Top 10 joys of state fairs

statefair_sartoreNational Geographic’s July issue has an article on state fairs by Garrison Keillor. It includes photos from state fairs in six states, including Kansas, by former Eagle photographer Joel Sartore. Among Keillor’s “Ten Chief Joys of the State Fair” are:
— “To eat food with your two hands.”
— “To see the art of salesmanship, of barking, hustling, touting, and see how effectively it works on others and not on cool you.”
— “To watch the judging of livestock.”
— “To sit down and rest amid the turmoil and reconsider the meaning of life.”

4 Comments

  1. JWink
    Posted July 15, 2009 at 6:18 am | Permalink

    I like #3, something to the effect, “mobs of persons wandering through the hubbub … searching for some elusive thing, nobody is sure exactly what.”

  2. Regular
    Posted July 15, 2009 at 10:41 am | Permalink

    I like Garrison Keilor – funny philosopher..

  3. Monkeyhawk
    Posted July 15, 2009 at 3:07 pm | Permalink

    Check out all of the National Geographic’s photo gallery.

    As always, NG’s photography is superb.

    I haven’t been to a state fair in ages. Last time, I think I got talked into buying a first-generation Sham-Wow!

    It did suck up spills, but was lousy on the car and didn’t stand up to machine washing. Maybe it wasn’t made in Germany. You know the Germans always make good stuff.

    (I assume he’s talking about Beemers and Mercedes and not crematoria.)

    (Then again, given Vince’s recent legal problems, who knows?)

    I’m not all that surprised deep-fried Snickers bars are big sellers at state fairs. I’m perpetually stunned someone would think of the concept in the first place.

    I have a friend who brokers sales of premium cattle. He identifies his occupation on his income tax forms: “Bull Shipper.”

    He goes to a lot of state fairs and always comes back just shaking his head.

    He once said, “The animals are getting better. The people, not so much.”

    Check out that NG photo from the guy who dives a thousand feet or so into a bucket of water. And check out the piddly size of the crowd (that cluster of balloons) he’s doing it for.

    The diver guy does it 10 times a day, has broken both legs and both feet innumerable times.

    All in all, I’d rather be in the balloon business.

  4. JimJohnson
    Posted July 15, 2009 at 3:10 pm | Permalink

    Pretending you are having fun paying $6/brat, $6/beer, eating cra ppy unhealthy food, while bringing in revenue for the State.