Flashback Friday

The state fair ended last Sunday, but for the past couple of weeks, I couldn't help but reminisce about our family trips to the fair when I was a kid. 

The 'Rents and I would always go to the fair on the first Saturday.  We would get up early and leave as soon as we ate breakfast and be one of the first cars in the parking lot.  Our first stop would always be to get a corn dog and a lemon shake-up, regardless of the fact that we had breakfast an hour ago.  Then we would move on to the West Wing where we would look at all of the animals on exhibit -- the cows, pigs, goats, sheep, and every other animal they would fit in.  Then we would walk around back to the barns underneath Cardinal Stadium.  We'd look at the mules, rabbits and roosters on display. 

By this time, we'd be ready for lunch, where we would eat at the Great Kentucky Cookout Tent and have an awesome ribeye or pork chop sandwich.  After we'd eaten, we'd then over to the East Wing.  We would spend a lot of time visiting all of the exhibitors booths and get any kind of freebies they would be giving out.  You could always count on a couple of yardsticks, some emery boards and pencils.  Also, we would have to buy a package of awesome Archway cookies; never mind we could buy them in the store.

After sitting down and resting for awhile, it would be time to head out to the midway.  Let me preface by saying even as a young kid,  I didn't find anything amusing about amusement parks.  The only ride I wanted to ride was the pony rides.  The 'Rents would let me ride it 4 or 5 times in a row.  Then I would be tired of the pony and want to go and try to win something on the midway.  Once I was tired of trying to win prizes, we would usually stop at the Frisch's Big Boy booth on the midway for a Big Boy and a cherry Coke, while once again we rested and regrouped.

By now it was well after supper time, and time for the biggest thrill of the day, the rodeo.  Believe me when I tell you my family and I lived for the rodeo.  We had a horse, and Dad participated in horse shows throughout the year, and our family was in the big horse scene.  But it wasn't just all horses and cowboys and cowgirls.  Each year, they would have some very big named country start perform during the intermission of the rodeo.  I had the privilege of seeing Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, Lynn Anderson and many others during our rodeos over the years.

After the rodeo was over, we'd hike back to the car and head home, where we would fall fast asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.  And the 'Rents and I would always sleep in the next morning.  In fact, it was the only Sunday morning that we didn't go to church during the year.