AN EVENING AT THE FAIR

I've pretty much lived in CT my who life and have never made it to the Lebanon Fair. As a child, because of school field trips, I would go to the Big E and walk around vast plots of land with my pre-teen friends, checking out all the things that grabbed our attention.......like the boys and cotton candy booth.

And then about five years ago, my "fair" horizons were expanded when my friends started taking me to the Woodstock Fair. I am proud to say that I actually was able to take in my surroundings in a far more mature fashion. The funny looking rooster that scowled at Jeff, the roaring go cart races, the amazing sand castles that change with the years........and the cotton candy booth.

But this year Sandee was asked to go to the Fair to judge some crafts and she invited her crew of women to go with her. So Sandee, Christiane, Kat and I spent about an hour looking over the handwork that was submitted to be judged and handed out appropriate ribbons.

Was I blown away? For the most part - NO. I was quite impressed with the junior division of crafters who seemed to take a lot of time thinking about their entries. I won't say anything disparaging because I want to be a promoter of all things done with fibers. But I will say this: If your project is a labor of love, all who see it will probably love it. Don't rush through a project just to get it done. We pick up on stuff like that. The way you finish your project can make or break you. As Sandee always says, you want your project to look handmade, NOT homemade. And by all means, challenge yourself, but also remember that sometimes less is definitely more. OK, enough said.

Here's the reason that I will attempt to go to every fair in this state. Do you see it? DEEP FRIED TWINKIES!! Totally scored! What an amazing concoction and of course I have heard of this delectable little snack. And I probably had the same question most people had: Why on earth would you deep fry a Twinkie. Well, if you are still posing that question, go and eat one and all of your questions will be answered.
A Twinkie on a stick, swirled in a tub of batter, flung in a vat of bubbling hot oil. My arteries are yelling at me right about now, but oh well. The person responsible for this ensemble of flavors is a bonafide genius! I mean, COME ON!
To make it an acceptable indulgence, Christiane and I split one (we won't talk about the hot fudge sundae we were also sharing at the same time) and I think we dispersed the caloric intake quite nicely. And we gave Sandee the last bite and her face was so cute when she popped the morsel of sinful proportions in her mouth. She literally looked like a happy child. Who needs cotton candy?

So, Jeff and I left shortly after and as we traipsed through the tire flattened, cold, wet Lebanon grass, I quickly grabbed my camera as Jeff counted rows to get us back to our car, and I turned my face to the sounds of people laughing and children screeching while a swing band played in the background. And for a second I was five years old again, holding on to my sister's hand with our parent's right behind us as we excitedly walked into our first carnival. And I realized that I've taken in more throughout the years then I give myself credit for. Nostalgia can be a beautiful thing.