I gotta be honest, there were more than a few times over the past couple of weeks that I wasn’t so sure my body was going to keep up with my Fairhardy spirit despite giving it sleep and fluids when I could. Rest assured, I will be pampering my back, feet, legs, and GI tract with couches, cats, Greek yogurt, spinach, and Netflix for a nice long spell once we get home.
Personality type
We spent about eight hours at the Indiana State Fair today, still searching for its personality. I thought I had it figured out when we spent several hours on the north side.
The north side of the Fair has all sorts of old timey stuff in an area aptly called Pioneer Village. Old farming equipment, lots of hay, booths selling sarsaparilla. That sort of quaint, turn-of-a-more-distant-century vibe.
Nearby, we found a train exhibit and wandered a little farther and learned about how a septic system works (ok, that was me…thankfully Rob already understands our potty process at home).
Rob and I played a free round of miniature golf on a course built by the FFA kids (Future Farmers of America). We didn’t keep score, but I’m pretty sure I won by one stroke.
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| The course had some unexpected challenges mostly due to carpet folds and staples. |
A little further away, we found a stocked pond and eavesdropped on a Indiana Park Ranger teaching some kids (and me lurking in the back) how to hold a fish when it is on your line and how to take the hook out of its mouth.
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| The Ranger was pretty funny. I felt bad for him that none of the kids were laughing. |
At one point we went searching for some air conditioning (btw, the humidity has been much more civilized here in Indiana than in Iowa, hence my lack of whining. Nevertheless, I can’t get back home to Woodhaven’s blessed and previously underappreciated 40% humidity fast enough.). We found ourselves in a building with an exhibit and a game to teach us all about soybeans. Rob and I put on our thinking caps and now have a matching pair of “Bean There. Done That.” baseball hats to show for our plaque-reading efforts. We shall wear our hats proudly at home, undoubtedly making Portland hipsters envy our urban irony.
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| Indiana. Soybeans. American flag. Might be my favorite Indiana souvenir. |
After several hours soaking in farming and soybeans and fishing and sarsaparilla, I decided that I was really digging the Indiana State Fair. I deemed it a just a big ol’ county fair, which was a big ol’ compliment. It had a local feeling, representing its home with pride and intention. It had a small-town feel with an easy pace and lots of folksy fun for the kids and kids at heart. The Indiana State Fair was totally winning me over with its small-Fair charm.
But then we walked back over to the south side of the Fair. The one with the food vendors and shopping and rides and huge animal barns. Suddenly it was a bit chaotic and generic. There was no personality over there, no sense of uniqueness, no sense of Indiana. It was just busy and noisy and unspecific.
So what is the Indiana State Fair’s personality? I honestly don’t think it has figured it out yet…which is why I couldn’t get a read on it either. On one hand, it is sort of convenient to essentially offer two different Fairs for the price of one. On the other hand, the lack of cohesiveness and integration of “An Indiana Fair Experience” left me confused and wistful that I had ended my 2019 Fairing with a stronger sense of Fair.
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| Basic Fairness. Could be anywhere. |
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| A covered bridge! Now THAT'S some Indiana personality right there! The carnival is just on the other side of the bridge. So confusing. |
Bubbles of emotion
So yes, today was our very last day of Fairing for 2019. For years now, on the last day of My Fair, I get all emotional and wistful and am in tears by the time we are leaving the grassy parking pasture for the last time. I had no idea if all the emotion was My Fair or Fairing in general. Tonight I found out.
We covered a lot of ground today – literally and figuratively – but it still felt like a slow, meandery pace. As the sun started to set and the crowd start to fill in for evening concerts, I felt a lump starting to swell in my throat. By the time we were having dinner while listening to a South American wooden instrument band, I was biting my lower lip. As Rob and I walked towards the exit gate, I was fighting back tears that I still haven’t shed but I know they are coming.
It turns out that I simply love Fairs. Tonight I didn’t have any friends to linger outside the Big Air Conditioned Building with or food vendors to say good-bye to or llamas to bid farewell to in the Llama Greenway. Rob and I didn’t take one last lap through the animal barns to breathe in the smell of hay and livestock one last time, or get one last Dairy Women’s Milkshake for the road.
