When I was a little girl in Little Rock, Arkansas, visits to the State Fair were highly anticipated. I don’t think we went every year, but they made an impression on me – perhaps because they were not an annual thing. I distinctly remember the midway full of coin-operated machines that had cranes hovering over cheap little toys and trinkets, the taste of the candy apples, the smell of roasted nuts and the side shows that my parents wouldn’t allow me to see. To this day, caramel apples play second fiddle to the hard-shelled red candy apples in my memory. They were most certainly loaded with mind-altering amounts of red #40 and corn syrup – all the good stuff is.

Here in Northwest Arkansas the Washington County Fair is my smaller, but still satisfying substitution. When I was a kid, I was all about the rides, the food, and the attractions, but now I am more willing to wander through the buildings that house all the home-made preserves and pickles, and handmade sewing projects and art. It is so cool that there are still people entering these contests for the sheer joy of being able to say their grandma’s recipe for blackberry jam is a blue-ribbon winner.

I actually considered entering some pickles I made this year, but chickened out (and kind of forgot the deadline). I may get my act together in time to do it next year.

So, let’s see some posts about fairs! The title is county fair, but I don’t care if you write about state fairs, worlds’ fairs, local school fairs… whatever. Help us imagine the smells and sounds of the fair you attended, share a recipe for your blue-ribbon-winning jam, or just talk about your fear of ferris wheels… it’s all great!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who posted this week about your Halloween costumes! I loved seeing all your creativity!! :)

Until next week…