Another year, another trip to the fair is in the books. In an effort to go to the fair every year since I was born, and starting that tradition with my girls, we walked through the gates on Sunday to take it all in and experience all that the fair has to offer.
We waited until the final day to make our visit. Before we had kids, my husband and I would normally go on a weeknight for dinner and to look around a little. Now with the girls, the last day still holds all of the neat things for them to see, with a slightly smaller crowd.
I did cheat a little when it comes to the girls. I decided they would eat lunch before we went inside, mainly because they are both picky eaters and I didn’t want to waste $10 or more on food that would end up in the garbage (or my stomach!)
After we parked in our normal $5 parking spot in someone’s yard right next to the entrance, we went down the giant hill and entered the fair. A Jasper County woman was being honored in the 4-H building, and I needed to snap a few pictures so that is where we headed first. Along the way, I did grab one of my fair favorites, a bacon-wrapped rib, for a snack.
My husband was a trooper and took the girls through all of the animal barns while I covered the ceremony. I got to hear all about the big horses and cows and how they got to pet some of the goats in their cages.
From there we went to the giant slide. It was the girls first time on the slide and I had a feeling my oldest might be the one to decide to watch instead. Of course, right after I purchased three tickets she decided to stay with her dad so my youngest and I started marching up the stairs.
It was so funny watching her little legs climb all of the stairs in a very determined fashion. It wasn’t until we were at the top that she realized how high we were and instantly jumped into my arms for safety.
When it was our turn we placed our mat down and pushed off. I thought she might scream or giggle but she just made her way down with a big smile. She ran over to her dad to tell him all about the big slide and how much she wanted to go on it again.
Next on the state fair list was the Varied Industries Building. We headed straight to the Iowa booth to get some tattoos and merchandise for the upcoming season. I have to say, I was a little disappointed in the booth. I know we didn’t have any trophies to put on display but I would give it a C+ effort at best.
Our final two stops were at the DNR building and agricultural building. The girls absolutely loved the turtles. I believe they were the favorite part of the fair. We also grabbed some ice cream from the dairy barn, and after purchasing our final corn dog and visiting the baby animals, we decided to call it a day.
We were there for a record four hours and packed as much into the time as the girls (or their parents) could take. Until next year, state fair!
Contact Jamee A. Pierson at
641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or
jpierson@newtondailynews.com