And yet, tonight at a State Fair over 2,000 miles away from My Fair, filled with people I have never seen before nor will again, I got emotional just like I have so many times at home.
My sadness was not about leaving the Indiana State Fair itself…although I have said a silent and grateful Fairwell at our final exit at each Fair this year. No, my emotion tonight reflected the new awareness that I absolutely adore the charm and experience of A Fair…whether my own beloved county fair or an enormous Midwestern state fair. The throat lump and tears just below the surface tonight were the acceptance that I won’t get to have this cherished experience again for a while.
There is something very sweet and simple about a fair. The families, the friends, the couples all actively seeking out a respite from their daily worries and responsibilities. It’s a time to play, laugh, eat, learn, and wonder. A fair is an escape and a shared experience that crosses all sorts of demographic and cultural lines. Our society seems terribly complicated and divisive and angry at times. The past two weeks have been a blissful bubble of simplicity, community, and smiles. And tonight, I knew it was time for the bubble to burst.
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| Holding back the tears for the moment. |
SCHEDULE:
So that’s that. No more Fairing for 2019. But once we get back to Woodhaven and I have caught up on the many hours of sleep I have left behind in the Midwest, I will post at least one Wrap Up blog of whatever impressions, memories, lessons rise to the surface. Plus I have a list going of suggestions for making My Fair even better. Because you know I have a few ideas and opinions…
STATS:
Distance walked: 13,921 steps or 5.9 miles. My legs, hips, and feet will be happy for the 4 hour flight home tomorrow.
Earrings: Milkshakes! A few people noticed them, all suggesting I apply for a job at the historic pharmacy and soda fountain on the Fairgrounds. I elected not to mention my retirement status.
Re-entry stamp: None offered even though we left the Fair several hours before it closed. Maybe there’s no re-entry privileges?
Biggest Disappointment in the Commercial building: We took a lap through the building where all the gadgets and gizmos are pitched (leaf gutter guards, garlic grinders, back massagers that will vibrate your fillings out, etc). I wanted to find the booth with the magical pink solution and mystical polishing cloths so I could get my engagement ring cleaned. My poor diamond is covered in butter, suntan lotion, and pork grease and I’ve been waiting until Day 10 to get it all spiffed up and de-Faired. And guess what booth was nowhere to be found in Indiana? Dang it!
Today’s oddest competition: The theme of the Indiana State Fair this year is Heroes of the Heartland which then took some poetic license to include a Super Heroes exhibit for the kiddos. We took a peek in the exhibit and were very confused to find a whole bunch of canned vegetables, fruits, soup. Just lots and lots of cans, all arranged in what I eventually figured out were supposed to be Super Hero images. It was only when I stood back about 15 feet that I could see the Super Images. Best I could tell, there was some sort of competition for the can stacking. But I didn’t really see any ribbons and I didn’t have the bandwidth to stop and read all the signs. Regardless, between the cans and the old china and the activity totes, I’m pretty sure my future short-hand description for the Indiana Fair will be “The one with all the weird competitions.”
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| Is Iron Can really a superhero? Or did they make it up so they could use an overstock of yellow cans of Red Gold Tomatoes? And I have no idea who the Superhero Packers fan is next to him. |
Price to enter the Indiana State Fair: Free thanks to being AAA members! Yes, that’s right – we did not pay to enter this Fair at all, except for parking. WHOO HOO! It seems like maybe the Indiana State Fair is sort of like Kohl’s: the only people who pay full price are people who aren’t paying attention.
FAIR FOOD FEAST PARADE:
We had a better food day today but it took some work. There is some good food at this Fair, but you have to hunt for it and it’s best to stay off the main drag.
We also spent a good hour grazing an exhibition called The Taste of Indiana. About 15 different food vendors were set up with samples of a different crop comprising Indiana’s agriculture industry. I really just wanted to eat but I ended up learning a few things…about Indiana (it ranks 3rd nationally for spearmint production and 4th for peppermint production, the majority of which is used in Colgate toothpaste and Wrigley’s gum) and myself (I like duck??). Not surprising, the exhibit was on the north side of the Fair.
