Fun at the State Fair

A few weeks ago the North Carolina State Fair came to town! It was so much fun - I absolutely love the fair. There is such an air of excitement and fascination that no matter how crowded or hot it gets, I always find something interesting around every corner.

This year was no different. One of my favorite things were the larger-than-life farm animals that were painted by local high school art classes. They were really creative, beautifully designed and extremely colorful. They reminded me of the art projects held by large cities like the Cow Parade and our own Raleigh Red Wolf Ramble.

In the agriculture building, we saw the largest pumpkin, a record breaker in NC this year at over 1,100 pounds, which was pretty surprising considering the drought. They also had a booth where you could milk a cow! Quite an experience for my daughter! The most hilarious thing was when a mama pig started to feed her piglets. I heard this squealing and laughing coming from a distant cage. I managed to get a video of one little piggy struggling against his siblings for a little lunch. Too funny!

We headed to the Village of Yesteryear and watched a real potter spin the wheel and create a beautiful vase. My daughter also decorated and stuffed her own doll which they sew together with a foot-pedal sewing machine (one of our favorite places, she now has three dolls!) I also enjoy wandering through the garden competition booths. This year they had one based on Alice in Wonderland with a purple planter called "Tea Thyme" containing flourishing thyme and teapots, two colorful Mad Hatter chairs on either side and stacks of teacups in the back. So cute!

Another treasure I found was the "Have Fun" monkey coconut. It came with a refreshing pina colada and a straw practically the size of my daughter. The best thing about the monkey coconut is that it can be used as a bank once you're finished. In my office, we decided that the monkey coconut would do better as a shrine to having fun and staying positive. So, the monkey coconut keeps my etsy.com mermaid company.

I also love all the fun food, but I can't have too much. Last year I tried a fried snickers bar and it just about did me in! Holy heart-attack on a stick, batman! I shied away from the breakfast on a fork and the BBQ sundae and decided on some fresh fried fish, which was scrumptious - along with my monkey coconut pina colada, of course, and we shared a little funnel cake!

And, my absolute favorite thing that I save until just before we leave, a relaxing ride on the ferris wheel! Just delightful!