I've been pretty much MIA for the past few weeks, because I've been staffed on a project in a small, northern Ohio town. Sigh, Ohio.
I've always dreamed about leaving the big city and moving to a cozy small town (and, ultimately, owning a cupcakery and bookstore... but I digress). So I figured I might as well see what small town cultural experiences are actually like... especially considering how much BUZZ I'd heard about the Stark County Fair. I simply HAD to take advantage! When in Rome and all that.
Yeah, well, that was before I realized that "Rome" cost eight bucks to get into! EIGHT BUCKS for the county fair?? I was a bit appalled. Even more appalled considering it was FREE on Tuesdays and Wednesdays- I'd just missed the deal by a day. Big fat boo.
It was hard to stay in a bummed mood- I'm a little kid at heart, what can I say? Upon entering the fairgrounds, my heart gave a little leap when I saw all the lights and the rides and the games... oh my!
I started meandering about, and started to feel a bit out of place. I didn't know a single person at this fair and, well, I don't know. I felt like people were looking at me funny. Maybe it was in my head, but whatever. Just as I was thinking of turning around and heading back to my car, my eyes caught sight of a beacon in this sea of strangers...
Can you make it out?! Ohio State! Ohio State!
Sigh. That's pretty much all it took for me to feel nicely comforted in my own skin again. Soo... let the wandering around continue. Man, for such a small town, this fair kind of goes all OUT! There was a concert going on in one area, some kind of animal showcasing event going on in another area... and even "farms" for goats, sheep, and horses!
There was even...
Well, okay. You can pretty much imagine how much understanding and use I would have for tractors, but still. It's certainly NOT something that I would see everyday! All about immersion and stuff.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I guess all of the above would constitute part of the "cultural" experience of the fair. But let's get to the good stuff. I mean, who are we kidding? As soon as you enter the fairgrounds, you are INUNDATED with food, food and more food!
Yum-O. Unfortunately, I wasn't all too hungry so I figured I'd just stock up on something sweet. Can't go wrong with that, now can you? From funnel cakes to sweet waffles to ice cream galore, I had my choice of it all! It was only as I was wandering, mentally complaining about WHY this fair wasn't carrying any darn fried ice cream (yes, this is what my life has come to) when...
Yeehaw! (<--When in Rome, remember?) Check it OUT!!! Just what I was looking for... fried Snickers, Reeses, cookie dough... and on and on. I ended up going with a fried Twinkie (hey, when you're going to go, go all out) and eagerly devoured my first bite.
And nearly burned the roof of my mouth OFF. This thing was PIPING! (I wish I could have snapped a picture of me eating my fried Twinkie, but I felt a little uncomfortable asking someone at the fair to take a picture for me... trust me on this one.)
Sadly, I only ate about 1/4 of the fried Twinkie. I don't know what I was thinking, really. I don't even like Twinkies all that much to begin with. (Hello! It's like eating chemicals!) I guess I just figured frying that sucker would make all things right in the world again.
It. Did. Not. If anything, I feel like the frying just brought out that chemical-y flavor even more.
YUCK. Oh well. You win some, you lose some. Next time, I'm just going to stick with the fried Snickers. Stick with what I know best (have YOU had a fried Snickers before? O.M.G.)
Ah, the county fair. Ah, culture.
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