Carol and the State Fair

Rerun Warning

First, I feel compelled to admit that I previously did a post on the Americana of the county fair. Well, after several decades of absence, I decided to visit our State Fair this year. So, if you are not familiar with State Fairs, they are very similar to county fairs only bigger, a bit less red neck, and slightly more professional. But, those are subtle differences that still potentially make this post a rerun. So, to spice up this blog mission, I added a wild card. I did the unthinkable…I brought my beloved wife, Carol, to the State Fair.

My purpose in bringing Carol to the fair was to introduce an amusing element by exposing her to heinous food and smelly animal barns. However, she managed to turn the tables on me a bit. For example, it never would have occurred to me to go in the “Arts and Crafts” building. But, as Carol had a friend who entered a wreath, I agreed to enter this place. WOW!…was that a mistake. Can you imagine how boring it would be to walk around looking at wreaths, quilts, miniature doll houses and even elementary school art. Yes, I said elementary school art! Youth art is boring enough when its your own kids. It is unimaginable torture to look at elementary school art from random kids that you have never met. I guess Carol can dish it out as well as take it.

Getting Back on Track

So, admittedly, the first part of the visit did not go as planned. But, after the arts and crafts debacle, I needed to get us back on track. Now, unlike the arts and crafts torture, the barn animals are appreciated by both of us. But, just prior to the barn animals we found the butter sculptures…

The butter cow sculpture is a guaranteed exhibit at the fair each year. Additionally, as the fair coincided with the Paris Olympics, there was also a fairly impressive collection of Olympic butter athletes. The butter art is always worth a visit. Then, following the butter sculptures, we ventured into the animal barns. Here are just a few of Carol’s favorites…

The one thing that really stands out to you when you look at the State Fair cows is…they are all so extremely well groomed. Look at the cow above. That is one pretty cow. I don’t want to eat that cow. But, it was in the beef cattle barn, so its going to happen. Being the trouper that she is, Carol happily trudged through all the barns. Then, much to my surprise, she bested me by taking it one step farther…

Yep…Carol milked a cow. Just chalk that up to another cultural experience that I have introduced my wife to.

Taking in a Show

Now, I did not just limit her exposure to barn animals and butter sculptures. We took in some shows as well. There was no way that I was leaving the State Fair without catching the dog show or the pig races…

The dogs amazed us by running through an agility course and catching frisbees. But, the best part was when they threw their favorite dog toy off the high dive causing the dog to plunge into the chilly, wet depths below. Its OK. The dogs loved it. And, lets not forget the pig races. This was an outstanding show that could have only been made better with pari-mutuel wagering.

Feeding the Carol

In the end, Fairs are really all about the food. Carol’s initial position on this issue was that she would wait until we left the Fair before eating food. For some reason, she had a bad misconception about Fair food. Now, it probably did not help when I pointed out the culinary highlights, such as deep fried candy bars and hamburgers sandwiched between Krispy Kreme donuts…

But, in the end, I convinced her that there were dining options that did not cause immediate health risks. I found her a highly palatable bourbon chicken with rice and beans. Thankfully, she enjoyed her meal. Furthermore, she experienced no adverse gastrointestinal incidents in the hours that followed. And, to top off the day, we took a romantic ride over the Fair to get one final view of the event and attendees.

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Wrap It Up

All in all, it was a fine day at the State Fair. Carol survived everything that I threw at her. Then, she managed to out torture me by trapping me in the Arts and Crafts Building. Well done, I must admit. Anyway, that’s my tale of Carol and the State Fair. I hope you forgive the potential rerun. Furthermore, I promise to avoid county/state fairs in my blog for the indefinite future. Have a wonderful day. PT

I hope you have enjoyed “Carol and the State Fair” on Traveling with PugsleyTonks.

Here was my earlier post on the county fair https://travelingwithpt.com/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/