Last week we went to our local county fair. We try to go at least every other year. It’s not my favorite thing to do because of the crowds but this year we took an afternoon off and went during the week. The weather turned out great so it was a little more crowded that I expected but still a great afternoon.
We had to walk through the fairway, so of course we had to start with a couple of rides. I got the tickets through work so the rides were inexpensive compared to purchasing the tickets there. Once we got through the rides we dragged the kids through the typical fair displays.
We went through the produce exhibit. As you can see above it wasn’t a hit with all of the kids. Then we moved on to the animal barns. They had a great exhibit showing chickens hatching and then an area where the kids can hold the baby chicks. I think there were more adults holding chicks than kids. From there we went to the petting zoo. The sheep and goats are always fun. We snuck in a pony ride and an elephant ride along the way.
We even managed to squeeze in the Money Pole. I’m not sure if that’s common at county fairs, but here they put up a pole and any kid that climbs to the top wins money. I can’t exactly tell you how much because there wasn’t a kid that made it to the top when we were there including my daughter. But it was worth a try.
But the thing that really caught my eye this year was the abundance of food in the fairway. Some of it was pretty normal….hotdogs, ice cream, sausages and burgers. The stands that fascinated me were the ones that sold all the food on a stick and the fried food.
The first stand that fascinated me was the bacon shack. They actually sold bacon on a stick! I’m a true bacon lover and even like to make it myself, but who would think to put it on a stick? Even more amazing are the people who would buy bacon on a stick. The best part is that it’s sold as “deep fried bacon”. Is there really another way to cook bacon?
The stick food that most impressed me was the Texas Twirler. That’s the picture in the middle. It’s actually a whole potato cut into a long swirl and deep fried. It was actually pretty cool. it was like one big, long potato chip. As you can see, my daughter was pretty impressed with it too.
Now it’s time to move on to the fried food. I’m not big on frying food since I’m always on some diet, but the things that they fry at a fair absolutely amaze me. You can get the old tried and true like deep fried pickles and fried dough, but why go with something so basic? Try something new! Go for the deep fried twinkies or oreos. I’ve had both and they are amazing.
The one I found most fascinating, but couldn’t bring myself to try, and have never seen before, is the DEEP FRIED BUTTER. Can someone explain what exactly is deep fried butter? If you’ve had it please let me know. Wouldn’t the butter just melt when you try to fry it?
If you’re looking for a fun family experience I suggest you try and find a local county fair. They are educational for the kids and a great event if they like animals. They’re not always the most inexpensive outings but you can usually get discounted tickets through local businesses or AAA. And if you do take your family to a fair and happen to try the deep fried butter, please, let me know what exactly it is and how it tastes!