Friday Fry-Day: A trip to the Iowa State Fair

The motto of the Iowa State Fair is 'Nothing Compares'.  Boy, are they right. Every August growing up, my mom would take me back to the farm where she's from in a tiny rural town. A highlight of the trip was always our day at the famous fair. We would eat our way through the day stopping off at a multitude of kiosks and food stands offering everything from the traditional funnel cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar to Dippin' Dots, the 'ice cream of the future', and my first experience with the mini frozen ice cream balls which blend into unique flavor concoctions. We'd end our day with dinner at the Iowa Pork Producers BBQ tent for fresh juicy tenderloins smoked on the grill and served up in tents on wooden picnic tables. Sometimes we'd stay late to catch a concert & fireworks at the grandstand, and a turn on the midway ferris wheel sparkling in twinkling lights. Ah, those were the days…

Fried Mac and Cheese! Fried Dough! Fried Cinnamon Rolls! Oh My!

This year, I vowed to get back to the farm and the fair. Unfortunately, we only had a couple precious hours to dedicate to galavanting around the fairgrounds AND… it was pouring rain. My mom and I were determined to re-live the old times, so we grabbed umbrellas and started pounding the pavement. We started stopping at all of the brightly colored vendors to see what each had to offer. As a general rule, there are no calories to account for on fair day, and therefore you are required to indulge in a bit of fluffy fried glory, as well as a variety of things on a stick.

Stuff -on-a-Stick!

We had heard a rumor that there was actually Fried Butter being served up, but to our dismay, we couldn't find the holy grail. Though I wanted nothing to do with said 'treat', I wanted to document some brave soul who actually wanted to try it.

Deep fried Twinkies and candy bars...

Although it was 10 AM when we strolled by the pork tent, we were able make friends with some of the guys on the grill. They weren't going to let us leave the fair without our favorite tradition: a juicy grilled pork sandwich topped with BBQ sauce and a high pile of pickles. Thank you Iowa Pork Producers! Hope to see you next year...