It feels very different here in the middle of the country, and I’m not just talking the insane humidity. (HOW do these people live here?!?). People are more aware of each other, allow each other more grace, assume the best intentions. It’s just easier and friendlier here. I have quite liked it.
Today we Faired with some friends (Sara and Zac) and their two young children – Ellie who is 6 and Desi who is 4. They live about an hour away and come to the Iowa State Fair almost annually. I felt like I was in the presence of royalty when Sara shared that she worked at the Fair in a lemonade and sausage stand for several years as a teen, deeming it an Iowan rite of passage. SO COOL! But also apparently a lot of work, long hours, and not always so much fun in the later hours when beer was flowing amongst the hungry customers.
Sara also told us that when the Fair isn’t going on, the Fairgrounds is a popular spot for parents to teach their young teens how to drive (the Iowa driving age is an alarming 14-years-old – YIKES!!!). I LOVED getting these little insider tidbits! Sara and Zac – who started dating in high school – exchanged one of those Married Couples giggles when we were chatting about Ye Olde Kissing Ride, confirming that Rob and I nailed the unspoken but widely understood purpose of that Dark Tunnel of Love.
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| LOVE THIS PHOTO!! Thank you for Fairing with us, Zac, Sara, Ellie, and Desi! |
Rob and I loved accompanying our friends on some of their Fair traditions, finding nooks and crannies on the Fairgrounds that had missed our kidless radar. Places like Heritage Village where Rob threw an axe and we discovered the wonders of fry bread. Places like Little Hands on the Farm where Ellie and Desi harvested impressively realistic plastic crops and followed them through the process to a store where they could buy a treat with their hard-earned Fair Buck to celebrate a farmer’s job well done. Places like the Mutton Bustin’ ring where we were ecstatic to cheer on two riders we knew (more on that below!).
The day was a bit slower, a bit hotter, and a lot more wiggly than prior Fairing days. And a great way to say good-bye to one of America’s largest and most famous state fairs. Iowa, you ROCKED!
Meeting a dear friend for the first time
Sara and I go way back. Like nine years. We met because we both live and breathe with chronic back pain. We have commiserated together, vented together, celebrated together, felt hopeless together. We have shared our lives and our fears and our joys. Sara is a dear and trusted friend whom I met in person for the first time today.
Although the internet can be incredibly divisive, it can also be a lifeline to those who feel like they are the only ones facing a particular challenge. Sara and I are part of a small group of fiercely loyal and supportive back-achy women scattered across the US who all miraculously found each other through the tangled interwebs. We have been a safe place online for nearly a decade to seek and shower empathy and friendship.
It was so strange today to hug Sara while gushing, “It is SO GREAT to meet you!!” I wasn’t meeting her; I already know her! But hearing a voice and giving a hug with arms instead of just words was pretty fantastic. Although the day could have been awkward, it was not. It really felt like old friends getting together after not seeing each other for a few years. Our husbands chatted easily, and by the end of the day Rob and I got sticky hugs from the kids. I already cherish this photo and I sincerely hope my new old friends take us up on our invitation to come visit us someday.
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| I'm probably framing this one. |
SCHEDULE:
We will be on the road again tomorrow, heading to our Final Fair Destination for 2019. WHOO HOO! We will resume Fairing on Wednesday (Aug 14) with a blog posted sometime later in the weeeeee hours. Stay tuned! And thank you for coming along for the long and wild ride!
STATS:
Distance walked: 13,884 steps or 5.9 miles – 0.2 miles less than yesterday. What was I saying about it being a slower day? Goodness! Well, actually, we were at the Fair for about an hour longer than yesterday so I guess we covered about the same distance over a longer period of time. But still. Clearly my sense of pace and distance is a little wacked. I’ll blame the humidity.
Earrings: Corn Dogs! A few people noticed them but my popcorn earrings a few days ago were undoubtedly the Blue Ribbon Winners for my food earrings in Iowa.
Re-entry stamp: A blue F in what I fear might be permanent ink. I’m deeming the F to stand for Fair and Iowa as having the most uncreative re-entry stamps so far.
Coolest Kids In Iowa: Because of the internet, I already knew that Ellie and Desi are remarkable kids with spirits of adventure. I also knew that Ellie is an adrenaline junkie and fearless. So it was a calculated dream come true when Ellie decided she wanted to try Mutton Bustin’ at 2:00 after seeing the 12:30 show! And, as little brothers predictably do, Desi wanted in on the action, too! Although Desi only lasted a few seconds, he said he had a lot of fun and plans to try again next year. Ellie…as Ellie does with life…came in 3rd Place and got a medal. Of course she did!! Late word from Mom is Ellie is now contemplating a stint on the rodeo circuit riding a calf and a "buckin' buckeroo pony." Ellie for President in 2048!
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| Padded up and ready to ride! |
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| So impressed with these kids! And their parents who were remarkably calm and excited to sign waivers allowing their offspring to ride sheep. Sara and Zac, you two are awesome and super fun parents! |
Number of Sara’s friends we bumped into at The Fair: 4…maybe 5…the first of which was Ellie’s roller derby coach, Smudge. It astounded me that Sara...who lives an hour away...was running into people she knows at the State Fair. Not just a State Fair, a HUGE State Fair. "It's a small state," was her best excuse.
Today’s Camera Crew: The Food Network’s “Carnival Eats” was filming an episode for Season 8 onsite all day today. We first spotted them filming the creation of Breakfast Skillet Tots – tater tots with scrambled eggs, sausage, cheese, and onions.
Interestingly, the delicacy was not being created in a food truck or tent. Instead, all sorts of lighting and cameras were trained on a platform the crew had set up next to a kiddie ride. The food just sat there as the camera captured ingredients magically falling from the sky (or a Production Assistant’s hands).
