Our State Fair is the Best State Fair

I'm  no expert on State Fairs, but word on the street is that Iowa might just give any state a run for their money when it comes to fairs. Every year during a 10 day period in August around 1 MILLION people go through the gates to attend the greatest fair in the world. I have probably been to the fair about 25 times in my life and look forward to it every summer. Growing up going to the fair was a family tradition. When I was in college the fair was the place to party.  Oh and the concerts are always sure to impress. I have seen Kenny Chesney, Clay Aiken and Keith Urban all take the stage at the Grandstand. But this year, I got to experience the State Fair through the eyes of child again as Drake experienced his first ever Iowa State Fair.

Probably one of the greatest things about the fair is the food. Food that is fried and on a stick to be specific. I indulged in a corn dog, fried cheese curds and a fresh squeezed lemonade during out trip.

The next best thing to the food is the people. People watching does not get any better than at the fair. Fanny packs, mullets and cut off shirts are in no shortage here.

We even let Drake indulge in a little fair food of his own with a nice big hot dog.

The other thing that is huge at the fair are the endless supply of HUGE animals. Here Drake is posing with the giant bull. Let me just say that this picture does not do the bull justice.

We even got a little trashy for the night and branded our child with a Iowa Hawkeye tattoo. GO HAWKS!

Did you know that there is a college in Iowa named Drake University? (and no, Drake is not named after it)We could not pass up the chance for our Drake to pose with the Drake sign. We also thought that 1 tattoo was not nearly enough and got him a Drake tattoo as well!

This probably seems really weird to anybody who does not live in Iowa but every year they make a cow out of butter. People line up to see it and it is probably the most anticipated attraction at the fair every year.

But you see a cow made out of butter is not good enough for us Iowans. Nope we go one step further and do a different butter theme every year. This year the theme was Dr. Seuss.

Drake had his first experience touching a cow. He kept pointing at it and saying "dog" over and over again. Looks like we need to work on animals!

To say that Drake was terrified of the State Fair Queen would be an understatement. You see, I was not really wanting to be in this picture but Drake took one look at her crown and just lost it. As you can see he still has not gotten over the sharp object sticking out of head.

To end our trip at the fair I had to get a Dole Whip. Have you ever had a Dole Whip? They are the best.thing.ever. Pineapple flavored soft serve ice cream that is just so so good. It is our tradition to eat one as we walk out of the fairgrounds.

 I think I can say proudly that our state fair is the best state fair...at least to me!