Our Day at the Fair

Beware! Lots of photos!

We decided to brave what we knew would be insane crowds and head to the fair today. We arrived about 10am and set about seeing the animals.

First stop: rabbits. Brenna had never seen a bunny up close before and there were some really cute ones there. She was very excited to pet one.



Next we stopped at a display of gazebos which had a wonderful place to play.





It had a slide off the back, plenty of places to climb and crawl and a gear shift. Such fun!

And then off to the animal barns. Brenna really liked the cows. She tried to crawl into this little guy's pen.


Here's the biggest bull at the fair- the "Super Bull", weighing in at 3,090 lbs. That's a lotta bull...




And the largest boar- Waldo, weighing in at 1,199 lbs. That's a big BBQ....




Here Brenna pets a little puffball baby chicken.


Brenna drives a tractor. The big ones have a passenger seat. Hmmm, they never had those when I was a kid.


Today was a great day for the fair; mid 80's with a nice breeze. But it is always fun to cool down. There are 3 sets of fountains around the fairgrounds; kids are drawn to them.


Somehow I doubt Grant Wood ever thought his "American Gothic" would be reconstructed with balloons...


For Fantastagirl: Butter Superman (ya'll know he's from the Des Moines metro, right?)


The annual butter cow:


Butter Bill Riley, "Mr. State Fair". Bill Riley has sponsored and MC'd the state fair talent show for 60 years. Wow, that's a lot of corn dogs...


Finally, around 3:30 Brenna let her exhaustion overtake her. Five hours of walking, riding, taking in the sights. I wish someone had a stroller to push me around while I slept.


Here is a view of people wandering about. It was crowded today. Lots of good people watching.


You see everything at the fair- teen girls in short skirts and heels (honestly, you can't safely walk through the cow barn in those shoes), teen boys who haven't mastered the art of wearing pants that cover their boxers (and who have to hold them up with their hands because they truly don't get how to wear them that way) and we saw lots of kids on leashes (many of them with "puppy" like Brenna's.

And lots of very bad fashion. The one that really stands out in my mind was the guy with very bad prison-type tattoos in long gym-type shorts, torn & stained wife-beater shirt and leather vest. Oh, yeah, he was stylin'. Add in the women who thought the shelf bra in their tank top provided enough support (really, honey, if you are over a "B" cup you need a bra... oh, and another thing, if your belly is bigger than your boobs I suggest a looser top) and the guys who searched their closets to find the perfect T-shirt ("Forget milk & cookies- I'll take titties and beer" or "I may be weaned but I still like boobies"). Ah, such classics. Only at the fair.