Well it's county fair time in Kansas and most of the country. I probably wouldn't go except our daughter is in 4-H. Anyway, I actually have learned to get a kick out of our fair. There is something comfortable about it, something very "American." And our county is very low population (4800 total). Just curious how the other members of this board feel about this slice of Americana and if they did (do) participate?
I love the county fair. The Medina County Fair (161 years old!) in lovely Medina, Ohio is the best damn fair I've ever seen. It's held on a huge fairground, and has a HUGE grandstand for concerts, tractor pulls, demo derbys, etc. I used to enter for cooking (Yeah, shut up. I make great cookies.) and 4-H when I was a kid. Tons of fun rides, tons of farm animals, and of course caramel corn and candy apples.
You hit it on the head, DrDirt. It's just such a slice of America.
(edit) - Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Valley City Street Fair. Another fond childhood memory.
I don't do the fair because I saw too much of it when I was in Kiwanis. We ran a concession stand at the fair and I would work every night that I wasn't teaching. Thus, the fair wasn't fun for me - it was work. I may eventually change my mind, but for now I'm still enjoying "not" going to the fair.
University of Kentucky basketball isn't a matter of life and death, it's much more important than that.
I (and everybody else, just about) usually pass up our county fair (hennepincountyfair.com) because we're so close to the site of the Minnesota state fair (mnstatefair.org), which I'm pretty sure is the greatest on earth. The county fair people know this, which is why they only run it for four days.
However, we'll probably hit the Steele County Free Fair (hennepincountyfair.com) because (a) it's free and (b) it takes place concurrently with Gold Rush Days, a giant antiques show/swap meet that takes over the city of Oronoco (oronoco.com).
This has been another episode of "More Than You Wanted To Know About Great Minnesota Gatherings."
(Back in California I never went to the Santa Clara county fair (thefair.org) - seemed very un-tech-y and worthy of derision in the Mercury News - but I DID always have fun attending the Stanislaus county fair (stancofair.com) - hell, they usually have "pro wrestling" there at least once!)
Growing up in South Carolina, I always went in October. There's an annual street fair in town on the last weekend in July called Bele Chere. This year's big acts: Train and Cracker.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
I'm proud to say that in 16-plus years of living in Seattle, I've NEVER been to Seafair, the King County Fair, OR the Puyallup Fair. This year is going to be the year we Do the Puyallup, though, because I'm sure IJ won't let us skip it.
"You know what you need? Some new quotes in your sig. Yeah, I said it." -- DJFrostyFreeze
Up in New England, it's the Big E http://www.thebige.com/ , which is basically the all New England fair. I went last year and it was pretty cool. Unfortunately, it's still a couple months away.
This year the entertainment includes The Doobie Brothers, and Heart. Plus a couple of country acts I couldn't pick out of a police lineup. (Trent Tomlinson and Blake Shelton)
Its always a good time though, so I will go, eat a fried twinkee or two and go home with a bellyache.
Originally posted by whateverI love the county fair. The Medina County Fair (161 years old!) in lovely Medina, Ohio is the best damn fair I've ever seen. It's held on a huge fairground, and has a HUGE grandstand for concerts, tractor pulls, demo derbys, etc. I used to enter for cooking (Yeah, shut up. I make great cookies.) and 4-H when I was a kid. Tons of fun rides, tons of farm animals, and of course caramel corn and candy apples.
You hit it on the head, DrDirt. It's just such a slice of America.
(edit) - Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the Valley City Street Fair. Another fond childhood memory.
(edited by whatever on 12.7.06 0853)
I grew up in Wayne County and Medina does have a good one.
As far as entertainment (we're only a four day fair): Today: free watermelon feed, movie on the side of a barn, 50 cent hamburgers, and a silent auction. Temp in the mid 90s with 60% humidity.
Tomorrow: 100 ann. of 4-H celebration with free cake and ice cream in 100 degree heat and high humidity. Plus the ever popular dog agility show and the fashion revue.
Friday: The big one - the DEMOLITION DERBY
Saturday: The fair animal auction and bakefest.
