State Fairs--do you go or participate?

15 years ago

Ours got cancelled this year due the flooding. Big loss to vendors and shows, but entire ground under water.

Safety? men put your wallets in your front pocket and women if you carry a bag, put your DL/CC in something small or pocket. I put my purse in the trunk, BEFORE I leave home under something else.

Friend of my enters lots of homemade goodies, but also judges other items. Another friend enters and wins prizes for quilts. But last few years got a little expensive and not much for sale like there use to be many years ago.

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Comments (14)

glenda_al
15 years ago
Not since my son was a youngster and he's 45 now.
azzalea
15 years ago
Our state fair used to be 3 miles from my front door. It was held at a really nice race track, so a lot of it was inside, there was a great grandstand, and really nice barns for the livestock competitions.

My dd and I used to enter--cookies, cakes, breads, soups, appetizers, pies, etc. Pretty much any category we could come up with a good recipe for. It was a lot of fun--we'd get up early, make our treats for the day, run them over to the fairgrounds, then come home and get started organizing the next day's stuff. Then, that evening, we'd head back to see how we'd done, to watch the shows, walk the midway and visit with other fair friends.

We didn't do too badly--I've got a couple of cartons of fair ribbons stored away. DD won the kid's division a few times, I won the Grand Competition twice. One year DD entered one of the commercial contests that was really for adults (but I scoured the rules and couldn't see anything that said you had to be of any particular age, so I let her enter) and she won 1st place, with a recipe she created herself!

I really miss the fair, but it moved to the other end of the state, had gone downhill for a number of years. Now, I hear it's held at one of the big sports complexes--still too far away for us to participate. Shame, it was a lot of fun.
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User
15 years ago
I'm not a fan of them. Two years ago, we finally broke down and took the kids. We took $120 and our driver's licenses. Managed to spend most of the money without doing a lot. The kids loved it. Dd's 2nd grade class will be going for a class trip so we will probably end up going again this year.
Rudebekia
15 years ago
Yes, it is a huge thing here in St. Paul MN: a real cultural event! I go every year.
oldgardener_2009
15 years ago
We used to "do the Puyallup" (the Puyallup Fair) every year until the last few years. Parking is so hard to find there, and it turned into a major pain the last few times we went.

But I used to love the dairy barn and all the other animals.
cookie8
15 years ago
We don't have State fairs here but country fairs and hopefully we make it out to one in two weeks. I haven't been in years. It's pretty big but usually not crowded which is nice.
tobygirl
15 years ago
I'm looking forward to attending the New York State Fair next week for the first time. I have been the the Mass. State Fair, but I hear New York is better. I love all the agricultural exhibits, but am not interested in the mid-way or the entertainment.
pekemom
15 years ago
We usually go just to walk around.
Pickpockets are everywhere, be alert to that.
I saw on the news the other night that locking things
in your trunk for safety may not work anymore since thieves
can "pop" the trunk with some tool very easily nowadays.
Colorado State Fair is not far from us, maybe half an hour.
I'm rambling I know, just typing as I think of things...
azzalea
15 years ago
I'd second the warning that you NEVER leave valuables locked in your trunk. Theives watch in the parking lots, if they see you put your purse in the trunk, they're right there to get it. If they see a woman walk away from her car without a purse, they assume you put it in the trunk ahead of time. When a pickpocket took my wallet a couple of years back (at a restaurant, not a fair), the gal from SS told me that every Monday morning they have dozens of people coming in for new cards because their purses were stolen from their trunks over the weekend. It's a big epidemic.
3katz4me
15 years ago
We go maybe once every 5 years or so - Minnesota State Fair. I love the fair but it's such a mob scene getting to and from the place and I think that deters me a bit from going more often. We went on our honeymoon 33 years ago and on our anniversary last year. A concert prompted us to go last year but I like the farm animals, exhibits, people watching and eating.
grannieofgirls
15 years ago
We just got back from the Colorado State Fair. DS showed 2 of his pigs and did very well. So stinkin' hot though. Really hard to keep the pigs cool and comfortable as they get pretty grouchy when they're hot. And if the piggies ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!!
linda_in_iowa
15 years ago
The Iowa State Fair is supposed to be the best in the country. I have been twice and both times it was hot and humid and I only stayed a couple of hours. This year it was cooler but I had no desire to go. We don't have a problem with pickpockets but I always have a hard time finding any good food there. Deep fried everything and pork chops on a stick are not my idea of good food.
Cherryfizz
15 years ago
I live in Canada so we don't have State Fairs but next weekend is the 157th Harrow Agricultural Fair which I love going to. Lots of judging contests for fruit, baked goods, preserves, crafts, photography, hand stitched items, quilts - you make they judge it. Love it. I love going into all the barns to look at the animals - pigs, cows, goats, chickens, horses, turkeys, rabbits, etc. The young kids that belong to the 4H Club are so proud of the animals they have raised. I love walking through all the buildings and of course sampling the food offerings. Ribs as soon as you walk into the fair grounds are the best. We eat and drink our way through the grounds. We play corn bingo which is a lot of fun, we even bet on where the cows are going to plop. Just a lot of fun. We always stop for a piece of homemade pie right before we leave. Too many pies to choose from so you just close your eyes and point. LOL I always buy a pie to take home. Pies are auctioned off for a lot of money.

I went to the Corn Fest last night but it wasn't very good this year. Most of the vendors and craft people had booths down at Art by the River which really wasn't good for the Corn Fest. Our Lady Peace played there last night so they brought in the crowds and the charity beer tents did good business. We were disappointed though and most likely won't go next year.

Ruthven Apple Festival should be sometime in September.

I live in a Essex County which is very agricultural so there is always some kind of fair or food festival going on which focus on the bounty from the County LOL We also have some award winning wineries so there is always some kind of Wine Festival.

Anne
jemdandy
15 years ago
Our state fair is 15 miles from our house. 35 years ago, we did atttend on occasion, but have not gone in the last 25 years. One year, we bought a chain saw carving to put on our fireplace. The guy carved it while we waited - fun to watch.

Generally, we find it too costly and overpriced to enjoy, plus these days, ruffians and thieves are taking away my reason for attending. The security at the Wisc state fair has been good, but this year, a gang of youth suddently materalized and created a distructive disturbance. A few were caught and procedures were put on place to counteract such occurance for the remainder of the fair. (This type of commotion was not limited to the fair. The same thing happened at a large shopping mall two weeks before the fair.)

State Fairs--do you go or participate?

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glenda_al

azzalea

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