I later saw them interviewing a young couple eating a mountain of potato chips covered in cheese and bacon (see Fair Food Feast Parade), and then again in the evening in the Craft Beer Garden talking to a hipster crowd sitting on old thrift store couches. Every time I saw the filming going on, I was stunned I was the only one who seemed to notice or care. No crowds gathered, no looky-loos, nobody trying to sneak on camera in the background. I guess the Iowa State Fair is so used to being the epicenter of media-worthy activities, they are sort of over the excitement of film crews and professional lighting. But I’m not, so here are some pix!
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| We duly ignored this and asked the production assistant all sorts of questions. He didn't shush us so we're guessing they plan to voice-over the footage they were filming while we were being all not-cool. |
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| It really looked quite majestic. But not enough to give one a try. |
Biggest Intended Splash on the Fairgrounds that Really Wasn’t: The crowd at the Iowa State Fair is pretty darn homogeneous. Mostly white, mostly families, mostly sturdy, mostly sweaty. So you would think a small unofficial parade of flamboyantly primped drag queens strutting about would cause quite a stir if not a commotion. But surprisingly, it did not.
We first spotted the royalty in one of the air conditioned buildings; then later melting their foundation off outside on the main concourse. There were maybe 5 queens and maybe 5 groupies. People made way for them, mostly because they had enormously poofy skirts and dresses.
Curious, I watched the locals around me. There were a few stares, a couple requests for photo-ops, and a number of polite declines of the suckers the queens were inexplicably handing out. There were a lot of quizzical smiles, a couple comments like “You don’t see THAT everyday” and “Well, that’s a conversation starter” (which was quickly proven false), and one mommy agreed that yes, the dresses were pretty. And then, nothing. Everyone went back to Fairing. No lingering conversations, no posited theories, no desire to know more. But also no rude comments, no insulting gestures, no unkind reactions. Just kind and respectful...and quiet. Honestly, the giant pumpkins we ate a snack next to generated more buzz, commentary, opinions, and debate than the Drag Queens of Des Moines.
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| Midwest drag queens look a bit less...prepared...than West Coast drag queens. ^ Winner for tonight's sentence I never thought I would type. |
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| I have no idea what's going on here. The fake tummy on the front one, the fake arm on the second one. Unlike those around me, I had a lot of questions. |
FAIR FOOD FEAST PARADE:
Another good eatin’ day! And oh the pork! The pork in Iowa is incredible. I already miss it. To be honest, I never completely understood the whole bacon thing until now. Bacon was fine, I guess, but not really worth the calories or fat grams. But now, oh my. I get it. Bacon…when done properly…is pig heaven. And Iowa knows how to do bacon. Oh, Iowa, you have ruined me for bacon! Bacon bacon bacon!!!
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| Taco Fry Bread. I had never had Fry Bread before; I assumed it was like an elephant ear. It is not. It is thicker and doughier and delicious in a whole other way. This taco was very tasty and a disaster to eat and I will from now on be searching for fry bread. Mmmm! |
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| A Bomb Pop (we call them Rocket Popsicles on the West Coast) in Jolly Rancher flavors! Watermelon, Lemon, and the classic Green Apple. It hit the spot and sadly didn't last very long. But I ate it before it melted! |
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| Finally some corn!! I totally expected corn to be all over the Iowa State Fair. Instead, I sadly learned that only 1% of the corn grown in Iowa is sweet corn for cob consumption. BOO! This corn was very good and very squirty and a bit sweeter than at home. I also put something on it called "Cookies Flavor Enhancer" from the brilliant Corn Condiment Table. Cookies is the brand name. I'm assuming MSG is involved. It certainly did add an enhanced flavor -- and one that I liked quite a bit -- but I'm thinking since it was my one Iowa Corn on the Cob, I should have left it alone. |
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| Rob let me sample his Bacon and Brisket Mac and Cheese. SO GOOD! The meat gave it a great smokey flavor and the cheese was real cheese, not processed orange stuff. |
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| I decided I needed to try All the Pork! So this is a bacon wrapped pork rib on a stick. I stupidly asked for it with BBQ sauce which I wiped off after this photo was taken. That rib did not need any additional flavor. The bacon was perfect and the rib was juicy and moist and amazing. OMG -- the pork here!! Have I mentioned that? The pork? |
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| We saw some teens eating one of these yesterday so we tried it today. It was fantastic! Peppermint ice cream with real peppermint chunks, all surrounded by a moist chocolate brownie cookie thing with some hot fudge sauce thrown in. It was soooo much better than those cookies. Why isn't this THE dessert at the Fair?? WOW! |
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| Sara suggested this. We had never heard of a Dutch Letter. This was S. It was a pastry filled with almond sauce. It was much lighter than I was expecting and the almond was excellent. Great suggestion! Rob and I shared this. Mmmm. |
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| BONUS PIC: Zac ordered this poutine. It was unlike any poutine I had ever sampled. Thick fries, huge cheese curds, brisket, and a very flavorful gravy. It was enormous and the few bites I had were delicious. |
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| Rob and I shared these Tater Ribbon Fries for dinner. Freshly made potato chips covered in cheese sauce, fresh bacon, and for me...a side of jalapenoes. The bacon was the best part. We didn't quite finish this -- but made sure to finish all the bacon. |
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| Fairwell my lovely! This is the Brown Sugar Pork Belly on a stick again. It was the perfect dessert and last treat of the Iowa State Fair. I shall dream of this often. |
2 comments:
First peppermint ice cream is my favorite. I can only get it at Christmas. Second where are all the politicians?
I will now be looking for peppermint ice cream! I had no idea it was so amazing!
All the politicians were only there for opening weekend of the Fair. They all went on to other photo ops after Sunday night.
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