It's Fair Time!

This month, we will be traveling to Hutchinson for the Kansas State Fair. Oh joy. We make this trip every year, because it’s something my dear husband has done since he was a little boy, so he considers it tradition. The difference is when he was a little boy, he lived in Hutchinson. We now have to drive four hours with two kids.

It’s not that I’m trying to be difficult. It’s just that there are only so many times I can pretend to be excited over 300 pound pumpkins, butter sculptures and walking through un-air-conditioned buildings to admire crafts made out of wheat and sunflowers.

I also have issues with the Beer Garden, which is the main hangout of the Fair. To me the word “garden” means variety. A vegetable garden has several different kinds of vegetables. A rose garden has many different colors of roses. So in theory, a Beer Garden should have many different kinds of beer. The Beer Garden at the Kansas State Fair serves small plastic cups of Bud and Bud Light. That’s it! And they sell them for $2.50 each!!!! And people buy them!!!! I’m not sure which part of that disturbs me more.

But, I digress. I can’t get out of going to the Fair. I’ve tried. Last year, Georgia was only two months old, so I thought I had a good excuse. Unfortunately, nobody believed me when I said I was still recovering from my C-section.

There is only one thing Eric can use that will get me truly excited about the Fair. Fair Food. Anyone who has ever attended a Fair knows exactly what I’m talking about. At the Kansas State Fair, they have Lady of Guadalupe, which is the best Mexican food in the known universe. That alone almost makes the drive worth it.

Add to that all of the fried food. I don’t know what it is about the Fair, but they can batter any food imaginable and stick it in a vat of boiling oil . . . and it’s fabulous! I don’t quite get it. In theory, it sounds disgusting. But when I see the sign for Fried Green Tomatoes or Fried Snickers on a stick, my mouth starts to water. Last year, they had Fried Oreos, but I didn’t try one since my arteries were screaming in protest over the Fried Snickers bar I ate.

So, I will deal with the long drive, the hot weather and the tired children. Last year, Eli was so exhausted, he threw a tantrum near the dinosaur exhibit. I was so amused that I kept trying to take his picture. Every time I did, he would roll himself into a ball and shoot me a homicidal glance. (See photo of him looking surly.)

Anyway, I will deal with all of this, and the threat of Georgia throwing up on the carousel, as long as I can get my Mexican food, Pronto pup, and Fried Snickers bar. Yum-o!