State Fair, Part 2: {Chainsaws, Pigs, and Unicycles}

| Allison

Hello, dears!

I’m back with the second part of our adventures at the fair! After the girls saw the rodeo, we joined up with the boys and visited several other shows and attractions. Plus we got some food, because how is it a fair without food? šŸ˜‰ Enjoy some shots of a chainsaw artist, a unicycle rider, racing pigs, and more!

featured image 132

We shall begin with a picture of my entire family looking extremely confused. :’D HAHA. They were using the complicated fair map to figure out how to get to the next attraction.

fair 2 1

Eventually they figured it out, and we made it to the chainsaw artist! Have you seen one before? They carve amazingly intricate sculptures with just chainsaws. O.o Admittedly, he used different sizes of blades and not just your normal large one, but still, it was pretty amazing (and loud) to watch! Can you guess what he’s carving here?

fair 2 2

Yep, it’s a horse! :O It looks pretty neat here, but wait till you see some of his finished sculptures…

fair 2 3

SEE! I mean HOW?? It’s incredible! I’m sure he cleans it up and adds details with wood-burning tools, but still! Not many people could carve that with normal tools, I wouldn’t think. I couldn’t, anyway. XD

fair 2 4

Whoa, this one is so neat! Not exactly sure where you would put a sculpture like this, though. Ha ha!

fair 2 5

Next we stopped briefly at a blacksmith’s stand; the guy was making a knife from a file. We saw some already completed ones and they looked great! Just think – that’s the way they used to make so many things (if not everything) from metal. Wow.

fair 2 6

We strolled over to an antiques or vintage tent, where two elderly men were intent on some game I couldn’t recognize, involving dice and a wooden board. It amused me to watch them play so seriously in the middle of the large crowds of people flowing around them.

fair 2 7

I noticed a crowd gathered in one area and stopped to watch what was happening. Apparently it was some German guy who did tricks and rode a unicycle. I’m not exactly sure what his program was, but it was quite entertaining! Here, he’s asking two little boys throw him things to juggle with while on a unicycle.

fair 2 8

Good gracious, it seems rather difficult to balance on such a tall and precarious vehicle!

fair 2 9

We liked this show since it was actual real skill instead of just hyped-up illusions like a lot of fair shows are. Also, as I mentioned, he threw in plenty of hilarious comments in a strong accent.

fair 2 10

By this time it was getting close to supper, but we had decided to eat somewhere on the way home; thus we just got snacks to hold us over. Like funnel cakes! You can’t not get a funnel cake at a fair, right? My brother also got deep fried oreos. Bleh, I’ve had them before and didn’t care for them because they’re just SO rich and sweet. What do you think?

fair 2 11

The weather was absolutely perfect, so I don’t know how much business the lemonade stands got. I’m sure not as much as they did in previous days when it was swelteringly hot!

fair 2 12

I found this stand selling corn patties with cheese, or “arepas.” Since I’d never had one and they sounded pretty good, I bought myself one. It was pretty bland but tasty, at least for the first half or so. I got pretty tired of it toward the end. XD I’m glad I tried one, though! I’m sure an authentic arepa would taste much better.

fair 2 13

Mom and Carmen saved spots for us at the pig races while we went to get our food. Unfortunately, it was NOT worth the huge, deafening crowd, tons of ads, and limited space to see a few pigs run around a tiny track. Meh.

fair 2 14

Most anti-climactic. But oh well, that was an experience, I guess! XD We left before the last round, which, we heard later, was the funny “punch-line”: pigs that they’d been saying were so fast they were just a blur, but in reality were old, fat ones that hardly even moved. But we got tired of it before that, so oops.

fair 2 15

As one last stop, we checked out the petting zoo/livestock barn. These poor ducks must have been feeling as weary as I was after so many crowds swarming around them for a whole day. :’D Aren’t they cute, though?

fair 2 17

We also witnessed the most fluffiest chicken in the world. Yes, I realize that was poor grammar, but LOOK! I was like, “A WILLOW CHICKEN!” (I used to have a super fluffy, angora-like gray rabbit named Willow.)

