What’s this all about? I’ve only been to one State Fair in my life - it was the Minnesota State Fair, three years ago.
Enlighten me??
Canthearya, some organizations (NFO used to be one of them; I think Goodwill was giving them out last year) gave or used to give out yard sticks about 3/4" across with a little leather sling on the end that not only measured but could be used as a walking stick. My parents have a dozen of them, easily, but now that I’m a grown-up (HAH!) I want one for my very own, but I can never find anyone giving them away! Plenty of people walking around with 'em; no one giving them away. Or, if they ARE giving them away, I have to be under the Grandstand at the same time the Lumberjack Show is on (and it would just be WRONG to miss the Lumberjack Show, cos those boys are HOT).
I didn’t say it was logical. I just said I wanted one.
Yes, I am a little weird. Don’t look at me like that.
Oh man, I loved the New York State Fair (lived down the street from it). 
And it started today 
And I’m 1200 miles south. 
I want a (free!) baked potato, and a Gianelli sausage sandwich, and a Binghamton Spiedie, and a candy apple, and some juice samples from the Finger Lakes Wineries, and fudge, and a Pizza Frite (sugared fried dough), and curly fries, and chocolate milk, and salt potatoes, and sno-cone, and watch the horse and cattle shows at the Colliseum, and see the kids performing at the (<INSERT CORPORATE NAME HERE>) Talent Showcase, and watch the dogs get spayed at the demonstrations at the Department of Veterinary Medicine Amphitheatre (attached to the Colliseum), and watch the free concerts at the (<INSERT CORPORATE NAME HERE>) Court yard, and wear a yellow “Lost Kid Tag” from the New York State Troopers, and look at the crafts in the Art & Home Center, and walk through the Midway, and listen to Stan Colella’s Band (god, he’s been there forever!), and watch the sheep-to-shawl competitions, and watch the Native American traditional dancers at the Indian/Iriquois Village, and play with the baby chickens and ducks in the 4-H exhibit buildings and look at the butter sculpture in the Dairy Building, and see the flower and table setting competitions in the Horticulture Building, and watch the drafthorse hitches, and get my handwriting ‘analyzed’ at the Center of Progress, and watch the blacksmithing demonstrations at the Carriage Museum, and pay an arm and a leg for a seat at the Grandstand concerts, and look at the miniature train crash aftermath at the Operation Lifesaver Exhibit in the old carnival train cars, and win a goldfish or a glass plate in the carnival game ball toss, and watch the lumberjack competitions, and look at the State Police Bloodhounds, and watch the cloggers at the Grange Museum, and watch the microd racing, and look at the bunnies and pheasants in the poultry building, and look at all the cheap trinkets, and listen to the rooster crowing competition, and really want a nice buckskin leather purse from “Buck & Bum” leather shop, and look at all the decorated horse stalls (for the competitors) in the stables, and see the miniature horse and the giant alligator and the six-legged calf and the giant rat and the headless woman (ALIVE!!!), and get an air-brushed t-shirt.
And then go home.
And then go back and do it all again tomorrow.
screech, your fair sounds JUST like ours.
But you didn’t mention NEARLY enough food on a stick 
Let’s see… you have the obligatory pronto pup, the caramel apple, the pork chop onastick, the surf and turf onastick, steak onastick, stir fry onastick, macaroni and cheese onastick, deep fried candy bars onastick, deep fried Twinkies onastick…
What else am I forgetting?
Spam on a stick
MissTake - Alligator, elk, Scotch eggs, Rice crispy treats, and Belgain waffles. Cotton candy. Walleye. Chocolate covered frozen bananas.
I’ll think of more.
imthjckaz, please tell me you’re lying. :eek:
Uh, that was supposed be SPAM on a stick.
PICKLE onnastick.
Last year, I ate it so fast I almost swallowed the stick.
Do not forget, this year that had medicine on a stick in the gift shop. I indulged in a Italian Beef hoagie, had a bag of the Tom Thumb donuts, and some kettle corn. Not too bad, all in all. Anise went for Vescio’s Italian Egg Roll, and about died eating a thing of fried cheese curds. I do not understand what people see in those. Today is was off to the big mall, then went to Dream Haven books. Soon back to Nashville.
Do not blaspheme the cheese curd, dude. That’s just wrong.
Plus the Moo Gods will send a crazed cow charging out onto the road right in front of your car.
Well I was just pointing out some of the specialties I remember (although candy apples are ubiquitous, these are NEW YORK (upstate) apples.
I’ve not been to the Fair in 12 years, so my memory may be a bit faulty, but I do now recall “Bob’s Walk-Away Sundae” stands (rectangular hunk of vanilla ice cream in a narrow but wide cone, dipped in chocolate and peanuts with a cherry on top) and chocolate covered bananas. Not too many foods on a stick at this Fair.
Oh, and the last time I was there (yeeeeeeeeeeears ago), there was a buffalo burger stand - free range bison ranch somewhere in the Adirondacks, IIRC - very, very yummy burgers.
Oh yeah, way back when the Fair was more agricultural, there was a tram system - long trailer with a cushioned bench wrapped around a center walkway, all pulled by gen-you-wine John Deere farm apparati, each with a placard over the engine: “You can buy this <MODEL NUMBER> tractor for $ <Exhorbitant price to a 10-year-old>. See Booth # WHATEVER in the Farm Machinery Building.” Alas, the Farm Machinery Building burned down many years ago in the off-season around Halloween, while it was being used for a flea market and the JayCees Annual Haunted House (another local tradition I used to look forward to). They never rebuilt it, the buildin or the Haunted House.
The Florida State Fair is in February. Just not the same to me: state fairs should be at the end of the harvest season, IMHO.
<sigh> I could use some Cornell University apple cider right now…
I’ve taken my son to the MN State Fair once each year of his life. We’ll be going again on the 1st of Sep.
We’ve done both the Sky Coaster and the Ejection Seat. Surpassingly cool, and one helluva rush!
I love the Fair, but I’m getting too old for some of the rides on the Midway. These days, my stomach draws the line at going in circles at about a million rpm.
See ya by the Giant Slide!
Oh, and the other thing I ought mention. When I grew up, I actually travelled with the carnival. I put together some of those rides y’all are riding and barfing on!
Rysdad - Skycoaster? Is that the one that they put you in a harness, pull you back and upwards 300 feet and you become the human pendulum? And the Ejection Seat? A park bench attatched to two towers by bungee cords? Springs you straight upwards?
Got them down here near Disney, but I didn’t know they had travelling models.