State Fair 2010
This year was pretty uneventful. We went in the morning, so we were less tempted to eat giant turkey drumsticks or chicken fried bacon. It also got hot pretty quickly and we forgot sunscreen, so we weren’t very hungry. We shared a lot of our food, too. Here’s the final food tally (we were there from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., so we hit both breakfast and lunch):
- Mini donuts (shared)
- Big Fat Bacon (shared)
- Cheese curds (Jason)
- Root beer (shared)
- Alligator nuggets with gator-shaped fries (shared)
- Mountain Dew (shared)
- Water (shared)
- S’more on a stick (me)
- Frozen chocolate-covered banana (me)
- Blue raspberry snowcone (Jason)
Photos!
It was a perfect day to be outside:
I’m sure it’s just a coincidence, but since the advent of this website, there have been a lot more pickle-related food items at the Fair:
We’re creatures of habit, and one of the things we like to do every year (besides play the game where you try to sink a putt to win money, and be a sports anchor for Fox Sports [video coming]) is visit the booth with the powder that instantly transforms into fake snow when you add water:
We also always visit the DNR exhibit. That’s my favorite, watching the giant outdoor pool with all kinds of native fish in it:
We did do a few things this year that we hadn’t before, like go on the Giant Slide, which is actually pretty cool (you go a lot faster than I expected):
Jason also talked me into going in the haunted house, which I last did about 10 years ago and vowed never to do again because something grabbed my foot at a pivotal, pee-my-pants moment and I lost a few years off my life. But he was persistent and annoying and persistent, so after I said yes, he ran to the bathroom, giving me plenty of time to read the warning outside, which read, essentially:
WARNING: The images found within this house are very graphic, gory, horrific and extremely terrifying. Please do not enter if you have a weak heart, dislike people wearing clown masks who pop out of dark corners to grab you, or if you envision the creepy girl from The Ring at random moments, even though you saw that movie, like, 10 years ago. Seriously Shauna, this probably isn’t the best idea to come in here. BWA HA HA HAAAAAA.
So we went in and the first horror tableau was some hologram with a person’s cut-off head sitting on a table, and a creepy scary person who was obviously not real, and still I thought, I do not want to be in here. But I was fine, and stared at the creepy scene all calm and collected, and marveled at the technological scariness until I realized a coffin was slowly rising up out of the fog and starting to open. All of a sudden, I was pretty sure I did not want to see what was in there.
After that, it was pretty much a blur of dark hallways, people reaching out from both sides to grab me or yell at me, and after awhile, I kept my gaze on only one side of the hallway so I’d only be scared once, and started screaming proactively so that the teenage employees could move onto the next victim.
Jason was behind me and I was positively dragging him so that we could MOVE FASTER through this nightmare, but he wanted to take his time and appreciate the whole experience. I only felt him jump once, when someone turned on a (real) chainsaw next to our heads. The rest of the time, he laughed every time I screamed (which was often) or when someone jumped out at him (which was also often.)
The three scariest things were the hallway with the strobe lighting, which made everybody appear all herky-jerky (MY WORST NIGHTMARE), the guy who didn’t jump out and scream at me, but instead got so close to my ear I could feel his breath as he whispered, “Boo” and sent me 10 feet into the air, and the pitch-black hallway where I could sense a presence in the hallway with us rather than confined in the rooms along the sides. I stood frozen in place for a few seconds and fearfully hissed to Jason, “There’s someone in here with us!” He told me to keep moving, which I most definitely did not want to do, but there was really no choice. Suddenly, the music from Halloween came on and as my adrenal glands shot themselves into the stratosphere, a light flickered just long enough for me to see someone dressed as Michael Myers standing less than eight inches from my face.
