County Fair Food...Yum
Our tiny Southern Illinois county celebrated its annual fair this past week and I enjoyed it again. In my opinion, there is nothing that better says “small town living” like the County Fair. From the Fair Queen contest to the tractor pulls and demolition derby to the rides and games of chance to the Fair Food (lemon shake-ups and Kiwanis BBQ), I love it all. My favorite part, though, is simply walking through the midway and visiting with people I wouldn’t see otherwise. I hope we never quit having county fairs. The pictures, by the way, were taken by my daughter. And in case you are wondering, my kids get their artistic talent from their Mom.
Recommended reading:
My grandson (in middle) with two buddies
Are We Making Minimum Payments to the Poor? at Money Help for Christians
Do You Need Overdraft Protection? at Frugal Zeitgeist
Early Mortgage Payment – A Good Idea? at Wealth Pilgrim (Interesting and thought provoking and logical, but personally, I would rather be totally debt free).
You Are What You Eat at Punch Debt in the Face
Divorce in this New Economic Reality at The Millionaire Nurse Blog
Help My Life is a Wreck; Now What? at Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
Should You Really Pay for These Things? at Faithful with a Few
Marketers Targeting Kids – What do You Think About Commercialized Childhood? at Wealth Informatics
Bankruptcy: America is Filing Like It’s 1999 at Good Financial Cents
Tax Rates by Country at Squirellers
Joe elsewhere on the net:
Fair Food - Nothing Like It
My post “How a Dreary Retirement Prognosis Can Actually Be Good” was run on Before It’s News
Vegetable Competition
Carnivals I have participated in:
Baby Boomer Blog Carnival at Baby Boomers U.S.
Carnival of Financial Planning hosted by the Skilled Investor
Christian Carnival hosted by Thinking in Christ
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks Joe for the link.
I love good old American country fairs too! Only been to a few. I do miss the ones we used to have in England as a kid too but they seem to have fizzled away in recent years.
I remember when I used to go to camp. We loved going to the county fairs! I miss that.
@Forest,
I guess I didn’t realize that England had ever had fairs similar to our American County Fairs. Too bad they are no longer common.
@Craig,
Are there any county fairs near where you live today? Ours is definitely small but it still captures the county fair atmosphere.
Joe, thanks for including my article!
I guess one of the downsides to growing up in a big city is that I don’t have any memories of fairs.
Khaleef,
Small town living has its perks.
By the way, where do you live?
Joe, I love small town fairs and carnivals. That’s a great shot of your grandson and his friends.
P.S. Where’s the funnel cake?
Kay Lynn,
Love of small town fairs is something else we have in common. There was funnel cake galore, but I didn’t eat any. Just not my favorite. I made up for it by overdosing on BBQ.
Yep the English country fair has a ton of the same elements (giant veggies, bird shows, motorbikes, farm animals and food….. My Dad said they still have good fairs out where he lives but I have not had a chance to visit for many years.
Thanks for including my article in your roundup.
I’m currently living in Northern Illinois (Chicago suburbs), so county fairs aren’t at all a part of life here – I don’t even know if there is one where I live! Very different from our friends downstate.
That said, I grew up in far Northern Indiana, and while it was basically in Suburban Chicago also, there was actually a county fair there that people went to. I remember the rides, elelphant ears, animals, etc. It was fun, though there was a tough crowd that frequented the fair too. Hopefully that’s not the case where you are!
Squirrelers,
To bad that suburban Chicago doesn’t have fairs. They might be a hit there. As far as the tough crowd at fairs…that has mellowed dramatically over the years. Yes, some of the carnival workers look a bit rough around the edges, but we don’t experience any trouble from them. In my mind, it is all part of the atmosphere that defines county fairs.
Thanks Joe.
The carnies I have met, are all hard working folks. But hard to get to know.
Thanks for including me!
Well, I was born and raised in Newark, NJ. I live close by now, and I work in New Brunswick, NJ (another urban area).
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