Missouri State Fair 2017

I've been going to the Missouri State Fair since I was 3 years old. It's an annual event for me. I love the Fair, the people, the exhibits, sometimes the food. My favorite is the pineapple whip, which was sadly lacking this year.

 

The World's Greatest Carnival. At night with all the lights it's pretty amazing. Music everywhere, sometimes too much.

You have to be this tall to ride the rides! Try explaining that to a 3 year old boy!

I love this photo! There are rides for all ages. This kid will remember his father beside him on the Merry-Go-Round when he has kids of his own. I still remember my parents put me on the horse, then stood and watched from the side. This is better.

Great Tilt-a-Whirl, who wouldn't want to ride in a teddy bear's belly!

There's always plenty of fun, bizarre stuff to see. This guy obviously likes what he does.

The 146 lb prize watermelon from Deepwater, Missouri. And giant pumpkins and squashes and everything else in the Agriculture Building. I admit I skip over the corn displays, one ear looks pretty much like the next one, but I don't know anything at all about field corn.

I didn't ask but I'd guess this farm couple has been coming to the Fair longer than I have. Maybe I'll see the Fair that way some day, too.

Or atop the wagon pulled by the famous Budweiser Clydesdales. These huge horses used to be used for pulling enormous wagons and they almost went extinct, so I've been told, but the Budweiser folks are preserving the breed and show them all over the country especially at state fairs.

Farm equipment displays are always interesting. The newest tractors, combines, attachments and all that goes with them. This year one of the featured items was the robotic lawn mower. I didn't see it in action but did wonder if it will pick up all of my dog, Cricket's balls before it mows.

These budding farmers stopped for a rest on a John Deere Tractor wheel. From their gear it looks like they are attached to the John Deere brand.

Carol, who makes our Healthy Feet Soap and our excellent bug-repelling Bug Off bar, was there, too, with her soaps and products.
(You can find our soaps and other products on our website).

The 'velcro' teenagers, as I call them. At least one body part has to, at all times, be touching some body part of the girlfriend/boyfriend.

And that leads to... yet another young kid, being introduced to the Fair by his/her parents.

There are always corndogs (sausage on a stick, covered with batter and deep-fried, for readers in the UK and beyond). I skipped my annual corn dog this year, now I'm hungry for a corn dog with lots of mustard.

 Lemonade, corn dogs and red velvet funnel cakes. I'm not a fan of funnel cakes, and think adding a whole lot of red food coloring probably doesn't make them one bit better.

New this year are curly cones. Vanilla or chocolate. That curly J-shaped thing is a cone and when you order it, soft-serve ice cream is squeezed into the tube, filling it from top to bottom. I didn't have one of those, either. I'm pretty certain you can't eat both ends of the cone without one end or the other melting all over you.

Life is too short to drink cheap booze and argue with stupid people. An, youth. His attitude may change as he ages. Still, examining your standards at a young age isn't a bad thing.

The Fair is all about fun. It's a celebration of farming, of Missouri at its best, of what we raise and how we live. I look forward to a day at the Fair every year, to see and do and be, in a place I've visited for decades.

And a shady spot in the Highway Gardens is welcome, regardless of your age or place in life. This is 3 generations, the grandpa, father and son, all resting and getting ready for one more go at the Midway before heading home.
I had a short nap there, too, before heading back to explore more buildings, pig races, an ice cream cone and heading home.