Iowa State Fair: 2021 Edition

Of all the Iowa State Fair commericals on TV, I like this one the best ------> Link

My reason is at the 20 second mark:

There aren't any pictures of the 2020 Iowa State Fair because it was cancelled. The ISF sent out a call for people to submit their favorite fair photos from past fairs as a way to get promotional material. That picture of Char eating a Fair Square is from 2014, and she is almost five years old. We received some free fair tickets because her picture was chosen.

Not going to the fair wasn't an option. We did set some rules for ourselves to be as safe as we could: 

1) We'd only attend one day.

2) We'd wear masks indoors and in long lines.

3) We'd bring water to drink and water to spray. 

4) We'd go on opening day when it was forecasted to incredibly hot and humid in hopes that we'd miss the huge crowds.

Our day started out at the Center Street Park and Ride. The buses started rolling at 8:30, and we were first in line for the first bus. 

The bus filled up pretty quickly, and the fairgrounds were very busy when we arrived at 9:00 am. 

Char couldn't get poffertjes from the Breakfast Delights stand at the Downtown Farmers' Market because they didn't return for the 2021 season. Luckily, the Wooden Shoe at the fair sells poffertjes, and they are made by the same gentleman who makes them at the famers' market. 

They were exactly the way Char remebered, "YES! These are sooo good!" 

Grabbing a free egg-on-a-stick from the Iowa Egg Council is a tradition.

So is cotton candy. The stand that Char really liked in 2019 didn't return, though. This is a bit of a cotton mess made by a first-time employee. It still tasted like melted sugar, though.

The Big Slide moved locations, but it was as fun as always.

We stopped by the Turkey Federation's Grill for a couple of turkey sandwiches. You can see that Char couldn't muster up much of a smile. That's not the turkey's fault. It was noon, and we were baking in the heat. The heat index was nearing 100 degrees. Sitting under a tent with no air flow did not help us any.

The Exhibition Center is air-conditioned, so we watched an indoor horse competition while we tried to cool down. Our masks must have been working well. We had no idea how strong the manure smell was until we lowered the masks to drink our water. We then crossed the street to walk around the newly renovated 4H building which also had AC.  

We were feeling better, so we stopped by Iowa Craft Beer tent. The tent had been relocated it to the west side of the fairgrounds. The space was much more open and comfortable. There were also some really nice breezes blowing through. Daphne and I shared a couple of brews, and Char had milk and cookies. 

I thought the beer tent was going to be our last stop, but I got my appetite back. I asked Daphne if she'd share a Gizmo with me. Her end has the banana peppers.

We sat on a shaded bench near the Bill Riley Stage to eat. It was weird. That area is usually full of people, but it was like a ghost town. Both Daphne and I wondered if there had been some kind of storm warning that we had missed. We checked our phones, but didn't see anything. Maybe 4:00 pm is low tide?

Char was a little disappointed that she didn't get a PB&J-on-a-stick at the fair. So, Mom made her one for dinner.

We didn't go home hungry, but this was the first time we didn't eat anything fried. No corndogs, cheese curds, or Grater Taters were consumed. I also didn't take many pictures. I think it was just to too hot. The heat index had reached 104 degrees when we got back to our car at 4:30 pm. We were all ready to go home.

Our plan to avoid the biggest crowds did work. The Day 2 attendance was 26,477 more people than on Day 1.

This wasn't exactly the Fair 2021 experience that I was hoping for, but it was a whole lot better than no fair at all.

Almost Fair

The Iowa State Fairgrounds opened their gates last weekend for the first of three more Taste of the Fair events. We enjoyed the Fair Food Fridays drive-thru, but there was one stand that was sorely missed.

The Brad & Harry's Cheese Curds stand is usually our first stop when we go to the fair, and when it was announced that the 2020 ISF was cancelled, the first thing I said to Daphne was, "Well, I bet we can find good cheese curds someplace else." 

And we did, but we didn't find any that are as good as these.

