It’s the Best State Fair… in our State

Electronic Music Adds to the Excitement of the Matterhorn

The arrival of Fall brings football, colorful leaves, wood burning fires…..and State Fairs. As long as I can remember, almost every year that I have lived in South Carolina, barring a few years spent living in the Northeast, I have attended the South Carolina State Fair in October. It is a tradition I look forward to as soon as the nights begin to cool and the days are crisp.

I don’t think I could count the number of hours I have spent wandering the sawdust lined maze of brightly lit rides along the Midway; playing dodgy games of chance in relentless pursuit of the GIGANTIC stuffed animal; and sampling a little something from each of the food booths laden with cotton candy, candy apple, corn dogs, and French fries with malted vinegar. Although the sawdust has been replaced with asphalt walkways, the rides have changed over the years, and the hoochie coochie shows are gone, the thrill and excitement of fair time has never diminished for me;

Fall Canning Exhibit

Woodcarver – Turning a Wooden Bowl

I love stepping carefully through the livestock barns fragrant with the scent of “Eau d’Bovine” (and other equally distinct scents), scratching snuffly hog snouts, and taking time to watch the equine performances in the red clay arena. The exhibit buildings are all about agriculture – flower arrangements, garden displays, sand sculpture, and cooking demonstrations.  There are colorful towers of baked and canned goods along with needlework, quilting, and fine art competitions. The state fair can sometimes feel like sensory overload… but that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Gigantic Pumpkin !

Sights, sounds,and smells of fair time….I love it all!

Sand Sculpture

Art Exhibits

Of the 3200 fairs that take place across the United States each year, is there one in your area?

Have you been to your own State fair recently?