the birds and the beasts were there.

My parents didn’t take us to the fair when we were growing up.

I’m not sure why. Probably because it was an extra expense they didn’t need and it wasn’t something that sounded remotely fun.

But we take the girls. Every year.

We head north to the state fairgrounds and we pay too much for parking. We buy over-priced and fatty foods. Carelessly throw away $20 on a few rides for the girls that look like accidents-waiting-to-happen. We encourage them to pet animals and stick their hands in cages that say “Please Do Not Touch the Animals.” They smell all the flowers in the AG building and poke the world’s largest ball of popcorn. They eat ice cream for dinner and lemon shake-ups for dessert. And on the way home, they have fruit snacks and juice. We come home dirty and smelly and no one is allowed to sit on the couch until they’ve had a good scrub in the bathtub.

It’s a blast. I can’t believe my parents avoided it.

The state fair is the best.