Western Idaho State Fair

 

August 23, 2009 marked the 3rd annual Taylor family tradition of fair-going. First off, I must tell you...I LOVE the fair! I love the passion that exudes from each and every 4-H-er when they show their animals (and even when they are just waiting around to show). Animal showmanship is a family affair and I love family affairs. If your kid has raised or taken care of an animal to show, you darn-tootin' better be there to support them. The produce contest is awe-inspiring. I have vegetable envy (there, I said it). Why can't my garden yield anything that looks remotely like what the fair people grow? Someday, I'll have a pantry filled with all of the delights that were displayed for canning contest...well, maybe. The people watching always promises to be among the best in town, this year was no different.

What I love most is watching the boys with the animals. Charlie tends to have a conservative respect for the beasts, wanting to know all about their habits before approaching with food or petting hands. Cole on the other hand, would probably jump inside the pens if we weren't there to stop him. The boys were really into the rides. John and Charlie rode the roller coaster, which was "really fast" (and rickety). Cole and I rode "The Octopus" (which happened to have a horribly dizzy-ing effect). Cole laughed and yelled out "this is fun" for at least the first 3 minutes before he shared that he was a little dizzy. Since we only purchased 25 tickets (which were $25 dollars) there were just enough left for the boys to ride a little dune buggy around in a circle 100 times...totally boring compared to the previous zippy rides.

And then there's the fair food, which is admittedly tasty. I almost always get the gyros. Cole always gets a corn dog. Charlie changes it up--this year he got a foot-long hot dog with grilled onions. John had croquettas. As soon as we ate lunch, both boys were harassing us for dessert (cotton candy, bubble-gum flavored sno-cone, and churros). What's not to love about the Western Idaho State Fair?

I do have a couple ponderings to share:
-How does one get to be a goat judge(or alpaca or swine or horse, etc.)? How many contests do they have to attend before they get the lingo down? Here's an interesting article I just found about goat judging.
-If someone (say a scientist) wanted to find a large group of the unhealthiest people on the planet (you know, for a study of sorts), a state fair would be a good place to collect the sample.
-How did the fair, which boasts healthy animals and hearty produce (read 257 pound pumpkin), evolve to serve up such junky food to the fair-goers? I enjoy partaking in the sweet and salty, processed/GMO grease fest as much as the rest of them. I'm just thankful that I have the self-control to limit my intake of these drugs.
-Why do some people think it's okay to light up and puff-tough while sitting right next to a family of non-smokers?
-Which rain forest is home to the arctic fox? He was show-cased in the rain forest exhibit.
-You'll be happy to know that the hiring committee has set some basic standards for their employees. If you happen to have a tattoo that is rated R, you must cover it up while working.
-If you were ever thinking of going public with an invention or idea, the fair would be a fine place to start. Beware however, there will be competition. For every crazy anti-abortion lady there is exactly one Planned Parenthood representative. The Republicans could not leave the Democratic party well enough alone...they set up shop just around the corner. If you don't like curly fries, just walk a little distance for the shoe-string variety. Designer knock-off sunglasses, 650 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets (only $20), Vita-mixes, whirlpools, shoes, Peruvian toys and clothing, hats, and BSU gear were also featured, to name a few. There's nothing too big or small for the fair.
-A day at the fair is VERY expensive ($75 for us, and we did "fair-light", which means no $30 x 4 unlimited ride wrist bands and just saying "no" to the multitude of requests for more rides and more food)! I just don't see how the average bear can afford to do anything more than eat lunch.