When I was typing in the heading, and realized...Day 9? Wow, just one more day. I'm going to be so sad when the fair is over.
Today was mom's day, the day that I take my mom out for a day at the fair. Our day at the fair actually began at 9am. My mom worked in the Oz building from 9am-1pm at the woodcarving booth. Because I didn't want my mom to have to make the long journey from the parking lot to the gate, I picked her up and dropped her off at a much friendlier gate than the one I dealt with where my dad was concerned. This gate was right near the Oz building. Next year, if my dad decides to make the trip to the fair, this is the gate I will drop him off at. So, my mom is a woodcarver, and was in the Oz building and talking to passerby about her woodcarving and where people could get involved. They had little wooden cats they were giving out to the kids, with the condition that they give their cat a name. One kids said he would name his cat "Fred." Noting that he and his family were wearing purple with K-State logos, I suggested he paint his cat purple and name him "Willie," K-State's mascot. He brightened up and said "Yes!!" Also, my mom's walking stick, which did not have a ribbon this year, came into question. It turns out that my mom HAD taken a ribbon on her walking stick. 3rd place to be exact! But where was the ribbon? It is suspected that some sticky-fingered goon had stolen the ribbon right off of her walking stick. It is a beautiful walking stick with an elephant's head on the top. My mom was so excited. To first think that she had not gotten a ribbon, to realizing that she had! Thanks to the sharp-eyed Daren Dunn of My 93.1 for catching that one!
I let my mom alone so she could do her job, and I went off to do my building walk-through. 9am on a Saturday is a great time to walk through, it wasn't busy at all. Afterwards, I made my way to Lake Talbott to see what entertainment was going on, and Mike & Glenda Mann were performing. The Mann's are family-friendly puppeteers and magicians. I haven't seen them in many years, mainly because I never know when they are performing. When I saw them on stage, I grabbed a seat and enjoyed. I have an interest in puppets and appreciate their style. The kids in the audience were having a ball as well. After their show, I decided it was time to check out the deep-fried PB & J. My friend Jeff posted that he had tried one, and I was intrigued. They sell this treat at the Carousel Café for just over $7.00 including tax. As always, they were very friendly. I've never had anyone be rude to me before at this establishment. The fried PBJ was about the size of a PBJ uncrustable. In fact, I believe it WAS an uncrustable. I don't have a problem with that, I really like uncrustables. It was sprinkled with powdered sugar, and it was quite good! I give the whole experience an A. I decided to just walk around for a bit, and I noticed that Bandaloni was setting up for a set. By golly, I'm not going to walk away from that one! I got some pics of him performing, and he did one of his trademark moves....putting his face right up into the phones of people who are taking pics. It's hilarious. Check out my pics that I'll be posting to my Facebook page to see an extreme close-up of the one-and-only Bandaloni! During one of his songs, which were performed in front of the Channel 12 building, TV personality Shane Konicki came out of the building, grabbed a lady in the audience, and began dancing with her. The lady was surprised, then thrilled. There were a good number of kids who came out and danced as well. It was a great set. About this time, it was time to pick up mom for her day of fair fun to begin.
Mom likes to walk through the buildings finding free stuff, just like my dad does. I guess I know where I get it from, Lol. Our friend Pat joined us, and that was fun. We explored 4 different buildings, and then we decided that we needed to eat. Mom was in the mood for a BBQ parfait. A BBQ parfait is served in a parfait cup and includes layers of BBQ pulled pork, mashed potatoes, and baked beans. Yum! This sells for $9. The lady that took our order seemed to be a bit grumpy. I would normally give that type of service a C, but I took into consideration that maybe she had been here all week and was tired, so I upgraded it to a B. We took our parfaits to the Bretz Arena and watched the auctioning of the sculptures made by the chainsaw woodcarver. After eating and relaxing for a bit, we made our way to the Eisenhower building and Channel 12. We chatted with TV anchor Michael Schwanke for a bit. As we walked away, I asked mom if she enjoyed her brush with greatness, talking with Michael Schwanke. "Oh, is that who that was? He looks different (and younger) in person." We continued onward toward the Grandstand, which houses my mom and I's favorite sweet treat: Ice cream! Mom opted for a chocolate, while I took on a chocolate chip cookie dough. We ordered single scoops, but I think they erred on mine. My mom's cone looked like a single, but mine looked like a double-scoop. There was a lot of ice cream. "Are you sure this is a single?" Yes, they said. So I took it.
The next item on the agenda was Ron Diamond. By now, mom was winding way down, energy-wise. Ron Diamond was on the other side of the grounds, and she didn't feel like she could make it. We decided to just catch the acrobat show and then call it a day. On the way, we saw Waldo! It was him! Red striped shirt and cap, mustache, and all! People were coming up to him, telling him "We found you!" He then handed them a card. I just had to say hello and get a card. For years, people have called me the "State Fair Waldo." He was very polite, but didn't say much. He handed me a card, and said "God bless you." When I turned the card over, I had a whole new respect for him. On the back was a hand-written verse from Isaiah 55:6-7. "Seek ye The Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him, while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto The Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon." I thought that this was a very clever way of spreading the Gospel of Christ. Like people look for Waldo, people should also be seeking Christ, because one day, it will be eternally too late. We watched the acrobats do their thing: An act on a high sway bar which began spinning around, plate spinning, and motorcycles in a small spherical metal cage.
By then, we were ready to call it a day. We left at about 7pm. It was a full, fun day. Tomorrow will be the end. It has been a great run, and I will definitely miss it. These 10 days have simply flown by. Of note, tomorrow, buildings will close at 6pm. The midway closes at 8pm. Tomorrow, I will pick up my ribbon and my critiques of my cookies. I'll get to see the notes that the judges made about my cookies, and I'll take those into account for my entries next year. I plan on having a Tacone, one of my faves, and who knows what else? Maybe I'll see you? Thanks for reading tonight. God bless you.
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