Deep Fried Ambassador update: Cold, rainy, happy

Our Deep Fried Ambassador is busy blogging about all things N.C. State Fair related. We’ll re-post all of her Fair entries, but be sure to check out her Pretty*Swell blog.

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Going to the fair today could have been a really bad idea. It was cold and drizzly. Small Fry was grouchy from cutting her latest tooth. And I wasn’t feeling very motivated this morning.

But the fair makes everything better.

We arrived at around 9:30 a.m., along with every other person in North Carolina who owns a stroller. Clearly we’d all received the same top secret, for-parents-of-young-children memo. Go to the fair on Sunday morning. In the rain. When the rest of the world is still in bed.

First stop: the State Fair Ark of course. Small Fry had to say hey to all her old friends. We also got lucky and caught the beekeeper in action. Enclosed in a screened-in booth, he gingerly lifted frames from the hive to reveal hordes of bees. At one point, he swiped his finger across one of the trays and took a lick of honey. Cool.

M bought us some honey sticks, and Small Fry really liked her first tastes of the sweet stuff.

Next, we took refuge from the drizzle inside the Land of Yesteryear. I was astounded at the breadth of talent in that building. We watched all sorts of artisans at work, and naturally I came across a few things I’d like to buy (including beautiful work by a self-proclaimed scissor artist). More on that in a later post.

By the time we got back outside, the rain had stopped and temperature risen just a bit. Time for lunch. Chili-dogs for M and me. And another stop at Miss Debbie’s for a caramel apple. No bacon today. Gotta pace myself.

We ran into our neighbors in Kiddieland, and Small Fry was thrilled (and slightly confused by the lack of context) to see her pals. Especially little N, who was really enjoying a plush moose his dad had won.

I’ve always thought the fair was magic. Today I learned just how real that magic is. Even with a cranky toddler in the bitter cold and spitting rain, we had a wonderful time.

About Cotton Candy

Karlie Justus - blogged for the 2008 / 2009 N.C. State Fairs. This is her bio from 2009: When I'm not blogging for the N.C. State Fair, I go by Karlie Justus--but Cotton Candy suits me just fine. My earliest memories of the Fair are of the times my parents would bring my brother and I up from Asheville, N.C. for a double dose of the Fair and a N.C. State football game. Fast-forward two decades later, and I'm a public information officer for the deep fried celebration whose must-see Fair attractions include the giant pumpkins, decorated cakes and deep fried Oreos.

One Comment

  1. Deep Fried Corn! Rice’s deep fried corn…Find it , you won’t be disappointed!

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