The state fair ramblings will post roughly about this time nightly, give or take. Also, for a more full effect, stalk my Facebook page for pics, videos, and other tidbits that might not be in the blog post. Please excuse any typos, as these posts are being posted rather late in the evening. Thanks. :-)
It was so great to be returning to the fairgrounds for the 2018 Kansas State Fair! I have missed the fun and the atmosphere of this yearly event! My first order of business was to head to the Domestic Arts building to check out how my cookies fared. On the way, I met my granddaughter. She is 2 1/2, and she was enthralled with the State Fair train that had just passed by. She had her face painted, and she was dancing to the music of a Christian Praise & Worship band playing on a nearby stage. What kind of grandpa would I be if I didn't whip out my phone and document these moments of cuteness! We chatted for a while, I got a hug and some love from her, and then went on into the building to see my cookies. As you may remember, my chocolate chip took 1st in 2015, my oatmeal raisin took 3rd in 2016, last year was a total bust with no placing, and this year, my chocolate chip cookies took 3rd! I'm happy with that. I was telling some friends that even if I only got one ribbon, I'd be happy. As I was looking for my cookies this evening, I met my good friend and former neighbor, Pat. She and I combed the racks of cookies and we found my 3rd place together. She rejoiced with me. We did have one concern, though. My 3rd place cookie looked much better than the 2nd place cookie. It looked overbaked. Appearance is a big part of the judging, and that cookie didn't look too good. However, I'm not the judge, nor would I want to be, and it is what it is. It's funny, because last year, after being sorely disappointed at not winning anything, I met Pat there in that building, and she told me to try again next year. I told her, "That's a whole year away!" Well, here we are again, a year later, with better news. Pat was getting ready to go to see the K.C. and the Sunshine Band concert, and was searching for something to eat before going in. She decided on the legendary Pronto Pup. Unbeknownst to me, she bought one for me as well. When they handed her two Pups, she then handed one to me. How nice! There are several Pronto Pup stands around the fairgrounds, and they offer Granny's Mustard as one of their sauces. Yum! They are just as good as ever! We then walked to the grandstand, enjoying our Pronto Pups. From there, we said good-bye, and I headed to the dairy bar to get the Caramel Cow Crunch. That's the name of the treat that I couldn't recall in my last blog post, and the treat that sold out before I could get to it last year, and also the treat I have been waiting all year for. I saw it on the menu...underneath white tape. You guessed it. It's not on the menu!!Argh! I was dampened a bit, but there are a lot of other good foods out there, and maybe they'll be so good that I'll forget about the Caramel Cow Crunch. Who am I kidding, I want a Caramel Cow Crunch!
From that point, it was time to start walking through the buildings. I stopped into the Oz Building to see the walking stick my mom entered. She took 3rd place! Way to go, mom! My nephew also had a project entered, but I wasn't able to find it. I'll try looking again tomorrow. I was able to collect some pencils, cups, and other good stuff tonight. In the Meadowlark building, there is a booth that sells some really amazing dips, and they offer free samples! You just grab a pretzel stick (use the tongs! the attendant commands us), and there are about 10+ dips you can try. In the Sunflower North building, there is the Union booth. They always have the best assortment of free stuff on their tables. They love to give it away. Also in the Sunflower North building, there is a both that offers free samples of flavored instant coffees, such as almond, snickerdoodle, and turtle. As I was trying them, the attendant asked me if I'd like a full-sized cup of their coffee. They were closing, and would have to dump it out, anyway. I politely declined, based on my diabetes. This booth also had samples of beer bread. I'd love to buy some of their mixes, but I'd feel awkward buying beer at the store. I just know that as soon as it was in my basket, I'd run into one of my Sunday School kids, or my minister. That's usually how it works in my world, LOL. The beer bakes out in the process, but still.....
As always, I enjoyed running into people I know and catching up with them. I enjoyed chatting with Tiffany, and I appreciate how she watches over our special kids. I also got to chat with my long-time friend Brandon. He's in the Meadowlark building towards the middle back, surrounded by hot tubs. He owns Jim's Water & Woods and in his 2nd year of owning it. He'll do you right if you're in the market for a hot tub. Our family has done business with him before, and he was there before, during and after we bought our hot tub from him. If there ever was an issue with our hot tub, which there rarely was, he was on top of it. If we ever find ourselves in the market to buy another hot tub, it'll be through Brandon. I got to visit with my friends John and Lynette and their girls. John reminded me that last year on Tuesday, some of the food vendors sold $2 portions of their food items. He was thinking that maybe they might do that again this year. I'll do some checking. I had totally forgotten about that.
I never get the chance on the first Friday to see everything I was hoping to see, due to only being there for a few hours. Tomorrow, I hope to see the rest. Tomorrow is "Poll & Stroll Day," and there will be a gubernatorial debate tomorrow. Many people running for a public office will be in the crowd, mingling with Kansans and hearing what people have to say. I know that if I meet one of these candidates and have a chance to speak with them, I'm going to ask them if they have a solid plan to keep education fully funded. People can also cast their votes for favorite food, ride, etc.
I racked up a total of 20,500 steps today, and I weighed myself this morning to see if I lose any weight during the course of the fair. I do a lot of walking, and I'm going to see if it drops my weight down a bit. I hope to see many more of you tomorrow, and please say hi. If you're afraid of showing up in the blog, you can request to not be mentioned. It's late, I'm tired, and I need to rest up if I want to be ready for day #2! Thanks for reading, and God bless!
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