Yes! That's what I'm talking about! These curds are fried to perfection and even squeak when you bite through the slightly salty and crispy breading. These are the reason we were there.

The curds were same as always, but there were some changes at the fairgrounds. For one, the Giant Slide has been moved, and maybe updated? I can't be sure. The steps look different.

This was a bigger surprise. They now have a whole building dedicated to Barksdale's State Fair Cookies. That's commitment. 

We went with a cup of cookies instead of a bucket. We were pacing ourselves.

The Waffle Chix stand was also new to us.

Charlotte said, "Putting chicken inside a waffle is just wrong," but Daphne and I only got about one bite each, so it couldn't have been too wrong. 

It felt strange eating at the fairgrounds in the fall, but the weather around noon was perfect: cool, cloudy, and just a hint of breeze.

The "Taste" wasn't very busy, and that made it easy to social distance. 

I thought about getting a tenderloin, but I haven't had a Waygu Burger made in a converted firetruck before. Daphne agreed with that choice. 

After one bite we also agreed that covering the burger in condiments would be criminal. The meat was so good. After the cheese curds, this was my favorite food of the day.

Char isn't a big fan of red meat (I'm crushed), but we thought this would be perfect. 

We were expecting bread, jelly, and peanut butter with a few grapes thrown in for good measure. Here's Char eating that last year.

This time we were surprised to be served a deep-fried Uncrustable. It was good, but Char couldn't eat it all. (Daphne and I were more than happy to help our out daughter in times of stress.)

She was saving some space for Bauder's strawberry ice cream.

Daphne and I split a Salted Carmel Lightening Rod. 

Throw a Pickle Dawg into the mix, and I can say that we all had quite a lunch. We had not eaten like that in a long time. I was so full I took a nap when we got home. 

We got to eat some family favorites, and we could try new foods, too. No, it wasn't the ISF, but I'm complaining. 

The company was excellent.

Not Fair Update (with Updates!)

Fair Food Fridays continue! We've gotten back in line during the last two Fridays for our Fair Food Fix.

Last week they introduced cheese curds. We were excited to try them, but these were a bit "blonde" for us. We have high hopes they get better with practice.

Update: We later gave the cheese curds a second chance, and they were much improved. 

The State Fair Grinder was spot-on. Daphne was in the process of adding peppers when I took the picture.

Update: Two weeks later, and the Grinder was even better; there was more cheese! 

Update: It was time to try their Cajun Chicken on a Stick. The chicken was tender, the breading was spicy, and the onion and pickles were a surprise. Well played, Fair Food Fridays!

A deep fried Snickers bar is hiding in there. We haven't have one of these since Charlotte was born. Char was impressed with how good this was.

The Applishus food stand (a Daphne favorite) made an appearance this week, and we had a slush and their Apple Egg Rolls with caramel. Both tasted like we were standing next to the Varied Industries building. 

The mini donuts turned out to be donut holes, but no one was complaining. 

Last week Daphne ate her first Gyro with me, and we shared another Jumbo Tenderloin today. Both rocked.

The Iowa State Fair is going to host their own Taste of the Fair event next weekend. I'm glad Iowa is trying to keep the ISF spirit alive even though the fair is now 390 days away.

Update: I am officially a Fair Food Friday Fan, and I have a hat to prove it.

Not Fair

Like most fun events, the Iowa State Fair is postponed until 2021. 

I could make a depressing list of all the things we'll miss about the ISF, but I'm not going down that rabbit hole. I'll concentrate on the stuff that we can do, instead. 

No doubt about it, the food at the Fair is a highlight for our family. We were able to safely enjoy a taste of the fair yesterday thanks to Brenda Smith Concessions. They are hosting "Fair Food Fridays," and offering food from stands that you would normally find on the Iowa State Fairgrounds. 

You preorder online and pick a time slot to pick up your order. Each time slot is an hour long, and it seems like you'll need it because the line of cars is pretty long. This was our first Fair Food Friday, so I can only speak from our one experience, but our wait was about 25 minutes.

