The Iowa State Fair is like my holy land. My parents had their first date there. In fact, they celebrated that moment at this year's fair, riding Ye Olde Mill together, 50 years to the day from when they first rode it together. My parents camp there the entire 10 days, my kids exhibit there and my uncle serves on the State Fair Board, heck my five year old nephew even gets in on the action, showing in the open class goat show. It is OUR fair.
It irritates the crap out of me when people piss and moan about the cost of it. Yes, it does cost money, but no more than a day spent at the zoo, or the water park, or at the I-Cubs or any other venue. AND there are ways to spend less money and still enjoy your day.
We got on the grounds around 9:30. Parking would prove to be one of the more expensive things, as the yard we chose to park in charged $10. However, it was a big yard that was fenced in and only a block from the gate. We used tickets that were ordered, in advance, so we paid $16 to get in, instead of $22. We made our first purchase within seconds, buying a lemon shake up from the stand outside of the Swine building for $3. Its the best lemon shake up on the fairgrounds. And here's novel idea..we SHARED it. We did not each need our own lemonade.
We checked in at the goat show and watched the nephew show Miss Sweatpea and found out that Jaci would not show for several more hours, so off we went to explore the grounds. We found another lemonade stand with a refillable cup, so we spent $4 there, but refills were only $2, hence another way to save!
We saw the big boar, big bull and big ram, walked through the Avenue of Breeds and then decided it was time for lunch. The three of us SHARED a half rack of ribs, an order of the brisket bacon mac and cheese and a funnel cake. $22 and we were stuffed. I think a lot of the people who bitch about the food costs order that much PER PERSON. Fair food is meant to be sampled, savored and shared. We made a trip through the Varied Industries Building, the DNR building and looked through the various displays under the Grandstand before heading back to the livestock barns. We took the free tram ride, which stopped right by the Budweiser Clydesdales so we got a good look at them before hopping back on the tram and heading back to the goat show.
By this time it was time for a snack..a milkshake (from the Dairy Barn of course) and a slushy would tide the family over until after the goat show ended.
Miss Jaci got third place with Possum and was told she was an excellent showman, which made us proud. Claypot stood second with Hottie, and was in for the Championship Drive, but it was not Hottie's day. A good experience for both none the less.
Once the show clothes were exchanged for shorts and a tee, we went off to do more exploring. A quick trip through the Agriculture building for a jar of honey and a peek at the Butter Cow was in order. We found more cheap and good snacks there, as the Iowa Egg Council hands out FREE, yes I said FREE eggs on a stick..so the three of us got a $2 lemonade refill and each had a free egg! We then found the Salad Bowl, where we ordered PB&J on a stick for $2 and the Caprese Salad on a stick for $3. The PB&J was four mini sandwiches on a skewer with fresh strawberries and grapes in-between the sandwiches and the Caprese was cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil layered on a skewer. It was a refreshing and healthy snack for $5 that again, we all shared.
We managed to walk through every building and every display, save the Cultural Center and Pioneer Hall. We bought two wedding gifts while on the grounds, and while we were walking towards the exit gate, happened to see one of the BBQ vendors selling bulk sliced, smoked roast beef. We got 3 pounds for $12. Hello lunch for the next few days...if that isn't a bargain banner day at the State Fair, I don't know what is!
I'm already counting down the days til next year's event and planning how many days I can go and how many foods on a stick we can share!
A great day at the fair. You made me hungry.
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