The one reason my kids go through the blood, sweat and tears to produce 4H projects can be summed up in four words – The Iowa State Fair.
Their goal is to get at least one project to advance to the State Fair so that Daddy has to take them. It worked again this year!
The first stop is always the 4H building – always. “Go directly to the 4H building, do not pass go, do not collect $200.” These are men on a mission – just follow the red shirt.
Once there – we begin our treasure hunt to find our 6 projects in the midst of the thousands there.
We only found five of the six – but those five did well – 3 blues and 2 reds.
The missing project was Matt’s editing work on the grandkid’s video for my parent’s Golden Anniversary. One 4H staffer said they were playing the videos this year on TV screens for fair goers to see. Oh my – they will get an eyeful watching that video! Some of his cousins might be just a little embarrassed…
Once we leave the 4H building – we’re on the livestock barns to see the biggest boar, the biggest bull and the avenue of breeds. We pass a one-man band in route to the butter cow.
My favorite part of the fair – the free food samples! We ate quite a variety this year – brats, meatballs, cookies, popcorn, salsas, a wide assortment of dips, and even a whole hard-boiled egg at the egg producers booth. If there’s free food – my kids will find it!
Speaking of food…we hiked up the hill to eat our sack lunch while watching the amazing Sinbad diving show. It was a seriously funny show featuring pirates and a cool monkey searching for the golden pineapple. Aarrgghh….my kids loved it!
Really loved it.
They loved it so much that as soon as Sinbad announced that at the 6:00 show they would light “Cool Monkey” up in flames – they started lobbying to stay.
Even though they were exhausted from hiking from one end of the fair grounds to the other, wiped out from heat and humidity, nursing blisters and out of water, they still wanted to stay.
And who could blame them?! A flaming monkey is a pretty incredible way to end a great day at the State Fair!
Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees 
The fair looks like a lot of fun! I love free samples, and it sounds like you had quite the variety!!
Let me know how the creme brulee goes when you try it!! 🙂
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I love the state fair. My favorite fair junk food is the fried dill pickles. I’m addicted to them – thankfully they’re a once a year treat!
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Our state fair does not even come close to an Iowa state fair, but we still love going! Congrats to the kids on their submissions!
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I would love the food sampling! 😀
Yes those are cowboy boots Daniel is wearing! 😉
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Makes me want to go to the Minnesota State Fair over Labor Day Weekend!
By the way, my secret method for staying away from that huge jar of semi-sweet chocolate chips…by keeping a Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Hazelnut bar in the drawer. 🙂
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It’s so great to “meet” you here. We just went to our first fair last week in Indiana and we LOVED it! Such great way to celebrate summer.
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I’m glad you like my no bake snacks! I’m going to the fair today after work with my little nephew and I’m so excited! Hopefully the samples will be good….. Have a great day!
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The fair sounds fun. These are the memories they will remember forever!
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It looks like they had a great time at the State Fair! I wanted to go to our state fair, but it just seems like it has been way too hot. We have never been to the state fair before, but just joined 4-H this year, and one of my sons has a project that went to state.
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Whoa. That is one crazy monkey.
It sounds like fun. It almost makes me want to let my kids do 4H. I said almost. Not quite.
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We were there on Friday!!! :o) The foot long corn dogs were oh, so yummy!!!
Mendi
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