Who wants to go to the fair?

Well, we already went, so you will have to go without us, but we had a great time and I would definitely encourage you to check it out. We like to go to the Utah State Fair every year, including last year when we brought a group of our girls. We went on opening night, which is always nice, because it is only $2 a person (Lily was free), and all the people and animals aren't all tired out yet. We saw a lot of fun things, some weird things, and some things I could do without.

First, a few of the fun things:

1) The butter sculpture. This is a must for us every year. It is a massive sculpture made entirely of 700 pounds of butter and is something different every year. This year it was a display of animals enjoying all that the fair has to offer. I didn't take a picture, and I can't find one on the internet, so you will have to go see it for yourself! It is in the same building this year as in years past, but it is no longer with the produce. This building is now also displaying crafts like scrapbooking and other large crafts. Be sure to check out the large boat,near the butter sculpture.

2) The animals. This is Matt and Lily's favorite part. We saved it until very last so they could spend all the time they wanted, and I wouldn't have to miss out on anything else. We saw pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, chickens, horses (just the little ones they use for the pony rides), and cows. Lily even pet quite a few of the sheep and goats, but she didn't want anything to do with the pigs.

Here are a few photos:

"Am I smiling? I think I am. Why are these pigs so close to me? I'm glad I'm in my stroller."


At first, this is the closest she would get. You can't tell, but she was half crying to be even this close.


Getting a little closer, but still not quite sure what to think.


Looking through the bars.


She finally did it! Here she is with Mom (ignore the fat belly), petting a sheep. She actually touched a couple of others before this picture, but they were all blurry, so Daddy took over picture duty for a few minutes.

Touching a goat with just the tip of her finger.


"We don't have to pet the cows, do we Daddy?" Actually, you can see by the rope that you couldn't get very close to the cows.


"Maybe if I listen hard enough, I can hear what the chickens are saying."


3) The tigers. These were so out of place at the fair, they deserved their own post. These tigers came from a reserve outside of Panama City, Floriday. There were 7 of them all together. We watched them for a while, and they were very beautiful, but I couldn't help but be a little sad that they were all cooped up. We didn't stay for the show, but I talked to a guy that works with them and he said that they do 8-10 shows a year, so not too many. I didn't get to ask him where they got them from.


4) This exhibit:


It was a whole interactive exhibit for kids that let them experience in a small way what life is like on a farm. This is the second year we saw this exhibit, and Lily enjoyed it much better this year. The best part is that it is free (with admission to the fair). Make sure to check this out.

Farmer Lily. She didn't want to get off the tractor. If you saw one of my earlier posts, you know she can be crazy behind the wheel.


At the beginning, the kids get an apron and a basket. I liked this picture of Lils. We were waiting in line to go to feed the cow. You can see the corn in her bucket that she helped scoop.


Here she is picking an apple from the orchard. I have no idea who those other people are, but they were very agressive with their picture taking and posing. Lily had to jump in to get that apple.


Lily holding her carrot "seed" while Daddy digs a hole.


Lily having her turn digging.


Picking the fully grown carrot.

Taking the wagon to deliver hay to the sheep.


Gathering eggs. You can't really tell, but she had her eye on that chicken the whole time.


Daddy and Lily as FFA students. Don't they look great?


Lily and Mommy with the harvest. At the end, she had to put everything back in baskets, and she received her wages, $1 (not real) to spend at the country store. She chose some milk, because she was so thirsty from all that hard work.


5) Free water. One of Matt's friends was working in the water tent. We didn't know he would be there, and we hadn't seen him for a while, so we caught up a bit, and drank lots of free water. We thought it would be a little colder outside than it was, so we dressed a bit too warmly, and really appreciated water. Thanks, Ike! It was good to see you.

The weird:
1) All the side tents with the biggest, oldest, and fattest animals. Whenever we pay for them, they just lay there and don't do much. Besides, I saw the alligator already this morning on Good Things Utah.

2) The picture made out of bee pollen.

3) The square dancers. Gotta love them. Where do they practice?

4) The emergency prepardness race. I must have really wanted that free first aid kit.

5) The girl who accidentally drove the monster truck backwards into a tree. I don't think she was supposed to put it into gear. Talk about crazy drivers.

6) All the great booths for stuff you don't need. They are fun to look at, just don't get sucked into watching a 15 minute demonstration for cookware. One year we did, and we finally walked away over an hour later. Fun to look at from a distance, but beware. Make sure you do see the chamois demo, that thing really can suck up water.

Things I could do without:
1) The reptile tent. Matt likes all things wriggly and reptilish, and Lily likes whatever Matt does, so I waited outside while they checked this out. There apparently was an anaconda that was slithering up its cage, among other creepy crawlies.

2) The wax hands holding a rose. Who buys this, and what would you do with it? The worst part is that it cost $30!

*Not an actual photo from the fair, but creepy nonetheless.

3) Deep fried PB&J, covered with chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. Ever since we had a funnel cake years ago at the fair, and had a not so pleasant evening afterwards, we steer clear of the fair food. This sounded particularly nasty.

4) The beer gardens. Why do people leave empty (or not so empty) beer cups around where little hands could get them?

5) The rides. I wasn't feeling that great, and just the sight of these twisty turny rides was enough to turn my stomach.

6) The mean man in the parking lot. "If I catch you back here, I'll have you thrown out!" Relax, buddy, we didn't want to park there in the first place. We'll take that spot right up close.

If you have never been to the fair, you definitely should, and if you have, you should go back! It's always a lot of fun. It goes this year until the 14th, so make sure you don't let this pass you by. As for us, we'll see you next year at the fair!