Scenes from the Fair

A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to visit the Clay County Fair...not once...not twice...but three times. No jokes, we may still be in recovery mode. It is so great to have such an awesome county fair just outside our back door to celebrate the end of summer and kick off the beginning of fall. If you remember, we also took C to the fair last year, but now that he is a little older, he had so much more fun. Some highlights...

Fist up? Townhouse Tenderloins...aka the best tenderloin you will ever eat. This thing is for real, and is enough to easily fill you up without any sides. We discovered them last year, and have heard from many...many other locals that it is also their first stop of the fair. Last year, they sold out on the last day of the fair, so this year, we may have gone twice just for good measure...

Speaking of fair food, C got to try his very first morsel of fried deliciousness which came in the form of fried mac & cheese bites. Obviously, he loved them. Also on the fair menu...the best strawberry smoothies. C has been loving smoothies lately, so this was a healthy fair food option that I was ok letting him indulge in more than once. Of course, T, who doesn't typically eat much for breakfast or lunch, was in full overindulgence mode and fair food heaven, and fed C mini-donuts the second I turned my back. Men...

C was fascinated with the shiny Indian motorcycles on display, and couldn't wait to get on one and practice his biker skills.

Other highlights...animals! C LOVED Grandpa's Barn (a.k.a. the baby animal barn) this year. He was able to get down and stand close to the pint-sized animals, and was even brave curious enough to reach out and pet the baby lambs! Also a fascination, the horses, sheep, and cows. Having an opportunity  to see the animals we read about in person was quite a big deal! Future vet perhaps?

Another favorite was visiting the train station. Honestly, C enjoyed it, but I think this fair stop was more about T, who couldn't wait to go check it out!

C's absolute favorite stop at the fair this year was hands down...the John Deere Pavilion. He love. Love. LOVED. sitting on the riding mowers, inspecting all of the gears and levers, and 'pretending' to drive. The last day of the fair, Grandpa T was working, and C got to go pick out his favorite toys from the kids section. He's not just anyone's son, and he went straight for the most expensive ride-on toys he could find. He's not quite able to reach the pedals yet, but I could see this tractor potentially finding a home in our garage sometime in the future. He was the perfect size for this motorized gator, but considering we live next to the lake, I don't think it will be coming home with us anytime soon! I should also mention, in case you are looking for an awesome little kid activity at the fair, the John Deere Pavilion has a 'cornbox' a.k.a. sandbox filled with corn, that is full of kid sized farm equipment and 'treasures' (coupons for toy discounts) for kiddos to dig for. C absolutely couldn't get enough, and had So. Much. Fun. playing in the corn. We'll definitely be stopping back next year!

Last, but not least, we had to walk through the midway on the way home the last night of the fair. C was fascinated watching all of the kids rambling about, the bright lights, and the many different sounds from various games and carnival rides. There were a couple of rides he maybe could have tried out, but the kid-sized roller coaster was not one of them! Considering he measured 35" just a few weeks ago, I think the carnival workers should maybe rethink their height requirements!

Oh Dad, do you think I could please go on this carnival ride?

But Dad!!! What do you mean I'm not tall enough? 

Maybe next year C!