State Fairs ~ Then and Now ...

Back seat of the station wagon and no air-conditioning on one of the hottest (Santa-Ana Wind) days in Southern California. My siblings are excited for our first-ever trip to the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona and I am barfing my guts up. Nausea stumbles around in my tummy and we're not even there yet. What a glorious day...

Once inside we marvel at the gigantic Ferris Wheel, the Hammer Heads, the Fun House, and the Midway. Undaunted we traverse the fair and it smells awful to me... fried dough, pizza, bbq, cotton candy, and ice cream treats. I eat nothing of the notorious fair food. I ride zero rides and am despondent. Until... we pass the midway and my dad hands me a quarter. I hurriedly choose the rolling ball game where I may win a stuffed animal if I amass points over 25 or under 10. Dropping the balls slowly and carefully my points add up to ... yep ~ a total of 9 points!!! I win a huge candy cotton pink and neon green striped kitty-cat. The thing is as tall as me and I am tickled silly. No doubt about it; I love the fair.

Arizona is filled with sights and sounds that intrigue travelers from around the world. As we begin the celebration of Arizona's Centennial I have been visiting as many places in our beautiful state as possible to afford myself the illustrious notation of being a true Arizonan. Last night I knocked another notch into my Stay-cation belt when we visited the Arizona State Fair. State Fairs are icons of childhood fun with thrilling rides, delectable food, and impossible games of skill and chance. Stories of fair food abound and the newspaper is filled with descriptions of decidedly greasy, deep-fried everything, even a fried scorpion dipped in chocolate. Last night's menu for our troupe included deep-fried dill pickles, deep-fried chile relleno/hot dog on a stick, a giant turkey leg, fry bread with pork stew, corn-on-the-cob, and a deep-fried s'mores for dessert. Mmm-Mmm. Nothin' like fair food; I can feel my arteries clogging as I type.

No rides or games of chance last night as the main event was the concert being held in the giant arena at the state fairgrounds. My son and his friend invited us along to see .... wait for it....

SNOOP-DOGG!! Can you even believe it? I have been to a lot of concerts in my time but never one like this. The pat-down upon entrance, the thumping music, the dancing, and the nightclub attire were all a part of the action. I'm glad I went tho' it will probably never happen again.

I continue to search out entertaining experiences, monumental sights, and incredibly tasty food-bits. I'll keep you appraised of my journey.

Until next time,
Deb :)