One of the reasons that I like to go to the fair is that it is our last big hurrah of the summer.
That and I just really like to spend my husband’s money.
I’m good at spending my husband’s money.
And he’s good at making more of it.
It’s a symbiotic relationship.
(He loves it when I joke like this, by the way.)
What were we talking about? Ah yes, the fair. The fair!
We go to the fair because it’s there and because if I don’t, I feel really guilty. (I’m an “oughta, gotta, shoulda” kind of mom, I guess. It’s in my blood! I just can’t help it!) Plus it’s becoming an annual tradition for the kids & me. It’s worth it. We make memories.
This year it worked out very well in that I had already arranged to bring a meal to a friend who’d had a baby. She lives just three blocks from the State Fair campgrounds and very graciously allowed us to park in her driveway. This saved us, oh, about $20.00 in parking fees. (You see? I do look for ways to save my hubby money!)
We dropped off the meal; we parked; we were off and running.
It looked like this:
Once we arrived we had to decide. What in the world do we eat first? That’s always the first decision—the biggest decision—and always the most important.
Because they have everything in the world at this fair, you see, including lots of Minnesotans.
Aren’t these two great? I want to be like them when I grow up. I want to go to the State Fair with my husband instead of leaving him behind to pay for it. I want to eat chocolate-covered key lime pie on a stick.
All that and I’d be happy.
Well, we opted for an elephant ear as our first treat. (We always opt for an elephant ear first. It’s Family Tradition #1.) Then it was on to ride this ride:
Okay, so it was more of a slide than a ride. Okay, it was a slide….a really, really scary slide.
The warnings on the sign should have given me pause, of course. I’m old. What was I thinking? (I know what I was thinking, actually. I was thinking cardiac arrest.) Heights and I don’t do so well, because I’m old and should really know better. Alas, I had to go down with Felicity who is a little bit of a girl and who missed the height requirement by about a foot, to her consternation and chagrin.
So yes. Going down for me was like, “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my—Oh! I guess we made it!”
Here’s a shot of Joe going down with Angela:
I’ll zoom in real close so you can see their expressions.
Cute, huh? I call it “Angela’s Ashen.”
It was actually pretty funny to see my little hurricane of a girl looking so nervous. I laughed and then it was my turn and life wasn’t looking that funny any more.
And so I calmed my nerves with a great big plate of curly fries.
Because Grease + Nausea = A Really Good Way to Vomit.
(Hey, we’re all about making memories here!)
We washed down those fries with the most incredibly delicious fresh-squeezed lemonade ever…
…served by skinny girls wearing stripes. Is that not the most unfortunate of uniforms? I had Joe quietly slip this young lady a twenty, I felt so bad for her.
(Not really.)
(But I thought about it.)
And hey, you know what? I’m out of time for now. This is already a very long post and I am only halfway there. Later, though, we’ve got “Merry-Go-Round Malfunctions; Cotton Candy Consumption; Lizard Beer & John McCain.”
And if that doesn’t get you back…well, I don’t blame you.
All for the glory, including curly fries & key lime pie,
Fairs are all about the food for me too. In New England you can’t leave until you get a lobster roll and back home in PA I’m all about the funnel cake. At one particular fair there is a Grange that makes a chicken corn noodle soup that is the. best. ever. Not even my Grandma’s soup can beat that stuff.
And Princess makes the same face Angela made on the slide when we go down the log flume at amusement parks. Then as soon as we’re off she is begging to get back in line and go down again. Too cute!
I love the State Fair!! Looks like you all had a blast!! I love it, but my husband does not! We only went once as a child, he went every year…must be why I like it and he doesn’t? What about our children?
Every year, I wish I could make the trek all by myself, and this year I was going to…but just didn’t! The weather is perfect this year, usually it is in the 90’s!!
So glad you had fun!
I mean all by myself, with the children!
Not even sure if I should admit this… but I’ve never even been to the State Fair and I grew up in MN!!
Enjoyed the pictures and commentary.
Blessings,
Theresa
I went down that slide every year growing up in Minneapolis! Such memories… You’re a brave mom. My dad would take us because my mom hated it. That meant we got to eat everything and anything we wanted. Sounds like you had your share too!
It’s a law in Oregon that the State Fair has to be on a day that is hot enough to melt your children. 🙂 Of course, it isn’t really something we could take our boys to anyway because of the crowds/smells/decibel level etc. One of those “different kid” drawbacks… but I’ll admit that since I’ve never had the opportunity to go I don’t miss it much – since I don’t know what I’m missing. 🙂 But some of that food sure sounds yummy!!
~Jenny
I wish I could get past the unsavory people we find at our state fair. I love the agricultural exhibits, but the Midway just keeps me away every time. Do you have unsavories, or just really nice looking Minnesotans?
I do miss fair food though — cheap gyros, roasted corn, that fresh lemonade. Yum!
You are so funny! I love your sense of humor and I just laughed my way through your whole post. I have been reading your blog for a while and I may have posted a comment or two before, but this post really made me smile. Thanks!
We are on a state fair break. I like it about every 3 years.
My favorite part is the people watching. I love all those crazy fair people.
Chocolate covered key lime pie? On a stick?
How many miles on the treadmill do I have to run to earn me one of those?
Honestly, though, now I can say I’ve seen everything. And I’m from California, so that says a lot.