A Day at the Fair

The end of summer wouldn't be complete without a day at the Iowa State Fair.

We actually thought about not going this year, because there was so much going on. My mother-in-law visiting, a camping trip, school starting for the boys and for Hubster. We were feeling a little overwhelmed by our schedules, and the two hour drive to the Fair just added to the overwhelmed feeling. But the boys got wind of the fair (seriously, we can't keep anything secret from them) and it was all over. You can only say no to children jumping up at down, screaming happily, "We want to go to the Fair! We want to go to the Fair!"

I'm glad we went.

The first part of the day is traditionally spent looking at animals. I did my traditional, "It's so cute and fluffy, I could die!" and insisting that we needed everything from a pet duck, to a pet bunny, to a pet miniature donkey.






And who doesn't want a pet baby ostrich?


After the animals, it's time for food. Deep fried and on a stick.



Lemonade shake-ups, deep fried cheese curds, funnel cakes, and corn dogs. Because, let's get real, the Fair is not about healthy eating. My favorite quote all day came from Bug, when we asked him if he wanted a hot dog or a corn dog. His response, "Well, does a hot dog come on a stick? Noooo." Okay, food on a stick it is.

This year, the Iowa State Fair made national news by offering deep fried butter.


I wanted no part of this. I watched several people eating it, and despite them saying it tasting like Cinnabon (which I do love), I still wanted nothing to do with it. The squirt of melted butter when they took a bit made me gag a little.

However, I did find myself in the 30 minute long line for the fried butter booth. But not for fried butter. For this delicious treat...


Deep fried pineapple. A large pineapple slice dipped in funnel cake batter and fried. This was delicious, juicy, and sweet. Well worth dealing with all the crazy fried butter people.

After food comes everything else...

The Giant Slide!


The Butter Cow!



Giant pumpkins!


I would need many more exclamation points to share how excited the boys were about everything single thing. Their excitement would make one believe that this wasn't the third year of seeing nearly the exact same things.

But the repetition doesn't seem to matter. It is all about a day spent as a family. A day where our wallets are lighter and our stomachs heavier. A day at the Fair.