My boyfriend will be in town next weekend, so that’s where we’ll be heading on one of the days! I am looking forward to deep-fried cheese curds, funnel cake, awesome big animals, adorable tiny animals, cream puffs that look awesome but are always way too rich once you actually start eating them, people-watching, overpriced beer, and vicariously enjoying any chocolate-covered bacon the boy gets (“Is it good? How good is it? What does it taste like?”).
I just got tickets to see Merle Haggard at the Frederick County Fair. It’s going to rock!
I’m headed to the WI state fair in a few minutes.
Our state fair doesn’t start until September.
Seeing as how I’ve spent most of my life here, it’s lost all it’s luster for me. Frankly, I’m glad when it’s over because it just screws up traffic around here.
It’s gotten too expensive and I just become grumpy in crowds.
I had fun there as a kid, teenager and young adult. We took our kids when they were little, but now, if they even want to go, they go with their friends.
I sound like such an old lady! Seriously, I like fun, but everything there is overpriced and honestly, it’s the same old stuff there every year.
Well, we had a good time at the Ohio State Fair this year. (Thanks for the heads-up about the dates, gardentraveler!) Ate corn dogs, funnel cakes, and deep-fried Snickers bars, rode rides until everyone wanted to throw up, and came home mildly sunburned. Also, I saw the butter cow and the all-Ohio Youth Band, which is always a highlight for me.
My only beef is that the ride tickets are becoming insanely expensive. You can either buy an all-day ride wristband for $22/person, or you can spend between $2-4 per person, per ride, with individual ride tickets. I mean, honestly, I like riding the rides at the fair, but for that price, we could take the whole family to Cedar Point and ride some actual roller coasters, you know?
You’ll literally be two miles down the road from me. Have fun. I plan to avoid downtown Puyallup like the plague.
I went to the Orange County Fair last weekend for specifically for my Fried Dough blog. I had to try the deep-fried butter and chocolate-dipped, deep-fried bacon. Along with the funnel and cake and deep-fried Twinkie. I didn’t bother with the deep-fried White Castle Burger which I now regret. I was going to try the Krispy Kreme deep-fried chicken sandwich, but I talked to a guy who had just eaten one and he advised against it.
Oh yeah - and a good friend was there demonstrating glass blowing.
We had a great time.
Tell her to eat a cream puff for me. A couple years ago when my husband was working in Milwaukee, we went to the fair and I had a cream puff as big as my head. Yummy. We stayed away from the ‘on a stick’ things, though.
Closest one to me would be the North Dakota State Fair, which apparently takes place in Minot. Anyone been? Is it worth it?
What we have here is the Red River Exhibition, which occurs in mid-June. It’s okay, but the midway is small, usually around 15 rides or so.
Way back when, I used to go to the PNE (Pacific National Exhibition) in Vancouver. It was great because Vancouver already has an amusement park called Playland and the PNE sets up just adjacent to Playland, “expanding” the ride selection a great deal.
We had fun too. I’d thought I would have to wait till next year, but it turned out that my friends who were in town visiting on Thursday and Friday actually wanted to go. We didn’t eat the regular fair food (and missed the butter cow!) but did catch the band and choir just as they were marching in for their next performance and heard them performing as we were wandering around nearby.
I have pictures linked from the OP of this week’s MMP (Monday Morning Post, for those of you who aren’t familiar with it). Yes, the OP is in post 57; the MMP is pretty chaotic. Feel free to comment or ask questions either here or there.
The Columbus Dispatch has a whole page with links to articles and blog entries and pictures that are fair related for those of you who want to get a better idea of what a state fair is like.
I should be going to the Puyallup this year, but I’m not 100% sure. I used to go every year, but I missed it in 2006, 2007, and 2008 because I was in Montana for college, and then in 2009 because because we were all too busy.
Really craving fair food now.
Hey missred! Which party booth is that? I think we’re going to take the kids some time this week - probably Friday or Saturday, since our littlest one is in school now. Can we park in your driveway? 
It starts with a D. I’ll be there through the week and sure, you’re welcome to park at my house…but it is a bit of a hike with kids in tow.
Wait… I thought I was the only D in Wilson County? :dubious: I already ordered my Jim Cooper yard sign!
Actually, my sister-in-law works at the county health clinic right next to the fairgrounds, so we always park there :).
Lucky! When my sister lived in CT she, our mom, and I would go every single year. None of us lives close enough now for it not to involve hotel stays so it’s been about 5 years.
Since then though, our mom moved to a town near Syracuse, which is where NY holds its state fair. We’ve made that our new tradition. The dates usually work for us to go he week before my son has to go back to school. We check out all the “home arts”, some livestock (with particular attention paid to the fancy poultry), and at least one or two of the product demos for things you didn’t know you needed, but now can’t live without.
We went to the state fair the first year we lived here, and were ready to love it. Sadly we did not. I don’t know if it was because we’d been spoiled by the Big E for all those years, but somehow it just wasn’t as fun. We might try it again now that my son is more interested in rides. Who knows.
I wish the dates for the Montgomery County Fair were different. Who doesn’t want to see cheese carving? We might hit the Frederick County fair, though.
Dang! I didn’t see you at the meeting last night…or did I? 
Anyway, the clinic is a bit closer than my house. If you go Tuesday or Wednesday evenings, stop by, we can hook you up with bumper stickers, etc
The Great Frederick Fair is the one to attend in Maryland.