State Fair! - the good, the bad, and the weird

Here are a couple of facts to consider.  I have been an Iowan, in some form or another, since late 2001.  The Iowa State Fair is supposed to be one of the best state fairs ever, listed in that 1001 things to do before you die book.  I have never lived more than 35 miles from the fair location.  And yet, up until this year, I had never been to a fair of any sort, much less the Iowa State Fair.  To some, this may sound blasphemous, but that doesn't make it any less true.  Laziness, heat, humidity and apathy tended to conspire to keep me at home the past 8 Augusts.  But, as I've kind of alluded to already, that all changed last weekend.

Stacia, being the incredible knitter/crocheter/all-out awesome person she is, decided to enter some of her knitted works in the fair's competition and proceeded to rake in the ribbons!  Note: Stacia is much more modest about this over on her blog, so if she's not going to brag, I will for her.  ;)  Anyway, we simply had to go to the fair, if for no other reason to see Stacia's work on display.  I took some photos, but I don't have them with me and they're largely crap anyway, so here's a (sort of) written account of our adventure.  I was going to do good bad and ugly, but there was way more weird than ugly, so I think it works.

Good - DART bus picked us up from the Capitol parking ramp, carried us through neighborhoods of varying dodginess, and deposited us right at the gate to the fair.  Nice!

Weird - First stop was the food building, where among other things we admired the blue ribbon winner for canned meat chunks.  I don't know about you, but it sure made me hungry.

Bad - We got there super early but couldn't find breakfast food at any vendor.  Hello?  Pancake-wrapped breakfast sausage on a stick would be a big seller, people!  ;)

Good - Very suitable breakfast substitute made by buying fried pineapple on a stick.  Pineapple wedge, dunked in funnel cake batter and fried = awesome.  And it's fruit, so it's good for you, right?

Good - Blue ribbon pumpkin weighed 1200 pounds.  That's a lot of pumpkin pie.

Weird - Watching judges carefully studying produce that was apparently in the judging stage when we were in the agriculture building.  Very thorough examinations going on there!

Bad - The line for the butter cow.  Of course I say this having not waited in it, choosing instead to elbow my way between people, take a picture and duck out.  Yep, I'm rude like that.

Weird - Walking into the cattle barn to realize that the cows are not in pens, just tied to posts in the center of the building.  Also, a little creepy to glance over your shoulder and find a man walking a cow trying to get past you.  "Stacia, move over.  There's a cow wanting to get through."

Good - The "Avenue of Breeds!"  It's like a zoo, only with all different breeds of farm animals.  Don't know a Jersey from a Holstein, or a Duroc from a Berkshire?  See them all here!  Plus elk, alpaca, and ostrich.

Bad - Labeling on the free state fair maps.  And also wondering what's in Pioneer Hall.  And deciding to go there to find out.  It turns out it's an ancient un-air-conditioned building at the top of a hill filled with antique displays.  No offense to those who like antiques, but when I found out I'd climbed that hill to see the blue ribbon-winning old spoon, I was not pleased.

Good - Photography salon in the Cultural building.  Many spiffy photos, and got to see friend of Zinkthink SJ win a ribbon for her goat photo.  Kudos!

Weird - Walking from the Cultural building, stumbling upon some diving show along the walkway.  It looked like people dove from a big inflatable pirate ship into a swimming pool, and a lot of people seemed to be enjoying it.

Bad - Propaganda at many exhibits.  I knew Iowa was a big agriculture state, but didn't know it was a Big Ag state, per se.  Did you know that antibiotics are good for farm animals, and that hog confinements are for their own good?  -smirk-

Good (and Bad for you) - Lunch consisted of corn dogs and root beer, finished off with fried Snickers bars and fried Oreos.  This is why it's good they only have one state fair per year!  But when in Rome... you might as well eat delicious breaded gooey candy bars on a stick.

Bad - Attitude from the "Cast Your Kernel" booth.  A certain channel 13 personality was very aloof and way too busy with her phone conversation to even acknowledge us asking for our kernels.

Good/Weird - Exhibit behind this booth.  It's a ten foot tall model of one of the Lord of the Rings cities, made out of matchsticks.  Inside the DM Register building.  Definitely worth a stop.

Weird - Iowa Secretary of Agriculture booth guy stopping me as I walked by, directing me to stand on a scale, then presenting me with a printout of my weight.  "Come back next year," he says.  Well, I wasn't going to, but you have one of those new-fangled scales?  I'll buy my tickets today!  :)

Bad - Labeling for fabric and threads.  Would it take so much to put a sign out that says "Fabric and Threads: Upstairs?"  We knew to go there, but I don't know that anyone else would.

Good - Seeing some winning knitting!  Got to see all of Stacia's stuff, and the items her friends entered.  It all looked great, and the ribbons hanging alongside looked pretty nice too!

Overall, it was a beautiful (Good) day to spend out at the fair, and despite anything I might have griped about above, I know we both had a really fun time (Good).  It was a very unique experience, and I imagine we'll be going back for as long as Stacia wants to competitively knit (the foreseeable future).  I'm still a city kid, so I'm not sure if I'll ever get the idea of showing your cow, but I'm more than happy to keep going back for the spectacle.  And the deep-fried Snickers bar on a stick.  Mmmmm.