Fair Feast - Day 2!

We didn’t to get to the fair today until about 1:00p and yet still managed to spend over 9 hours there. Hard to imagine, I suppose, given how small our fair really is. But I suspect few people “do the fair” like I do. I still haven’t seen all the animals or exhibits so it really is a good thing we have two more visits planned. I just like to take my time and spread out the eating opportunities.

Non-food highlights of Day 2 at the Fair:

• While eating my requisite cob of corn, we chatted with the nice man sitting next to us with his brood of seven or eight kids. Turns out he owns a farm we pass all the time. We had some rain this morning so the family decided to take the day off from farming to give things a chance to dry out a bit. We learned all sorts of helpful hints about growing corn and apples and freezing blueberries. The farmer truly was extraordinarily helpful. I am still smiling at the friendly down-hominess of chatting up a neighbor farmer while eating an ear of corn at my county fair. Man, I love it here!
• We were catching up on some people-watching and spotted the Fair Queen and her Court of two Princesses. As they stopped by to say hello, we got the scoop about why our beloved Mutton Bustin’ competition is absent this year (little kids riding sheep a la bull riding). Apparently there is some nasty disease going around that can be easily spread from sheep to bulls. Not wanting to take any chances, the sheep were fleeced out of this year’s entertainment line-up but fingers are crossed that they will be healthfully invited back again next year.
• I was in the mood for some candy, so we headed over to my favorite candy shack hidden out by the livestock barns. I suspect it is there for the for 4-H kids, not the average yahoo fair goer. What can I say, I’m in the know. Anyway, while buying some delightfully artificial treats, I heard squealing in addition to my own. Naturally we went to investigate. We stumbled upon the open-class pig judging. It was fascinating and full of anticipation. I had no idea, but putting a bunch of hogs in a ring together is much like a professional hockey game: you just never know when a fight is going to break out. There are actually grown men hired to dart around the ring carrying large plastic boards that look like sides of a Rubbermaid storage shed. Their job is to use to boards to separate pigs that are starting to get aggressive with each other. We saw several hog fights of much biting and squealing and rutting. One included a teen handler getting her finger bitten because she didn’t let the pig boarders do their job. Only vaguely related, my favorite quote of the event: “The hog is placing second over third because the carcass will look good on the rack.”
• An annual favorite event: bull riding! Tonight’s competition did not disappoint. There were several very long rides and the top five scores for the second round were all above 75. We also saw one cowboy get bucked off in a spectacular somersault, and one rodeo clown was tossed in the air by a bull’s horns. Nobody was injured and the eventual winner was a young guy from our very own little town. Good stuff! Even better was having a friend and his 8-year-old son join us. I had a great time talking carnival rides, older sisters, and Legos with the son while Rob and Dad chatted golf and such. My affection for the dad grew tenfold when I realized he had his iPhone out and was using the stopwatch feature to time the bull rides on his own. I swear, if I had had my netbook there, I’m sure the two of us would have been entering his data into a spreadsheet.

And now for the Food Parade:

First up, yakisoba noodles and my free sample of frozen pink lemonade.
















My beloved ear of corn. Monday I squirted Rob's glasses with corn juice, so I tried eating at an angle today to avoid any targets. Success!








Dessert! Strawberry rhubarb pie made fresh daily by a group of ladies at the church across from the fairgrounds. The best pie I have ever tasted! So good, I even eat the crust.















A basic Pepsi while browsing the amateur photography












Oooh, free samples! Pretzels and all sorts of herby, peppery dips. YUM!

Time for dinner! A taco salad that sadly was a bit bland even when loaded with salsa and jalapenos.
















A little Red Rope pig judging snack.

















A pineapple-cherry Hawaiian shave ice. Today's rain meant Monday's bees were buzzing somewhere warmer.











A new taste sensation for me: Nerd Rope! Tangy Nerds stuck on a chewy rope sort of like the inside of a Hot Tamale. Mmmm! I shared some with Drew, my 8-year-old grandstands buddy, who impressed and depressed me when he politely declined a second helping with "I think I've had enough sugar for today."