I probably could have been more creative with a title for this post if I really tried. However, the more I thought about it the more I felt that it was quite appropriate to keep it that bland. It fits with the theme of what the State Fair is. Every year I start believing in the hype enough to go and every year I get reminded of why I should have stayed home in the first place.
At least this year the day that I chose was some ideal weather. It wasn't near as unbearably hot as we have been having over the past couple of weeks. I believe the temps were in the high 70s. Maybe low 80s at some point. But there was a slight breeze going which cooled it off a bit too. Sure it was hot, but not unbearably hot. Easily one of the better days you could ask for weather-wise to attend the Fair.
The biggest hassle with the Fair is normally parking. If you want to find a decent spot close you can expect to pay no less than $7. Either that or you're parking blocks away and walking. Even though it wasn't as hot as it had been I still didn't feel like doing that much walking. Therefore, I did my usual thing of locating a local resident close by offering up their yard to park in. The cheapest I found was some cat charging $6. Not bad to only be 2 blocks away. I got even luckier when I saw that no one was around to take my money. Not a bad deal getting parking that close for free.
There is something I notice every year at Fair time that still baffles me. Anyone that's been there knows that it involves a lot of walking. A LOT of walking. So why would you wear shoes that aren't built for that type of comfort? I can't count how many people I saw wearing flip-flops. You might as well be barefoot if you're going to wear those. And the cowboy boots with shorts? No way those can be comfortable walking long distances. But I'll be doggone if they aren't all over that Fair.
I also forget every year what a big scam the Midway is. Even the most basic ride takes 5 tickets to ride. One ticket is $1. So you're paying $5 to ride carnival rides. That meant a 2 ride max for G. It could have been one with me riding with him, but I had to get pictures. Plus, it's not like I was going to have any fun on any of their rides. I get more enjoyment out of seeing him enjoy himself.
Even if you've never been to our State Fair you know that it's renown for the food. They'll deep fry anything and sell it. Case in point was this year's latest addition of a stick of butter on a stick. Don't ask me what it taste like though. No way I was trying it. Instead I decided to try the steak sammich that I've seen every year and always passed on. I should have just stuck with my old reliable gyro. Or even the walking tacos they were selling right next to it. Should have known better to experiment when food is that expensive.
Of course we had to see the Butter Cow exhibit while there. That's when G asked me a very good question: why is the Butter Cow famous? I had no idea. My best guess and answer was it's just further proof of how boring we are. It doesn't take much to excite us apparently. Which was further evidenced by the fact that there was a line nearly out the door to walk by that display to take a picture of it. I will give them this though...that Ag building (at least I think that's what it was) had some pretty awesome ice cream.
It didn't take long for me to realize...again...why I don't frequent the Fair more often. Every year I say I'm not going back but every year I buy into the hype. Then I get there and end up getting sick, broke and exhausted. All after just a couple of hours in the gate. I wouldn't go at all if it wasn't for the complimentary ticket I get from work.
What I really wanted to do was go there, find a spot near the highest traffic then perch and do nothing but take pictures all day. However, I had G with me so that wasn't going to happen. Although I got a few good pics they weren't quite enough to make a decent album You can check out the spars photo album it did muster at Iowa State Fair 2011. Make sure to cherish those Fair photos because I doubt you'll be seeing anymore for me in quite a while if ever.
