The "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Burger’’ hit a hole-in-one with patrons at the Mississippi State Fair last year.
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With August and September being popular months for State Fairs across the United States, I thought I would preview some of the most popular food items and unusual entertainment attractions being offered this year.
But first a little history.
The Berkshire Agriculture Society, under president Elkanah Watson, held the first modern agriculture fair in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on September 24-25th, 1811. By 1858, 898 agricultural fairs were held across the U.S.; and by the 1990s, 125 million Americans annually attended agricultural fairs.
The main functions of these fairs in the 19th century were educational in scope. They were held so that farmers could meet other dirt farmers and exchange their experiences, learn the latest developments in machinery and new techniques in husbandry in order to improve upon their land.
There wasn't much in the way of entertainment at these early fairs, mainly stock and crop exhibits, and occasionally even some political exhortations. Abraham Lincoln attended the Wisconsin State Fair in 1859, speaking from a platform wagon under a tree, where he stressed the importance of building a better relationship between the farm and the city.
By the turn of the 20th century, State Fairs began to feature more and more entertainment to amuse fairgoers, such as with horse shows and bringing more of a carnival atmosphere to the venues.
At the 1910 California State Fair, for example, aviator Charles K. Hamilton, known for flying faster than a mile a minute (a world record at the time) performed some flying stunts; and in 1913, the California State Fair organizers would demonstrate trains crashing head-on, resulting in a plume of black smoke shooting high in the air.
These days, fair organizers don’t have to resort to crashing trains and low-flying planes to keep the local patrons entertained. Ever since Hopalong Cassidy, Lassie, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans appeared on the grandstand at the Ohio State Fair in 1956, celebrities have become more common at these annual affairs.
Fair organizers have additionally become spectacularly more creative whipping up food selections, along with offering a diverse smorgasbord of amusing attractions since the Agricultural Fairs of the 19th Century.
Here, then, is a sampling of attractions at State Fairs being held this year in the weeks and months ahead.
Maryland
The Maryland State Fair (August 26-September 5, 2011) features Brian Shankman, a.k.a. "The Candyman" who deep fries a variety of items from Buck Eyes to Candy Bars to Pop Tarts.
Entertainment at the fair will include Swifty Swine Racing & Swimming Pigs. In this unusual contest, pigs are named after celebrities - This year, Pig Master Zach will make the crowd go hog wild when he races Sowie Mandell, Sowlena Gomez, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pig, Arnold Swarzenhogger, Lindsay Loham and other celebrity porkers.
Also, in ``Masters of the Chainsaw’’, Marty Long, will turn a 3-foot-tall log into a detailed work of art, including bears, eagles, Maryland Terrapins, Baltimore Ravens, and more using a variety of chainsaws.
And coming back for the third consecutive year will be the Arm wrestling USA/Maryland Classic for both men and women classes.
Utah
At the Utah State Fair (September 8-18, 2011) some food items that will absolutely melt in your mouth, include: alligator on-a-stick, alligator sausage sandwiches, alligator burger, alligator ribs smoked, frog legs, Rocky Mountain oysters, rattle snake, elk burgers, yak burgers, kobe beef burgers, crawfish, ostrich on-a-stick, ostrich burger, ostrich sausage sandwiches, python, venison burger, antelope sandwiches, black bear burger, raccoon on-a-stick, beaver on-a-stick, hand dipped exotic corndogs (buffalo, alligator, venison), scorpions, chocolate covered scorpions, crickets, chocolate covered crickets, larve, ant candy, chocolate covered ants, suckers (in different flavors and bugs), deep fried jelly beans, deep fried butter, and maggot melt sandwich.
And as a stink preview, each year, Odor Eaters sponsors a stinky sneaker contest in which each winner earns a trip to the national contest. Last year’s state winner from Utah won the national contest.
Minnesota
At the Minnesota State Fair (August 25-September 5, 2011), some top selling food items hot off the grill will include: walleye on-a-stick, spaghetti & meatballs on-a-stick, 1/3 lb. slab of bacon on-a-stick, key lime pie on-a-stick, espresso on-a-stick, fried fruit on-a-stick, hot dish on-a-stick, and ostrich on-a-stick, among others.
A wildly popular entertainment draw at the Minnesota State Fair is ``The Princess Kay of the Milky Way Competition’’ in which young women raised in dairy farming families compete to be crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way and be the ambassador for Minnesota’s Dairy Industry for the coming year. Princess Kay and her court of 11 each have their heads carved in a 90 lb. block of butter (one per day of the fair) in a rotating cooler.
Also featured is a Crop Art Competition in which seeds and crop remnants are used to create fine art.
Alaska
At the Alaska State Fair (August 25-September 5, 2011), the 16th Annual Cabbage Weigh-Off will be held in which the winner is awarded $2,000. Crops entered into Alaska’s Fair, currently hold 9 records in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Another unique feature of the Alaska State Fair, which they probably can safely call their own, is the Moose Calling Contest in which contestants belt out some lively grunts and rhythmic humming as a way of romancing the moose.
North Carolina
At the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh, NC, (October 13-23, 2011), fried foods much like at other state fairs will be in full swing, with deep fried items consisting of Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pecan Pie, Twinkies, Bacon & Cheese Mashed Potatoes Bites, Chips Ahoy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Pie, Honey Buns, Pumpkin, Frito Pie, and Brownies.
Other items to be had include: Alligator on a stick, Mashed potato martini (mashed potatoes, chili and cheese served in a martini glass), Pig lickers (chocolate covered bacon), and 1 lb. Foot long All Beef Hotdog, with chili and coleslaw on a Potato Roll.
In spite of all the fun food items and entertainment attractions, what fair organizers are most proud of is their Food Lion Hunger Relief Day, which is the largest one-day canned food drive in the state. Fairgoers can exchange four cans of food for one free admission ticket, with all of the food donated delivered to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC. Last year, they collected 247,569 pounds of food.
Texas
Not only is Texas famous for ten gallon hats, its chili, oil and the Big Bend National Park, but the Texas Fair has now earned the title of being the ``Fried Food Capital of Texas.’’ This year at the State Fair of Texas (September 30-October 23, 2011) some hot selling food items include: fried Coke (as in Coca-Cola), fried beer, and deep fried peaches and cream.
Nebraska
The Nebraska State Fair (August 26-September 5, 2011) will be serving chocolate covered you name it, including potato chips, bacon, cheese curls, rice crispy treats, chicken; along with dishing out fried cream cheese and bacon on a Stick, fried peaches, fried cookie dough, fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, and fried candy bars.
Mississippi
At the Mississippi State Fair, scheduled for October 5-16, 2011, a highly talked about food item last year was the "Krispy Kreme Doughnut Burger’’, which will more than likely make an encore this year. New this year will be Fried Kool-Aid and Ring of Greens (Turnip greens in the center of cornbread).
The scheduled entertainment includes: A Mr. Leg’s contest; Mother/Daughter Look-A-Like contest; and a Beard contest.
New Mexico
The New Mexico State Fair (September 9-25, 2011) will include an annual Rooster Crowing contest and a Spam Sculpting contest.
Virginia
At the Virginia State Fair (September 29-October 9, 2011) In addition to Hot Wisconsin Cheese, elephant ears, and funnel cakes to satisfy your hunger pangs, the Virginia State Fair will be entertaining patrons with Racing Pigs, a chairsaw artist, Giant Pumpkin Contests, and a Cowboy Mounted Shooting Contest in which cowboy-clad riders compete at shooting balloon targets in between barrels.
-Bill Lucey
[email protected]
August 21, 2011
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