…because I was standing in the shade of the booth where said stuffed banana could be won.
The World’s Greatest Husband (WGH) wanted to go to the Wisconsin State Fair this year, so I made all the arrangements. I paid $20 (twice the normal rate) for a preferred parking spot, and I obtained over $100 in ones because I know vendors at such places always need ones, having been a vendor myself once upon a time. Plus, we asked Mom #1 if we could take Mekhi, and of course she and our son said yes.
Our parking spot was literally across a frontage road from the main gate that one sees from the highway. Going to the fair on a Thursday also meant shorter lines everywhere (worth the day of vacation). Spin City – the midway part of the fair – was the first area just inside the gate, and we wisely bought a wrist band for unlimited rides for Mekhi. Unfortunately, the wrist band didn’t include the games, so we paid an extra $20 for 25 game/ride tickets (in case Mekhi wanted us to go on a ride with him; we didn’t because he used all the tickets for playing games). The only item he won was a big red rubber ball with a smiley face on it. The preferred parking spot paid off when the WGH took it back to the car rather than lug it around the fair all day.
After a morning round of rides, we needed something to eat. The boys ate food at the midway, but I chose to wait until we arrived at the “Wisconsin” part of the state fair, knowing of the goodies yet to come. Mekhi didn’t finish his (huge) slice of pizza, and Brian’s Philly cheesesteak wasn’t good (doesn’t help when we’ve actually been to Philadelphia and had our first cheesesteaks from one of the places that invented the sandwich).
In the Youth Expo Hall, we saw many crafts and displays from members of 4-H, the FFA, and Boy and Girl Scouts. Stars hanging from the expo roof showed pictures of famous alumni such as Tom Wopat, who was a member of FFA, and John F. Kennedy of the Boy Scouts. I didn’t see any stars with Girl Scouts alumnae, but I paid more attention to the beautiful displays. A group onstage was performing Disney’s Frozen, and the WGH didn’t like it too much when Mekhi and I sang along to “Let It Go” and “In Summer.”
We stopped in the coliseum where youth were participating in the Beef Showmanship – Junior Show. We explained to Mekhi that the young people wearing the numbered race bibs were showing off the cattle that they worked hard to raise, and they were hoping to win a ribbon.
I wanted to bring Mekhi to the state fair not only for the fun rides, but for the educational offerings available. In the Wisconsin Products Pavilion, I told Mekhi that Wisconsin doesn’t just produce beer and dairy products. We also make honey and wine; grow cranberries, ginseng, apples, potatoes, and corn; and raise lambs, goats, and pigs; among a whole variety of other goodies. Brian wished he hadn’t eaten that cheesesteak and waited for the better offerings in this pavilion. I enjoyed a huge caramel apple without the nuts.
As we walked further south, the various hawkers showed off their wares. One booth was the “let me guess your weight or age” contest, and I muttered under my breath, “I don’t want you to guess my weight.” One food truck offered jerky made from a variety of meats and sponsored by PETA: the “People Eating Tasting Animals.” I wanted to teach Mekhi the meanings behind the Wisconsin State Fair Logo (how it represents all four seasons in our home state), but by then he wasn’t in a mood for another lesson.
I searched for the Horticulture, Craft, and Culinary Pavilion, but it was hidden behind a crowd watching a street performer. We went in the Exposition Center, but when I realized it was just a room full of vendors, I decided to leave to look for the right place. I left Brian and Mekhi to watch the street performer while I quickly viewed the beautiful works of quilts, sketches, sauces (one company was called “Get Sauced”), vegetables and fruits.
The Wisconsin State Fair makes the best cream puffs in the world IMHO, and the Original Cream Puff Pavilion also included fudge, strudel, ice cream, and other sundries. The line for the cream puffs wasn’t very long, moved fast thanks to the staff, and included viewing windows to see how the pastries are made. Brian and I each enjoyed a huge cream puff (Mekhi ate some of mine, too), and sat in the Major Goolsby’s tent so we could eat with both hands.
Mekhi really wanted a caramel apple like I had earlier, so we worked our way back north to the midway. Along Dairy Lane, we passed a stall offering pony rides. $8 was a bit expensive, but worth every penny to give Mekhi his first ride ever on a horse. Then he wanted to go into the Badgerland Financial Discovery Barnyard, which was a lot of fun. Mekhi played with toy dump trucks in boxes of oats, corn, or soybeans. Then he saw baby chicks and quails coming out of their eggs. Although the signs indicated that the animals were not to be petted, one of the volunteers at the exhibit permitted Mekhi to pet a goat. In fact, the affection-sponge goat insisted on being petted. We also saw a cow with a calf, two baby lambs drinking milk from their mama’s teats, same with a group of pigs, and Mekhi also played a pig commodity game. Fun.
On our way back north, we passed the coliseum again where we saw the cattle judging events. Horses were lined up to go inside, and Mekhi got to pet one of them on the nose. Afterward, Mekhi said the horse licked him “about 5000 times.” We were stopped by the state fair security people to let a line of cows pass through, and one of the cows dropped some true “cow pies.”
Back at the midway, Mekhi had fun picking as many rides as he wanted. He finally screwed up his courage to go on a ride that went upside down, in fact riding that a couple of times. I ate some chocolate-covered strawberries on a stick while we watched our son. Brian noted that one of the warning signs said that people who are “exceptionally sized” may not be able to go on that particular ride, and I thought that was a lovely euphemism for those of us who are too fat.
Again, the preferred parking spot paid off in that I didn’t have to walk a long distance back to our car on my very, very tired and aching feet. Brian said that when we come next year, we’ll have to plan our food eating better. I told him that the state fair website has lists for that, as well as a mobile app, of course.
As we drove home, Mekhi had fun playing with his big red ball by putting Brian’s straw grass fedora on top of it or putting the ball in front of his own head. We had a great day as a family.
Pog ma thoin!
-Lori
“If Mekhi’s not puking by the end of the day, we’re not doing something right.” – me, discussing our trip. Mercifully, Mekhi did not puke.