A Day At the Fair

Aah, the fair! This once-a-year experience is something not to be missed! The fair can invoke many memories of days gone by, both good and bad. A day at the fair can be fun, educational, and very tiring!

As children, we ran around taking in the sights and sounds of the midway games and the towering rides, the smell of barbecue and sugary-sweet candy in the air, dizzy with excitement and unable to decide what to do first. We begged our parents for tickets for the rides, and usually they grudgingly gave in. We gorged ourselves, if allowed, on tangy, chewy caramel apples and sweet, melt-in-your-mouth, sugary cotton candy. Then, as teens, the girls and boys went together in groups, the boys competing with each other to win the biggest stuffed teddy bear or cartoon character for his girl playing the ring toss, the basketball shoot, or the balloon-darts. As young adults, we enjoyed accompanying a new sweetheart to a grandstand concert full of country music, lights, and the smell of popcorn and beer, or an up-close-and-personal ride through the tunnel of love. Those were the days!

The fair is always fun. Whether you go to eat the different and often exotic foods, check out the exhibits, buy things that aren't sold in stores from the many vendors, or sit around listening to a local band, there is always fun to be had. Vendors abound, hawking goods from silver jewelry to the latest satellite-TV technology. The best time is after dark, when the night explodes into a kaleidoscope of colored lights, each ride brightening the horizon while you listen to screams of fear and delight from the riders. Near the closing of the fair, fireworks explode into the air in a variety of colors and shapes, bringing the smell of gunpowder and welcome memories of July Fourth picnics and parties. My personal favorite rides were the dizzying, mind-blowing zipper that spun you around in a cage while turning over and over like a lopsided ferris-wheel, and the upside-down, back-and-forth swinging hammer. I often stare longingly at them, cursing my injured back and trudging away to view the local crafts and fine art exhibits.

You can find food at the fair that you don't often see anywhere else. Fresh roasted corn on the cob, grilled in the husk, fills the air with the enticing smell of charcoal grilling and fresh, sweet corn. Kettle corn, fresh popped and served to you in huge bags, is a highly anticipated treat. You can smell the popcorn-sweet smell before you can see the booth. Anything can be barbecued, from ribs to turkey legs, and it's easy to gorge yourself on such delightful delicacies. Everywhere is the smell of grilling, as enticing as an outdoor barbecue without the need to clean the grill afterward! Funnel cakes and Navajo fry bread, their sweet battery scent frying and making your mouth water, covered in cinnamon-sugar or butter and honey, is an irresistible indulgence. Whatever your taste, you are likely to find something to your liking at the fair.

There are many things to be learned from the fair. Local craftspeople exhibit their paper, wood, metal, cloth, and canvas creations. We stand in awe of the time and patience spent on such beautiful and intricate works, from an heirloom wedding dress to a medieval costume, to a baby's christening gown. Quilts of all colors, intricate cross-stitched masterpieces, rag- and baby-dolls, and so many other beautiful designs are abundant. There are carvings of wood and metal, paintings by any age from children to professional artists, exquisite furniture and doll houses to delight your senses and wonder how they did that!

Demonstrations are frequent, attempting to teach us how to carve a block of wood or stamp a scrapbook. If we decide to participate, we laugh at our amateur attempts to duplicate such fine work but have fun while learning something new. We can learn about agricultural techniques in the horticultural exhibits while we ooh and aah at the 40-pound pumpkin or the lovely Japanese garden. Exotic flowers of all colors and families fill the air with the fresh scent of spring. We can visit the barns and see horses, cows, sheep, goats, bunnies, turkeys, and many other species while we read posted signs about their care and upkeep. There are also buildings full of vendors selling products that you often can't find in a local store. Another unfortunate lesson to be learned is by purchasing an incredible-looking product from a vendor's presentation, only to take it home and find out that we can't make it work the same way.

Alas, most of us over 30 tend to become very tired after walking for hours around the fairgrounds. But, there is a bright spot! Grandstands feature local bands where we can listen to country rock, oldies, or almost anything under the stars. Comedians, jugglers, clowns, magicians and other entertainment make us laugh, and we can sit for a time enjoying the show. Impromptu square-dancing demonstrations and marching bands give you a chance to stop and cool your heels while you watch them in their colorful costumes, smiling while showing off their skills. There are booths where you can sit for a few minutes and massage your feet on a variety of electric appliances. In addition, local masseuses are often there to give you a real massage for a few dollars. After walking for six hours, this is a welcome service!

There are so many wonderful things at the fair, I can't begin to describe them all. But, if you are willing to brave the parking hassles and the crowds, you will find a superb and fascinating experience! We hate the fact that it's only in town for two weeks, but if it were available to us year-round, the trip wouldn't be so special, now would it? In conclusion, I can only suggest that you go to the fair the next time it's in town, and see for yourself! There's no better way to find out what you've been missing.