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| Started off the day with a BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich. I really wanted some Hatch Chile Meatballs I saw yesterday but they sold out last night. BOO! But this brisket was actually really tasty. Moist, melty, and the sauce was more tangy than sweet which is how I prefer BBQ sauce. A winner! Finally! |
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| Day drinking! We decided to try Indiana wines. They had a flight of four wines. They gave the cups to us in this cardboard holder with numbers handwritten next to each cup. And nothing else. No sheet listing the varietals, no info about the wines, nothing. We asked if they could tell us anything about the wines and they offered to let us look at the bottles. SO very different than how we are used to tasting wines! So, I scribbled in the varietals and then added my tasting notes. Overall, these were a LOT better than Iowa wines and a bit better than Wisconsin wines. However, we were not tempted to bring any bottles home with us...and didn't finish any of the cups between us. |
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| Notes include: Watery but not sweet! (Pinot Gris); Smells like transmission fluid; sweet (Rose); It tastes like wine! But not a lot of fruit (Red blend - of what, nobody could tell us); Wrong order. Not sweet. Not pleasant (Gewurztraminer) |
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| This was called a Stuffed Ear. It was an Elephant Ear stuffed with cooked apples. It was delicious! The ear was more doughy and not overcooked like some of the elephant ears at home can be. The apple filling tasted fresh, not canned pie filling. The top of the ear was dusted with cinnamon sugar and then drizzled with icing. ANOTHER WINNER! Rob and I shared it but we each could have finished it all on our own. |
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| A roasted soybean in the Taste of Indiana exhibit. It tasted a lot like a corn nut but a lot smaller. It was pretty good. I could have mindlessly eaten quite a lot of them. Other Taste of Indiana items nibbled on prior to this: cantaloupe, pulled pork, turkey breast, cucumber slice, summer sausage, and watermelon honey |
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| Not a great photo but proof that I ate duck! It was nicely seasoned so it didn't taste gamey or oily. I liked it but not enough to consider ordering it in a restaurant. Other Taste of Indiana items sampled: cheddar cheese, fresh corn chips, pork brisket, donut pudding (representing wheat; yeah, it was a stretch but nobody cared. MMMM!) |
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| Free popcorn from the Taste of Indiana exhibit. It tasted like movie theater popcorn, which was great since I don't often go to movies and I never buy popcorn there when I do. |
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| I attempted to eat this chocolate covered banana. It was frozen solid. When it finally melted enough to chew off some banana bits, I was only able to eat about 2/3 of it because then the stick was too long and I couldn't get the banana off. It was too late that I realized I could have eaten the rest from the other end of the stick. DUH! But truth be told, it wasn't that great. I think it had been frozen too long. Or the chocolate was cheap. Something wasn't right so it wasn't a huge loss to ditch this when the stick got too pointy. |
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| A thing here is a drink called a Shake Up. Curious, I ordered a strawberry one. It was a bunch of ice, water, mashed strawberries, and lots of sugar...all shaken up in a cup like a boozy drink. It was rather light and refreshing and I was quite enjoying it until I got to the end and realized all the sugar had sunk to the bottom of the cup. So not only was the Shake Up not well shaken up, it was useless towards the end because it was just sugar and ice. |
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| Rob and I shared some fried cheese sticks while watching draft horses trot around in the air conditioning. Fine but basic. Not all that memorable. |
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| Rob and I decided our last 2019 Fair Treat would be the winner of the 2019 Indiana State Fair New Food competition. This was a new vendor serving Puerto Rican food. The winning food was called Relleno de Papa. It was described as "One mashed potato ball filled with seasoned ground beef then fried golden brown." It was very good, simple food. Not overly seasoned, cooked just right. It seemed like it would be a staple in a Puerto Rican household. Just solid, good food. |
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| The mashed potato ball was supposed to come with rice but they were cooking more and offered a side of fried plantains instead. I jumped at the chance since I have had them before in Costa Rica and LOVED them. Well, these weren't quite the same. Not much plantain taste, just a lot of fried starch. It came with a dipping sauce that was like a spicy fry sauce. It was good but I decided I didn't want to eat the plantains just to eat the sauce. We finished half of them...and called it a night. And a Fair. AND THAT'S THE END OF THE 2019 FAIR FOOD FEAST PARADE!!! |
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