, or beak full to be more precise, it would fall on the other side of the belt into the water, only to float around and do it all again. Every now and then a duck would jump in the food dish and graze a bit before taking the plunge and starting the cycle all over. It was quite amusing to watch in a sick, torturous sort of way. Poor little duckies.
Oh the fun you have at the state fair. Can’t wait till next year!
We usually go Monday as well but couldn’t this year. There are a lot of exhibits, that’s for sure. Hope you enjoyed!
We went to the State Fair yesterday–always go on the first Monday, so we can attend the free Christian Concert… This year was Tenth Avenue North and Francesca Batistelli. I like them both. I do always want to go either alone or with a friend on a different day in addition to the concert day, so I can have unlimited time to browse the exhibits… I just can’t seem to get enough of the art, photography, quilts, antiques, floral arrangements, aquariums… and I didn’t even get a glimpse of the 4-H entries this year! Every year, it seems I say this: “Maybe next year”… <<3><