10/25/19: The State Fair

Now that I am in quarantine, I finally have time to share photos from the last time I was in a gigantic crowd. Back in October, my mom, two of my siblings, and I went to the state fair with some family friends, and we had a wonderful time. We used to go with this family ever year, but that hadn't happened since 2009, and I had never been back to the fair since. It amazed me to see how much had changed in ten years, because even though some things were exactly the same, everything looked much smaller than it had, there were all kinds of cultural references and music choices that didn't exist ten years ago, many of the political tables were promoting different or more intensified causes, and the psychedelic prizes included fewer cats and dogs and more unicorns, narwhals, pandas, sloths, and raccoons.

Also, there were new children involved. Here is my friend Makenzie with her three-year-old brother. We had a hard time getting him to look at the camera, much less smile for it, but Makenzie's faces kept getting better.

              Here is a bookseller's arrangement with two pandas right next to each other. I have a near super-powered ability to spot pandas anywhere, and I kept pointing them out as we walked through midway and through the convention buildings. Because Makenzie is a competitive person, she tried to spot pandas before I did, but I always saw them first. It was hilarious for a while, but then there were so many pandas that I stopped pointing them out. This, too, was a change from ten years ago, when seeing a panda image or stuffed animal was a much rarer experience.

              "I used to feel so disappointed whenever we walked by these hammocks, because the signs say you can't sit on them unless you're eighteen or older," Makenzie said. Then her eyes widened. "WAIT! I'm over eighteen!" We stopped and lagged behind our families so that she could fulfill her childhood dream.

My favorite part of the fair is seeing the crafts and decorated cakes.

              When I was a child, I wondered how many relationships ended after the state fair because girls had made their boyfriends carry around gigantic stuffed animals all day.

             Makenzie agreed to ride the Ferris Wheel with me and her younger sisters, but she was not too sure about this.

 The Building of Yesteryear was full of handicrafts.

 Also spotted in The Building of Yesteryear:

             One big excitement for the evening was that Zachary won the dart game and got a plush frog for his younger brother.

             It was a wonderful day, and I am very thankful for the memories that I made. Also, after I got home that night, I saw an email from Shutterfly with the subject line, "Remember this from twelve years ago?" I opened it to find pictures from our 2007 state fair trip, and it brought everything beautifully full circle. I'm so thankful for all of my good memories with these friends.