I am not making fun. It sounds stupid but it helps keep areas like ours together and there is a certain continuity as the old, old folks come over in the evening and view the 4-H stuff and relive their glory days back in the old days. And believe it or not it provides commonality between the 4-H kids and the adults.
In Miami, there's the Dade-County Youth Fair (now known just as "The Fair", since saying 'Miami-Dade County Youth Fair' is probably too much of a mouthful, which went from can't-miss event (especially when I have two blue and a red ribbon to my credit in various school projects) to something less of a big deal the older I got.
Up here, there would be the North Florida Fair, which I can't say I've even been to. The last one I HAVE been to would be this year's Florida Strawberry Festival in beautiful, scenic Plant City, FL. It's like any other carnival, except with lots of strawberries. Oh, and did I mention there was pig racing? And that in order to even see it you better be sure you're in a seat 45 minutes to post time?
"I don't know if it's Biscayne Boulevard or where it is, but there is an image in my mind about the symbolic championship parade."
We usually hit three or four fairs that are right close by to us (within 25 miles):
Skowhegan State Fair Click Here (skowheganstatefair.com)
featuring Tracy Lawrence - I'm not big into country music, so I have no clue who this dude is.
Union Fair Click Here (unionfair.org) featuring Little Big Town, again a band I don't know, but I am sure the locals in Montville probably do.
Windsor Fair Click Here (windsorfair.com) featuring the Giant Pumpkin Contest. This one is harder to attend much of since it runs through Labor Day and the kids are already back in school in August.
I'm usually too lazy to attend, but as the kids become more aware of them I find myself attending more local events. I always have a good time, so I don't begrudge the effort involved.
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In Miami, there's the Dade-County Youth Fair (now known just as "The Fair", since saying 'Miami-Dade County Youth Fair' is probably too much of a mouthful, which went from can't-miss event (especially when I have two blue and a red ribbon to my credit in various school projects) to something less of a big deal the older I got.
But they do have deep-fried candy bars there, which are totally worth the cost of admission. I've been trying to find them up north, but they just don't have them here.
We are in the midst of the greatest outdoor show on Earth, The Calgary Stampede.
You may recall threads the past couple of years in which Bullitt and I have gone on an annual pub crawl. Unfortunately, he couldn't join me this year but I promise some interesting photos in the next few days.
Outside of that, I've gone down to the Stampede grounds a couple of times, but I haven't had a chance to see the rodeo or chuckwagon races. Last night I attended a huge corporate party promising a "mystery artist", who turned out to be Roger Hodgson, who was the lead singer for Supertramp. A late night of dancing on bad ankles.
It's been a blast so far, and there's a few more party days left.
Originally posted by The Goon Last night I attended a huge corporate party promising a "mystery artist", who turned out to be Roger Hodgson, who was the lead singer for Supertramp. A late night of dancing on bad ankles.
It's been a blast so far, and there's a few more party days left.
I look forward to pictures once again and will be sad to not see Bullitt in the pictures.
Originally posted by piemanSo, how did Hodgson sound anyway?
Very good. He did a number of Supertramp staples (Fool's Overture, Take The Long Way Home, Dreamer, Logical Song, School, etc.) and the crowd was more than happy to sing along. I was hoping for Goodbye Stranger but now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that was another vocalist in the band.
He did look a lot like Weird Al Yankovic, though. It made me think Weird Al would be a perfect concert to coincide with Stampede.
I think Skynard plays every year at the VA State fair. Stafford does not have a county fair, but Fredericksburg and Prince William County aren't bad. I went to PWC a few years back for the truck pull, which I had never seen before, and must admit it was damn entertaining.
And CRZ, does the Minnesota State Fair still have Lawrence the talking fish, or at least the booth where you get all the milk you can drink for a quarter? It's been years since I went, and did my fair share of damage at the milk booth.
Hold nothing sacred and you'll never be dissapointed. Especially not this statement.
Originally posted by LexusAnd CRZ, does the Minnesota State Fair still have Lawrence the talking fish, or at least the booth where you get all the milk you can drink for a quarter? It's been years since I went, and did my fair share of damage at the milk booth.
I know not of this fish of which you speak, but the milk place is still very popular - but all the milk you can drink costs a buck now, I believe.
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