Idaho State Fair

It’s time again for the Eastern Idaho State Fair! The food, rides, displays, venders, carnival games, petting zoo, 4H, the list of to see’s and to do’s are almost endless. Depending on your age group and interests, you may be interested in different events, but I thought someone out there might be interested in a brief summary of findings at this year’s fair.

Food:
There is no shortage of food booths this year, you have everything from hamburgers, to funnel cakes, to ice cream, to create your own snow cone with an unlimited amount of sugar-juice. I didn’t get a chance to see if they were still offering the famous fried Twinkies and fried Snickers bar death wish, but maybe some of you who pass by later this week can update us.

One of my favorite annual treats is the Tiger Ears. They’ve sold them in the same stall for as long as I can remember. They are basically an enormous flat scone with cinnamon/sugar on top and honey butter on the side. I’d be interested to know how they came up with such a name – but didn’t have the mind with me to ask, if any of you get a chance, see if you can track down the origins of the name for us. Speculation on possible legends are also welcome.

One thing I find amazing is how the prices vary so dramatically from booth to booth. Take a look at what I found this year for the price of a bottle of water:

Bottled Water: $3.00!!!

Not far away at Creamy Creations:

$1 – Ahhh, much more reasonable.  Bottom Line – keep your eyes open for pricing and do some quick shopping around to avoid overpaying.

Reeds Dairy has some of the best Ice Cream in the world in my opinion, and for some reason they while we were next to their booth they offered us a free ice cream! I love those guys!

Rides and Carneys:
Most of the rides are about the same old same old you’ve seen before. The fun house, ferris wheel, merry-go-round, roller coaster, nothing new. There was a very interesting train-like ride that went along a vertical oval track and spun upside down at the same time. I didn’t get a chance to ride that one, but it looked great!

One the flip side, the Haunted House ride (probably called something else) was about the worst haunted ride I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t expecting anything like the Haunted Mansion in Disney land either. The ride lasts about 45 seconds and is has about 3-4 “spooky” mannequins, with some weak horns along the way – bottom line, even if you’re interested, save your money.

The carnival rides operators are about as spooky as ever. I anticipate they hire these people to travel with them as hiring temp labor would require them to do some heavy training along the way, and I try to imagine the quality of help they can find when looking to fill a job that pays next to nothing and requires you to travel.

I happened to be at the fair with a friend and a small child (3 years old) who I ended up watching for part of the time there, and at every ride I took the child to, I always took the child in and did the seatbelt myself. I’d never trust one of these guys with a child’s safety. Some of ride operators looked like they might have been drinking earlier that day, and others hardly spoke a word of English. Bottom line – if you’re with small children, you consider taking the burden of responsibility of your children’s safety upon your own shoulders.

Specialty Booths:

Mechanical Bull
Every time I passed the Mechanical Bull, it seemed to have a good crowd around. This year they’re charging $6.00 for a ride, andthey had people from toddlers, to moms, to full-fledged cowboys giving it a whirl. The line was a little long for my liking, but It looks like great fun!

Remote Control Car Racing -
For $3.00 you can compete against others in a 15 lap remote control car race. The winner gets a free race. This is one I actually tried, and actually won! (after about the 4th race that is).

Green Screen Personal Comedy Creator -
Something new this year (at least, I hadn’t seen it at the fair before) is an interesting Green Screen movie maker where you and some friends heads can be placed on some funny dancing bodies. It drew a group of gawkers and was quite the novelty. It’s funny for the moment, but kind of like a whoopee cushion, I think the humor would ware off pretty quickly after you got home.

WRAP UP:
I didn’t have time to visit all the barns and other areas.  If someone gets a chance to stop by, maybe they could add their views in the comments.  All in all, this is a great annual event for friends, family, and the community.  Lots of competitions, lots of good food, and lots of fun.  Please share your views or experience from this years State Fair.

OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION:

FAIR HOURS:
Gates Open – 8:00 a.m. each day
Buildings Open – 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. each day

Getting there:

Click on the image below for a map of the area.

Popularity: 17%

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