Monday, October 19, 2009

Our State Fair Is A Great State Fair


When it comes to Wonders of the World, it's hard to beat the North Carolina State Fair.
(Yes, I know I live in South Carolina. Don't get your feelings hurt, Palmetto State, but I practically grew up on those fairgrounds! It was the site of my first funnel cake, my first spin on the Tilt-A-Whirl, even my first date!)

Carnival rides, fried dough, blue ribbon dahlias, and The Village of Yesteryear. What more could a girl want for entertainment? If you're a girl like me, anyway.
Plus, I got to go with Mom and Dad!

And look! They're wearing LONG SLEEVES!!!!
Yes, this excitement is worth all the capital letters and excessive exclamation points (!!!!) because it's been a long hot summer and I'm thrilled to finally feel free from sticky sweaty-ness! In fact, I'm sitting here in front of the computer FREEZING TO DEATH AND LOVING IT! AND I REFUSE TO BE REASONABLE AND PUT ON A SWEATER BECAUSE, COLD WEATHER, I'VE MISSED YOU SO!

And look again! The fair had PIGLETS!


And death defying rides that Sam rode over and over again.

I chose to sit this one out on account of the caramel apple still spinning in my stomach.
It didn't bother Sam.


In fact, the boy showed a whole lotta happy!

Even in a room full of vegetables!
I know! It shocked me too! (This is the same fellow who nearly threw up on the bus ride home from his class trip to the apple orchard because the bus smelled so apple-y.)

Maybe he was too busy reading the weird vegetable variety names to notice the scent.

Or he could have been holding his breath, waiting for the animal exhibits.

Not that they're smelly.
I'm afraid his mood changed once we got to the chicken house. He spent the whole time wandering around, looking sad and handing out apologies.

"I wish I could be a vegetarian," he whispered to me. "If only I didn't hate vegetables so much."

I tried to distract him with a trip to the pig races.

(No one mentioned bacon. Or barbecue.)
Sam's pig won, and the happy returned!
My pig lost, but that's okay. As I always say, if you can't beat them, join them!

Oink oink!

Have a wonderful Monday, y'all! And tell me, are you a fair lover, fair weather or not? What's your favorite fair feature? (I LOVE the chicken house, but I cannot tell a lie. The fried dough wins the blue ribbon for me!)

Love, Becky

11 comments:

Adrienne said...

That first picture is hilarious! What won't they deep fry?
I love visiting the goats at the fair.

Unknown said...

That slide looks fun!

I wish I could say the piglets are cute... sadly I am scared. to. death (seriously!) of pigs! At the last fair out here I went to, I actually cried while we walked through that section. Sad, I know!

R and L said...

Surely one of the best State Fairs in the country! Don't you just love the farm animals and crops! I'll have to remember to take my wife to that "real" state fair next year, she would absolutely love it and would be grinning the whole time, just like Sam.
Randy

Susan said...

My hubby was an Air Force brat that spent summers on the farm with Maw-Maw, so whenever there are animals, we make a bee-line and I have to take his picture next to them. We even stopped one day and ask a lady that owned a farm if we could see her bovine. I love the pictures of the fried treats and the piggies. Fun post, as usual.

Rosemary said...

Looks like fun!
Rosemary

David Ebright said...

I'm with Adrienne - Y'all fry everything! Must have Cardiology booths & emergency heart startin' paddles all over the place. I get chest pains lookin' at that stuff. DEEP FRIED PICKLES???

Anonymous said...

Looks like a fair day all around:)

LW said...

I love fairs…
My hubby and I go all the time, with kids in tow…
We always go to the Rhinebeck NY fair; I love the milkshakes that are made by the 4-H club. I look forward to one each year.

Bunnies and chickens are next on the list…I always want to bring some home.
And I have in the past.

Louise

Renee said...

Dear friend I am having a giveaway so head on over.

xoxoxo

Laina said...

Hey I wanted to pass on some good karma to you.

I found your blog about two years ago and loved all your posts, especially those about France. When I found this blog I was doing an exchange in Mexico to finish my BEd, and contemplating my next step. I decided that Europe looked like a nice place to live, and being a Spanish major, I decided Spain. I could not figure out how, being a Canadian citizen, I would be able to work in Spain, but I found a job and am now teaching ESL here.

Just wanted to say thanks for piquing my interest. This blog has definitely been an inspiration to hop over the Atlantic and explore Europe for myself. I am posting about Spain (including pictures) at: http://www.lainabalser.ca (I used to post on livejournal as losemymouth, but they no longer allow public entries). I'd love for you to check it out, and maybe you could reccomend a good spot to visit in France. After all, I am about a day's journey away :)

Rebecca Ramsey said...

I'm basking in all this fair love.
Jaxpop, yes, we do have a greasy reputation down here for all the fried food, but I think people flock to those stands for the novelty of it all. We don't actually eat fried twinkies for breakfast. Well, some might, but most don't. Who would eat the doughnuts? :)

Laina, you made my day. I'll start thinking about a great place for you to visit. Oh, so many choices! It's great to hear from you.