Bravo to Jason for trying to get you to do the haunted house. This haunted house is not that scary!!! I had one where one of the creatures followed us out to the car. Or one person had a chain saw that appeared out of no where. My friend and I could not get out of the room fast enough. We ran poor Brian down. Seriously, you have to be the biggest scardy cat on the face of this planet. I love you very much, but you would be a blast to take into some of the haunted houses or mazes I have been into.
You didn’t try the other bacon dish? Gees, the world is coming to an end.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty — September 2, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
Oh my gosh, I am so impressed, because after my experience in jr high at the county fair I refuse to go in haunted houses. I came out crying. I love scary movies, but this stuff FREAKS ME OUT. I was just listening to the scary stories a friend of ours had about remodelling his house and finding weird stuff in the walls (children’s art; a box labeled IVF Treatment with used bandages; a girl’s shirt, all ripped up), and then seeing/hearing/feeling things in the dark. CREEPY!!
PS. The name of the above commenter and what they said makes me think we possibly know some of the same people. Also freaking me out! LOL.
Comment by Becky — September 2, 2010 @ 3:35 pm
And confirmed. *Cue “It’s a Small World”*
Comment by Becky — September 2, 2010 @ 3:45 pm
OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD, I CANNOT handle scary anything. I am a super wuss. The worst would be SENSING someone in the dark. Oh, sweet Jezuz.
Comment by Artemisia — September 2, 2010 @ 4:06 pm
I love horror movies, but haunted houses freak me right the hell out. All of those things you mentioned in the last paragraph are the stuff of my worst nightmares. GAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.
Comment by nonsoccermom — September 2, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Becky,
Who do we have in common? I’m dying to know!
Comment by Shauna — September 2, 2010 @ 4:36 pm
You went down the slide! I haven’t done that in at least 25 years. Seriously I think the last time I went on the slide I would have been about 10 and well crap if that isn’t 26 years ago. Depressing.
I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU WENT IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE!!! I feel like I’ve been in there before but there is NO WAY that I actually have. NO WAY! I still get freaked out when I think about scenes from “The Shining” which I haven’t watched since I WAS 10! The “Scream” movies scare me. No way no how. I can’t even walk by that Haunted House while I’m at the Fair and not freak out. You are a brave brave person my friend.
Comment by Emily — September 2, 2010 @ 6:14 pm
Am the only one wondering why the MINNESOTA state fair has a booth with powder that when you add water it turns to fake snow? Um, you don’t get enough snow of the real variety?
Comment by Shelly — September 2, 2010 @ 7:33 pm
What were you thinking…going into the haunted house?!! Did we not just have the discussion about scary movies (The Shining in particular) and the towel bar that looked like eyes? Geez you are getting forgetful in your old age. Or is that me? I went into that dangblasted haunted house once about 15 years ago and I came out with two skinned knees & an elbow because I just ran through it. Now there are way more scary movies out! That will be something I will never do again! But seriously, I am glad that you made it out okay…but don’t forget to check under your bed before you go to sleep tonight.
Comment by Rachelle — September 3, 2010 @ 1:13 pm
Great Ferris Wheel photo!!
I recently went to the fair with my friend Kate, and talked HER into going into a “haunted house”. Riiight. There were mirrors, and a maze, and that was IT. Nothing really scary! It was a serious letdown.
Comment by amber — September 4, 2010 @ 8:30 pm
By the way, I also STILL see Samora from the The Ring at random moments (mostly in the dark, when I’m alone). ECK.
Comment by amber — September 4, 2010 @ 8:34 pm
Shauna,
Becky knows me. I met her through my brother Shawn. Becky’s husband(Ryan) went to High School with Shawn. They are fabulous people!!
Comment by Michelle Flaherty — September 7, 2010 @ 9:57 am
I LOVED the deep fried pickles!!!
Comment by Angie Bailey — September 7, 2010 @ 6:41 pm
Interesting. Well, I just have added your blog to my bookmarks and I hope you’ll keep posting post like that. Regards,
Comment by Joseph — April 6, 2011 @ 3:52 pm