I Went to the Animal Fair...

The birds and the beasts were there!!  Remember that old song??  Well, I didn't go to the animal fair, but this past weekend we did go to the State Fair!  Though it threatened rain, we braved the trip to Hutchinson and enjoyed the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the annual fair!

It was an extended-family excursion, so our first stop was all the animal pens so the little ones could see the animals and, in come cases, even pet the animals! We started with the horses, continued into the goats, and then to the "birthing exhibit" where pregnant and newborn animals were housed.















There were two pregnant cows, but neither were actually in labor at the moment, which was probably for the best!  Baby lambs (spray painted blue for some reason), calves, and pigs rounded out our visit, along with an incubator with newly-hatched chicks.

As we finished with the baby animals it was suggested we continue the livestock theme, continuing on to the small animal building.  There we encountered fluffy bunnies, noisy roosters, and other prize-winning poultry.

The kiddos were getting restless by this point, so they rode the spinning strawberries, then we all grabbed a bite to eat.  Now, when it comes to the State Fair, you can not go and not eat at least one fried food.  It's the law!  There are so many options, sometimes I wish I could go to the fair 2 or 3 days to try all the different foods without making myself sick, but this time I did try to limit my intake.  I got the obligatory Pronto Pup, which was quite satisfying, and decided to wait to eat anything else, though others in our group got foods such as sausage on a stick, fried vegetables, and hot fresh corn on the cob (yes, a much healthier choice, but I was not wearing my dietitian hat that day!) 

Next on the agenda was all the artwork.  They had signs up asking us not to take pictures of the original art, but there were some very good pieces.  On one end of the hall had a display by the "block stackers" that was in memorial of September 11th... a very nice display and I did have to grab a picture of that. They stacked wooden blocks in recreations of the two towers (and the third and fourth buildings that fell later that day) and the Pentagon.  This year being the 10th anniversary has really made us stop and think and remember those who were lost on that terrible day. 

Well, back to a lighter note... outside we got to see all the tractors and antique engines: 

Then we went into the Kansas and Meadowlark buildings where vendors were set up with educational displays, political displays, and displays trying to sell you useless trinkets!  We did fall victim to one seller, and bought a gel-filled bag that would crystallize and heat up instantaneously when you click a metal disc embedded in the gel.  It then stays warm for up to an hour!  So we bought one, of course. I also saw a display from a kitchen remodeling company and liked their kitchen so much I took a picture to remind the hubby of my dream of a gourmet kitchen! 

 We also saw displays of Kansas agriculture, including wheat, giant vegetables, and decorative gourds... have I mentioned I love fall??

I liked the wheat "fountain", the prize pumpkin, and all the funny looking gourds.  They also had scarecrows decorated as everything from characters from the Wizard of Oz to Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled!  I was tempted to buy the giant cinnamon rolls sold in the bakery there, but restrained myself.

  

So, after enjoying the displays the larger group split up.  Hubby and I went to view the trailers and RVs as  we've been thinking of buying one.  The rest of the group went off to the fairway to put the kiddos on rides.  We did find the RVs; also passed a military display and got to see a few nice big tanks. 

Then we headed out to catch up with everyone on the fairway, stopping on the way for some more goodies... this time indulging in fried cookie dough and fried kool-aid.  Yeah... not our wisest pick, I'm afraid.  The cookie dough wasn't too bad, but I'm not fond of the batter they used, and ended up eating the dough out of the center.  The koolaid, on the other hand, was basically koolaid powder mixed into dough and fried... not even cooked all the way through.  It resulted in a gooey mess that was very tart, as they didn't add any sugar to the koolaid mix.  Blah.  If I was making it, I would have added sugar, made a thicker sweet dough, maybe corn-based like a hush-puppy.  And cooked it all the way through. 

So, the sky was clouding up again and storms were brewing, so we made our way through the crowds and on to home.  Overall it was a pretty good day, and I highly recommend State Fairs to anyone who hasn't attended one.  (Well, even if you have attended one, you should go again!!)