August 8, 2013 - Indiana State Fair

In 35 years, I have never missed going to the Indiana State Fair.  I believe that my mom even went when I was still in utero at about 39 weeks pregnant.  Today I continued this tradition.
I have had my birthday at the fair.  I marched in the band day competition.  I have had my projects judged at the fair.  I have worked at the fair, once for the Lt. Governor's office and once for Geico.  I have been to a concert at the fair (Reba Mcintyre).  I have walked over nearly every inch of those fairgrounds in my lifetime.
Every time I go, I typically go into the same buildings and stop by the same vendors.  I have to go to the Dairy Bar and get a grilled cheese and a milkshake.  In fact, I remember getting that for my grandmother on many occasions as well.  I also get a pineapple whip cone and a glass of tomato juice (not eaten at the same time).  Some years I get a turkey leg, others I enjoy a pork chop or a lamb burger.
For many years, my family would be stationed near the sheep barn's wool room, where my grandfather transitioned after he quit judging sheep and showing them.  He exhibited for something like 50 years in a row at the fair with either his sheep or their wool.  He actually passed away not long after the state fair ended when he died in 2006.
I don't know what I like about the fair specifically, but generally speaking I love the memories that it brings back for me.  My grandparents, parents, and my sister and I would get up really early on the first day of the fair (which was always a Wednesday) and head for Indianapolis while it was still dark.  We got to the fair early on the first day to see the hot air balloons get aired up and take off for the balloon race.  After that we would venture over to the sheep barn and watch the shows until about lunch time, when the fair started to come alive.  We would go through all the buildings, looking for evidence of 4-H projects from people we knew and learning about all sorts of things in the exhibits.  We would check out the roach races that our family friend, Tom Turpin, ran in the Purdue building.  We would eat game meats at the wild foods dinner in the DNR area.  We also tried to get our parents to let us ride rides, but stopped asking eventually and weren't even interested in the rides anymore.  We would get on the fair tractor and do laps around the fairgrounds until we felt like walking again.  Around 4 in the afternoon, we would get tired and head for home before the rush hour traffic started.  We would be exhausted, and if we were lucky, we would have an elephant ear to eat on the way home.
It was an adventure that I cherished and looked forward to every summer.  It was the dessert at the end of summer and marked the advent of the beginning of school.
Today, when I went to the fair, I realized that it wasn't about me anymore.  My son, even though he is just 10 months old, enjoyed seeing the people, eating the food, and seeing the animals.  I kept thinking how neat the exhibits would be for him if he were a bit older.  I didn't feel like I had seem much of anything new this year, but for my son it was all new.  I hope that he is able to have as many great memories at the Indiana State Fair as I have had over the years.