It's been over 40 years since Pat Boone and Ann-Margaret appeared on screen in the musical State Fair filmed at Fair Park in Dallas. Some things change, some things remain the same....
We ventured to the State Fair this week and I'm happy to report for the most part, the world's largest fair, despite what the people in Ohio say, gets a A- rating this year.
Naturally, we had the obligatory Fletcher's Corn Dog and a giant sausage-on-a-stick, which I swear each year I'll never eat again, plus ice-less root beers and too-much-ice Cokes.
The day started with a gymnastic performance by a group of young Chinese Acrobats, who although seemed bored, put on a great exhibition of flexibility and strength. I'm assuming these kids are visiting from overseas and aren't locals. If so, I think China's chances at the next Olympics look pretty good.
We had a chance to see Boris, a 1,100 lb. pig or boar, whatever he's called, who lie in his stall and slept while kids prodded him and marveled at the texture of his coarse hair. Boris made me feel a little better about the weight I have been carrying these days!
Walking cautiously through the cattle barn (I wasn't too cautious though as Pattye pointed out what was on the bottom of my shoe) we saw the bulls and cows that the 4-Hr's so painstakingly take the time to groom and regroom as they wait their turn in the arenas. Caught the milking demonstration, well sort of, we waited for the cow to be milked but got impatient as the narrator explained about how many lbs. of hay equals how many gallons of milk.
We wandered over to the Arts and Crafts exhibition which featured a butter sculpture of Elvis (readers can post their own jokes) and the many, many entries ranging in categories from Preserves, Quilting, Collectibles, Antiques, Dolls and Paintings, you name it they were there. Each with its own blue red, yellow or white ribbon. I guess everybody wins something.
The midway as usual was filled with the "carney rats" who try to intimidate you with their barking proclaiming "a winner everytime". I can remember when as a teenager, I would vow to practice lifting that Coke bottle up with a cane pole with a ring attached at the end so when the fair came around each year I could con the con. We laughed as the carney showed us how easy it was done as the bottle fell to the ground.
The highlight of this year's fair and one that really should be witnessed was the "American Music" display in the Hall of State building. Memorabilia from Elvis, The Beatles and Bob Dylan were on display bringing back some memories of the 60's and causing me to hum " A Hard Day's Night" for awhile. An excellent added attraction was by a group of superbly talented actors and solo guitarist who give you a glimpse into the life of "Blind Lemon" Jefferson.
"Blind Lemon" was one of the most popular blues artists in the 1920's. He inspired a generation of blues artists with his unique guitar style and his high clear voice. Later this year the entire production will be performed and I think we might just add it to our busy calendar.
We decided to pass on the New Car Show this year seeing that we just added two new Fords to our household and there was no need to dream of adding an 06' model.
We finished the day with a walk through the unbelievable rides area paying particular attention to the looks on some of the kid's faces as they screamed with fear as their bodies turned upside down, inside out, over and over and over. It's amazing that people pay money to "enjoy" such torture. I did pass on a chance to see all of Dallas from the top of the giant, and I mean giant, Ferris Wheel with the person who promised to love, honor and hold my hand on scary rides. Although I usually am not very squeamish about such things, the Ferris Wheel, for some reason does give me rubber legs.
So there it is............A quick look at the "Great State Fair of Texas" with all of the gastronomy, agronomy, funonomy and dichotomy that one could ask for in just a single day.
So in the words of Rodgers and Hammerstein "Don't miss it, don't even be late..."
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