Topsfield Fair 2013

[nonelvis]

Topsfield Fair time again!


Each of us has our own special quest at the fair. My sister wants fried dough. My brother-in-law wants an Italian sausage. My husband wants two corn dogs, the only ones he eats all year. My niece and nephew want to go on rides and pet animals. And me, I want to see the vegetable dioramas and eat the most irresponsibly fried food I can find.



THE MOTHERLODE.

Deep-fried Snickers bars, it turns out, are God's own food. We did find a stand later that had deep-fried Pop Tarts and Girl Scout cookies, but the Snickers bar had hit the spot. Next year, maybe Thin Mints instead. (Oh, man, what if they have deep-fried Samoas/Caramel deLites? I am drooling just thinking about it.)

I also found chocolate-covered bacon, which I had to try, for, um, science. Yes. That's it.

Anyway, the rest of the fair was pretty good, too. The niece and nephew enjoyed the rides, and if my back hadn't been acting up, columbina and I would have gone on the authentic Tilt-a-Whirl hiding way in the back. Guess it's time to start those PT exercises for my stupid SI joint again so that I can stand up for long periods of time without wanting to die.

Other photos (complete Flickr set here):

The Clydesdales greeted us at the main gate.


There were creatively decorated vegetables, always my favorite part of the fair.










Yes, this dragon is made entirely out of vegetable and plant material (including some phragmites -- nice to see them put to good use).


There were adorable goats.


And as ever, there was a ride you would never be able to pay me enough to go on. This year, it was the Speed XXL. It is 112 FEET TALL. You pull 3G in it in seats that rotate 360° along with the arms.


Some video that doesn't even begin to capture how terrifying I find this ride:

God only knows what the midway will bring next year.

Comments

[gritsinmisery]

Hmmm... a deep-fried Klondike bar would be like a poor man's Baked Alaska, or an Anglo version of Mexican Fried Ice Cream, I guess.

Ah, the fair...we used to go to the area fair (it was for several counties, so I couldn't just say "the county fair") when we were kids. Except that we were... lower middle class (to put it very politely) and my stepfather was a miser about anything that wasn't something he himself was personally benefiting from, so we partook of none of the food (the deep-fried craze hadn't hit back in the 70s anyway) or the shows, and only the Tilt-a-Whirl on the midway due to his fear of heights. So yeah, all of the displays of foodstuffs and animals and machines -- which none of the rest of us, raised as townies, were other than mildly interested in -- and none of the fun.

They've quit holding the local "county" fair, which was nothing but vendor booths, food, a few mild rides, and an air show with the Blue Angels appearing every other year, which is why Hubs and I would go. I guess one really couldn't expect more from a county that is completely urban / suburban, and a "fair" that was held on one end of a small-craft airport.

I'd always thought about attending the state fair just once, but it's out in Central BumFuck about three hours' drive away, not really something you can just drive home from after a long day outdoors, and my interest doesn't extend to paying fair-raised prices for their local less-than-stellar hotel accommodations for even one night.

[nonelvis]

I would try a deep-fried Klondike. I mean, really, how bad could it possibly be?

Topsfield is the biggest local fair in my area. If we wanted to go to the actual state fair, which is much larger, it's way out in Springfield, the far west corner of the state. Only two hours of travel as opposed to your three, but still farther than I'd like for a day trip. Someday, maybe.

[gritsinmisery]

How... terribly dressed (for lack of a better term) are the fairgoers at Topsfield? Have you seen the website for the annual Oklahoma State Fair photo contest?

Stupid close-quotes

[nonelvis]

Oh, my. I've seen very little at Topsfield that could compare to those Oklahoma photos, although there was one booth selling Confederate flags I suppose people could use to wrap themselves in. The odds of that happening this far north, though, are low.

"Beauty and the Corn Dog," however, is killing me.