Going to the fair
Posted by Dory @ Lucky Dorito on Monday, July 28th, 2008
I love to have fun but… my idea of *fun* doesn’t usually involve mud and straw, muggy weather, a plethora of gnats nibbling at my skin, June bugs down my shirt, and greasy (but delicious) food. Not to mention loud noise, scantily clad teenagers trying hard to impress members of the other sex (dressed in clothes I would NOT let my girls leave the house wearing!) and lots and lots of fast spinning things that made my head swim just gazing upon them!
My hubby had other plans though.
For years, I’ve successfully NOT mentioned the county fair to my daughters so they never even knew about it – therefore, they didn’t know they were *missing out* on anything. Now, that may sound bad to you… but – not me. I just don’t like those kind of places at ALL. Seriously. I am on pins and needles the whole time, worrying about the safety of the rides, the cleanliness of the food (ewww… that makes me cringe just thinking about it), and more than anything – I worry about someone getting sick on a ride. Ick. (There’s a disgusting story there, about a very traumatic experience I had as a kid… but you can use your imagination to figure it out. *shiver*)
So, you know where this is going…. I was completely overruled and off we went to the fair Saturday night. The girls had a blast and I managed to keep my grumbling in check (it wasn’t easy when that darn June bug went down my shirt…. or all those icky little gnats kept sticking to my sweaty skin) but I suppose I can say…. I survived it and maybe…. maybe even had a little fun.
There.
I admitted.
But… do NOT tell my kids and hubby or I’ll have to go next year!
Just look at those smiling faces! (That’s a phone pic I took to send to Shannon)
Across the field from the rides, concessions, and *take-your-money* games was a big area which had hosted the horse shows on previous nights but on Saturday, was hosting a Tractor Pull.
We just walked by that area but weren’t interested in watching… the girls could see the rides in the distance and they were anxious to get over to them.
At some point during the night, I turned around and noticed this guy on a tractor.
I got tickled over his clothes. Maybe it’s a southern thing. Maybe only in the south will you see a *Joe College* preppy dressed in an Izod-type shirt and plaid bermudas while wearing big ole’ arse-kicking boots. 
Filed in Kids,Weirdness in my world | 9 dorito bits so far
Jenon 28 Jul 2008 at 6:12 am 1Looks like the girls had fun!
We don’t attend fairs either… same reasons you mentioned above.
They really did Jen! It’s what made the night tolerable… seeing their pretty faces all lite up with excitement!
Guinieon 28 Jul 2008 at 7:25 am 2I don’t like fairs either. Ick. Too many bad, aka “weird”, experiences at fairs as a kid. One particular nasty memory always pops to the forefront of my mind and involves a really creepy guy with a HUGE snake. *shudder*
The pics of the girls are adorable!!!
Yep… I’m with ya girlie. Why is it neither of us can remember what we had for lunch yesterday but can remember something *bad* from a childhood fair experience a million years ago???
Stacyon 28 Jul 2008 at 9:49 am 3Looks like the girls had a blast. We go to two fairs a year. One because hubby’s company picnic is there and the price is right and the other because it is free. Hubby’s picnic is a Huge one and the kids are allowed to ride there, but the little one makes me too nervous. Seth was allowed to ride the carousel and that was the extent of it.
As far as the food. Nothing beats the greasy, cheesy, salt and vinegar fries that the firemen sell. Yummy!
Beccaon 28 Jul 2008 at 10:09 am 4We don’t go to the fairs because that is the biggest place to get your identity stolen. We just had one here that was out of control. Mitch drove by it and said it looked like at night it could have been scary. Not my idea of a fun time.
giggleson 28 Jul 2008 at 11:31 am 5I love love love the county and state fairs. I think they are so much fun. I have taken my kids for as long as I can remember in every state we have lived in. OHHH and the food… corn dogs and cotton candy..yummy. I would buy my kids the armbands so they can ride every ride over and over again, while i walked thru the barns…. I even love the smell of the barns……
yeah im a little strange but it brings back wonderful memories for me.
Glad you had some fun.
Wow… you’re a good woman, my friend!
Shannonon 28 Jul 2008 at 8:12 pm 6The girls look like they had a ball! I’m so glad you went and managed to even have a little fun.
I don’t go to the fairs either- they terrify me! Between germs and unsafe rides it scares me to death! Yeah for you for being such a brave girl!
Brave? LOL… Nah, I only did it b/c my hubby promised to return some favors for me later!
Chrison 28 Jul 2008 at 8:31 pm 7What? You don’t trust the low TPH (tooth per head) “engineers” setting up rides in 5 minutes that could easily tear a limb or other appendage off? Or the multipack-a-day smoker working the deep-fried Snicker cooker? Or the carney who promises you a big dirt bike or 8 ft stuffed animal for putting a plastic ring around a pop bottle? I trust them all implicitly…
Glad you were able to let your hair down and enjoy. And also glad it didn’t get caught in anything…
LOL LOL LOL!!
LOVE the *low TPH engineers* – conjured up a perfect image of a couple of the folks I saw the other night! Hahahahehehe
Jeanon 28 Jul 2008 at 11:12 pm 8I LOVE our county fair!! I don’t care for many rides, but we’ve always done our fair!! It’s a great way to spend a day, have fun, eat everything you only get at the fair once a year, and see all sorts of new things! Our fair is exceptionally well done, though. I’ve been to others that I wouldn’t have eaten at or ridden any of the rides!! Tulsa county has always had inspectors at front and center of setup, looking over EVERY aspect.. so we trust it. And we have FUN! From the barns to the midway, and all the “professional” buildings in between! LOL
hugs,
Jean
Well… girl… you just have at it all you want! Seriously… I don’t begrudge anyone going and having a great time – it is just not for this chica!
Big Dog Mom Pamon 07 Aug 2008 at 5:16 am 9The farmer with the Izod shirt and the boots was too funny! I love the fair – can’t beat the food. I don’t ride the rides, but I do check out the exhibit barns and do a lot of serious people watching. It’s one of my highlights of the summer. Actually, the pictures looked a lot like our county fair. They must be the same everywhere!