Celebrate What's Great!

In case you didn't know that's the tagline for the NC State Fair. I can "fairly state" that I may be one of only a couple of people I know personally that genuinely look forward to the fair every year. It's become a tradition with one of my best friends, Holly and I.

This year, her husband Matt and my other girlfriends Melissa and Kathryn joined in the fun.

Here they are waiting on me to grab some cash out of the ATM. Who goes to the fair and forgets cash? (me)

There are certain things about the fair that I've come to look forward to. This, however, was not one of them - The Krispy Kreme Burger.

I did NOT buy one of these cardiac contraptions, but I did ask a very nice lady if she would mind if I snapped a shot of her's. She was still contemplating what she had just done and how she was going to actually fit it in her mouth. 

We did run straight to the Cary United Methodist Church booth and grabbed the one item I think about all year long.

A ham biscuit so good I would swear my Grandma Hilda made it! I could have easily devoured more than just one but I had some serious eating still left to do, so I backed away from the table and continued on. 

Holly had a Bright Leaf Hot Dog - better known as a red hot dog. There are mixed reviews on these hot dogs... you either love them and that's all you eat. Or, you turn your nose up at the thought and make weird noises if someone suggests you try them. I'm in the first category. They're the only kind I eat!

There's another stop that must be made if you're me - or if you're from Mt. Olive, NC - or if you like pickles - or if you don't like pickles, but just want a sticker. 

Every year I grab my sticker and guess how many pickles are in the jar and every year I never get a call from Mt. Olive Pickle Co. telling me I won. This is on my bucket list. But I digress... and on we continued. 

Kathryn is my horse friend. She used to be on the Clemson Equestrian Team. I made her take this picture with the fake horse. She's a good sport. 

This booth had taken the candy apple to a whole new level. This one was named something like the "G.I. Buster". I'm pretty sure that means your stomach won't thank you once you finished with it.

Matt grabbed a philly cheesesteak. I think that's mustard on there. That's a new one to me. But, at the fair anything goes. 

My other "must have" of the evening is the NC State Ice Cream. It's the only time I seek out something red with the Wolfpack logo and pay money for it. But, there's something about it. I guess those farm kids from the ag school really do know what they're doing. (jk)

Click here to read more about Howling Cow Ice Cream and how you can get it all year long!

I had cherry vanilla while Holly tried the chocolate. 

Kathryn and Melissa grabbed a blooming onion to finish off our dietary disaster for the evening. I did eat onion at the same time I was eating cherry ice cream. It would never work at home, but out there it just felt right. 

After we finished stuffing our faces we moved on to some of our "brothers and sisters" who are good for doing the same thing.

I felt exactly the same way. 

There's one barn that houses all of the prize winning animals, vegetables and fruit. I looked just like an amateur that got a new camera and snapped way too many pictures. Just ask my friends who were with me - They left me and I had to run to catch up with them.

Who knew there were so many varieties of apples?

Watermelons

 Pumpkins

Prize winning sweet potatoes

We even found a cow that had a lot in common with Holly. They shared the same name. 

We finished up our tour with a brief walk through the Village of Yesteryear. These folks are REAL crafty. They made my spray paint and hot glue gun feel inferior. Check out these hand painted eggs. 

And this hand carved and hand painted ducks. 

Talent. 

On our way out the door we tried to stop by to see the pig races, but that place gets PACKED - quick. There were so many people you couldn't get close enough to see them. But, like anything else, you can find it online. Here's what we missed!

I'm already trying to decide what flavor ice cream I'll get in 2011!