Indiana State Fair - 2011

This past weekend, Ella and Coltyn convinced Mom, Dad and Papaw B. to take advantage of Friday’s free admission to the Indiana State Fair. Ella viewed this as an opportunity to have even more money available to drop at the Midway and on Fair food. The visit started off with a tour of the farm exhibits. They laughed at the World’s Largest Boar, pet the sheep, fed the stinky goats, and of course, visited with the horses. Next, it was on to lunch. Both Ella and Coltyn quickly devoured a massive corn dog, but managed to save room for dessert, which would come later in the afternoon. After lunch, it was onto the Midway. Both kids were fearless, and questioned why they were unable to participate in the rides that had certain height requirements. However, they were able to locate several rides that accommodated their current stature, yet still provide the adrenaline rush they were looking for. Ella gravitated towards the Ferris Wheel. She didn’t want to miss out on an opportunity to see the fairgrounds from a different perspective. Atop the ride Ella proclaimed, “I can see my whole life up here!”. She dangled over the edge of the basket in hopes that both Papaw and Coltyn would see her each time she made a complete rotation. However, she wasn’t too impressed with Dad’s prank once the ride stopped at the top. Evidently, Ella was unaware that the wheel would occasionally stop so that others below could exit, and Dad stating, “Uh oh, we’re stuck!” didn’t sit too well with Ella. However, no tears were shed, and once Ella realized it was just an innocent joke, she took full advantage of the opportunity to soak in the scenery.

Coltyn rode several rides as well. His enjoyed the Bumble Bee ride, but his clear favorites were the motorized trucks and motorcycles. He was fully immersed in each ride, and actually felt like he was responsible for the movement and direction of the vehicles. He was beaming with pride upon exiting each vehicle, as if he had just orchestrated the greatest convoy in motor vehicle history. All in a day’s work.

The visit concluded with a sampling of the Fair’s finest dessert items. Both Ella and Coltyn decided upon strawberry ice cream in a waffle cone. They willing accepted Papaw’s ordering mistake, which resulted in double scoops of ice cream for each of them, as opposed to just a single scoop. Upon eliminating the ice cream, they moved onto an elephant ear. Shortly after exiting the Fair, both kids quickly fell asleep, clearly exhausted from a full day of activities. Until next year…