We had no idea what the process would look like, but it went very smoothly. When we got closer to the stands, an employee in a mask in gloves approached our car and asked what my order number was. She confirmed the number, and then wrote it on a sticky note that was placed on our wind shield.

Getting closer!

I can almost smell our food.

Yea! Char got popcorn chicken. Daphne and I shared a Pickle Dogg and a Jumbo Pork Tenderloin.

Those look like hand-cut pickles and onions on there!

We drove to an empty school parking lot and ate our lunch. I took one bite of the Pickle Dogg, and exclaimed, "Oh. My. That tastes just like the fair!" Daphne took a bite and quickly nodded in agreement. We traded smiles as we passed the tenderloin back and forth over the hand brake.

It was so good; I had to try to not spill on myself in my excitement. I ordered this ISF shirt back in May before the fair board decided to postpone. This may be the only time I will wear it this year.

No, Fair Food Friday is not the Fair. But it is as close as we'll get for awhile, and I'll take what I can get.

Iowa State Fair '19

We went to the Iowa State Fair three times this year, and this post is a combination of those days. Ignore the wardrobe changes. 

When I found this tee at Goodwill, I felt confident that I had a perfect shirt to wear at the Iowa State Fair. Who doesn't love cheese curds? Probably a lot of people, but I don't hang out with them for long.

Hmmm. I think one curd is missing, but I don't know how that happened. 

This year Char entered a couple of the Fair's food competitions. Here's her Ugly Cake entry. It's a sidewalk with a dropped candy bar covered with ants (sprinkles). Also, there are Cheetos dipped in melted chocolate to resemble either sticks or poop. Probably poop.

We didn't think she would win, but we were excited to see her cake the Fair. Sadly, we could not. They placed a toilet cake smack dab in front of it.

We went to the back of the display, and I pulled the curtain back so she could pose with her cake. This is a fake smile. She was pretty upset no one would see her hard work. Later, I found a volunteer working in the Food Center, and he rearranged the display for us. 

Here's a real smile. Char won a Blue Ribbon in the Candy Chemistry competition. She made "Pop Choco-Worms" by dipping Gummy Worms in melted white chocolate and sprinkling Pop Rocks over the top. It was all her idea. 

Daphne took home a 3rd place ribbon in the Carrot Cake division. 

I won an award, too!

Okay, not really. But the award for best cotton candy, as determined by Charlotte, goes to this stand. 

You can buy cotton candy in a bag for $4, but it's only $3 on a stick. And when it is on a stick, it is bigger than her head.

The second time the cotton candy was even bigger. One girl walked by us and snarled at Char, "Think you got enough?" Charlotte just smiled and took a dive face-first into her puffy cloud of sugar.

She had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick later. That's a bit healthier.

Our first visit to the ISF was on a stormy Sunday morning.

The rain didn't keep me from eating a pork chop on-a-stick breakfast.

Char wanted just bacon for breakfast. We are raising her right.

It was sunny a week later, and we rode the ferris wheel that time.

Pork Belly Burnt Ends with onion rings. I need not say more.

Spin Art is a ISF tradition. 

 So is standing in front of a fan when you get too hot.

Man, the 80's are back. Can I grow my mullet now?

Char wanted nothing to do with Scotch Eggs and Gravy.

But she liked the Mini Cinni Buns with frosting.

Daphne and I saw James Taylor on the Grandstand years ago, and I've seen the Goo Goo Dolls there, too.

But I was seven when my parents took my sister and I to see Johnny Cash. The highlight for me was "Once Piece at a Time." I also remember when June Carter Cash came on stage. A man sitting behind us exclaimed, "Look how long her hair is! I bet she washes it every time she uses the bathroom!" That joke isn't very funny, but for some reason I never forgot it.

I often wonder what Fair memories are going to stay with Charlotte? Blue Ribbons are great, but I hope she remembers how much fun we all had together.

Love ya, kid.