It's the FAIR!! ~ Day 1

Evidence of a great First Day of the Fair: my corn juice- and butter-stained shorts and t-shirt are already in the washing machine along with my socks that were dusted with powdered sugar. Don't just go to the Fair; wear the Fair!

It was a fabulous first day filled with sunshine and friends and 4-H fun and food and some changes since last year.

Wal-Mart Greeter in the making? Despite last year's Race to the Entrance to get in for free before the 11:00am expiration time, Rob and I still managed to cut it too close to comfort this morning. We made it to the Yellow Gate with 4 minutes to spare but it was not without dramatic commentary on my part as we managed to find every slow-moving truck, grandma, and ticket-taker the morning had to offer. As I calmed down and collected my thoughts and perused the FANFAIR Daily Schedule once we were safely inside the gate, I paused with great glee to realize I was standing right next to some sheep that were being shorn. I turned around to point out them out to Rob but he was busy being a self-appointed Fair Ambassador. Apparently he overheard some people wondering in disbelief if the two sheep constituted the entire animal exhibition. Faster than you can say "Beef Barn," Rob was sharing his map and giving the young family a brief yet thorough tour of their many livestock options. With a U-turn of the strollers and a "Hey, thanks man!" the family was off to no doubt fall in love with our Fair. Great job, Rob!

It really is best to be Zen. Unless it involves monkeys. I was hungry, naturally, so we decided to grab some lunch and then head over to the Cat Barn to watch the 4-H Cat Judging that was promised on the schedule. In what turned out to be the first of many misprints in the FANFAIR, we learned that the judging of the cats (as opposed today's judging of the cat owners that was taking place behind cardboard tents) is tomorrow. As is the Flying Monkeys Show that we arrived early for. 24 hours early, in fact. We also missed the 4-H Cat Costume Contest and some Horse Gaming due to confusion between plan and reality. At first I was a bit miffed by the lack of continuity and coordination but then I realized that the Fair is best enjoyed in the moment, not by the clock. Ohmmmm.

It's just for fun but still... We ran into some friends in the Food Court and learned that the wife had entered 8 different plants and flowers in the Floral Exhibition. We wandered over to find out how she did and she was mystified to discover a number of her entries had been docked points for things she had been told by an official to do. For instance, a lovely fuschia was not even judged because it only had one stem. Brenda had brought her fuschia to the Fair with three stems but an official told her only one was allowed so she tossed the other two. Turns out she was supposed to have three. After some commiseration and encouragement, Brenda sought out an official-looking lady in a garden-party hat and Fair badge. More conversation, explanation, much flipping through a thick rule book, and consultation with someone even more official eventually resulted in Brenda's beautiful yet singular fuschia stem being awarded a blue ribbon. Yay Brenda's fuschia! As impressed as we were with the fuschia, we were all particularly impressed with the care and commitment the Floral Fair Officials showed to righting a wrong. Yay integrity!

Fun times We took in some other entertainment including: the Chicken Dress-Up Contest (won by a pair of Foster Imposter chickens in a cardboard car strewn with junk food containers); the Dock Dogs (most entertaining was a woman pushing a seated walker who parked her walker and her seat right in front of Rob and some friends, totally blocking their view of the doggies jumping into the pool of water); the 4-H Style Show and Consumer Fashion Revue in which I learned there is something called "elastic thread" and that 12-year-old Miranda totally knows how to work a crowd with model struts, blown kisses, and hands placed on her hips with attitude; and the hypnosis show featuring the returning Jerry Harris where I learned that arriving early to get a seat means I have to sit on really uncomfortable metal bleachers for far too long. From now on we will be arriving on time and standing for the show.

Food Scene 2012 There were all sorts of food changes from last year's Fair, most not good ones. Much to my severe disappointment, the chocolate-covered strawberry kabob place was gone and replaced with a booth selling beer. There was a stand nearby that tried to fill the void but the strawberries were small and frozen and the chocolate was not as rich. Big sad face. I was also annoyed to discover the fudge people are no longer offering free samples. My annoyance wasn't so much about not getting free fudge bits; it was that I was counting on the accompanying toothpick for my post-corn grooming. I now have dental floss in my purse. I was also momentarily panicked when I could not locate the Fried Food Heaven Truck from last year -- the mecca for all things gooey, fried, and smothered in chocolate sauce. After some sleuthing, I learned that the truck (with new signage) has returned but they now have two locations. The truck is only selling funnel cakes and corn dogs and other typical Fair Fare. The other location is where the Deep Fried Fun is. I also discovered it pays to linger and ask questions and read all the signs and menus offered. Had I simply relied on the biggest sign, I would not have enjoyed tonight's deliciously squirty deep fried chocolate chip cookie dough that was also the source of the powdered sugar on my socks.

Numbers, numbers, more numbers Speaking of Fair Food, some readers might remember that last year I weighed myself both before and after the Fair to quantify the impact of my indulgences. I was as stunned as anyone to discover that I actually lost...yes, lost...2 pounds over the 10 days of ridiculously unwise eating. I have two theories about how that happened. One is not polite conversation but has to do with the fact that my system eventually rebelled and refused to retain all that I introduced to it. The other theory is that I walked, a lot. So this year, in addition to weighing myself pre and post, I am also tracking how much I walk each day I attend the Fair. Today's reading on my handy dandy pedometer: 3.73 miles. Is that enough to counteract today's Fair Food Parade? Time will tell. And so will I!

Corn dog from the Lions booth.  It was fine but I will be searching for  an even better one.  Rumor has it I should try the Smokehouse booth.  Stay tuned!

Mmmm....corn.  This was right before I got butter all over the "F"

I ran into my friend Lisa who can always be counted on for free candy samples.  Today's selection:  Gummy bears!

Not terribly impressed with the impostor strawberry kabob.  Come back, Grizzly!!  Please?

Brain freeze from a frozen strawberry lemonade

A nachos with extra jalapenoes snack while waiting for Flying Monkeys that never arrived

Dinner!  North Carolina pulled pork sandwich with extra sauce.  It was OK, not great.  I'll be trying a different vendor later.

Late night snack:  deep fried chocolate chip cookie dough. Mmmmm!  It and I were awesomely covered in chocolate.