fair 2 18

Mom was fascinated by the unusual feather pattern on this breed. Isn’t it interesting? It looks like someone outlined the feathers with Sharpie and then colored them in. It’s amazing how many breeds of chickens there are – all of them more interesting than the boring white broiler-breeders we used to raise. šŸ˜›

fair 2 19

I shall close this post with a few photos of the fair at night. That’s the most impressive time, I think – the darkness covers the trash and ugly buildings and just lets the colorful lights shine through.

fair 2 20

Ooh, I really like the way I edited this one! I think it captures the feel of a fair, how its brilliant, colorful little pop-up world makes the real world seem dull outside it.

fair 2 21

Annnd I’ll end with the best picture of the Ferris Wheel I got. I wish I’d gotten a closer one because those are one of the most aesthetic parts of fairs to me, but oh well! I still like this one.

fair 2 22

And that’s pretty much the extent of our fair adventures this year! Check out Part 1 here if you haven’t yet. Otherwise, I’d love to know…

Which of these photos or attractions did you like best? What’s your favorite part of a fair? Have you tried an arepa before, or do you prefer some other fair food?

Thanks so much for reading, dears, and have a lovely day!

***Allison***

P. S. Photos taken with my Nikon D3400 and a 35mm lens. Edited with picmonkey.com.

47 thoughts on “State Fair, Part 2: {Chainsaws, Pigs, and Unicycles}”

  3. You used to have willow? Is this a typo? Please be a typo!!!!!! I loved willow!!!!šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ§”šŸ˜­

    Like

    Reply

  4. Ooh, wow that chainsaw artist looks like so much fun to watch! AND THE CARVINGS HE MADE! Just wow! I agree deep-fried Oreos aren’t the greatest fair food. XD I’d MUCH rather have a funnel cake or elephant ear! I love the last few photos that you took at night! Amusement parks/fairs are always fun to photograph at night!

    Like

    Reply

  5. Wow, neat! Especially the wood carving guy! I also think blacksmithing is really neat too – someone I know (eheheh) is really fascinated by it, but it is really neat. EEEP, I would love to go to a state fair now! Wow, HAHA the guy on the unicycle. XD His outfit is amazing. XD XD And haha, I’ve never had funnel cakes, or fried oreos, or an arepa…Anyway. Oh I love the picture of your family trying to figure out the map. XD AND HA HA THE WILLOW CHICKEN. XD The other one was really neat too, though! And lovely light photos. šŸ™‚

    Like

    Reply

    1. YES, that was fantastic! Heh heh, oh really? XD BAHAHA I KNOW, RIGHT. Hmm. You should at LEAST try a funnel cake sometime. We made our own once with Dad’s side of the family; they tasted great! HAHA THANKS, me too. AND YESSSS. Thanks for the lovely comment, dear!

      Like

      Reply

  6. Ooooo! I saw a chainsaw artist at Dollywood last year, and a few times before, and yes! They are so neat! I loved the Ferris Wheel photo! *heart eyes*

    Like

    Reply

  8. How fun! Looks a lot like our western state fair. I don’t think there’s an official state fair here, but there’s an eastern and western state fair. We go to the western one, and our tradition is to get corndogs, strawberry lemonade, and ice cream potatoes every year; as well as visiting the petting zoo. Then we go to whatever new shows sound interesting. This year there was an alligator show and a show in which there was a huge metal-cage-ball that two guys on motorcycles zoomed around in. It was really cool, but also a little scary to watch! šŸ˜€

    Like

    Reply

    1. Huh, neat! OOH YUM. I love strawberry lemonade, but corndogs kinda give me a stomachache. :[] WAIT, did you say ice cream potatoes?? What on earth are those? Oh yes, I’ve seen an alligator show and those metal cage bikes too (at our old fair) – they’re both quite interesting!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. It’s vanilla ice-cream shaped like a potato, with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and Oreo cookies crumbled on top, and coa-coa powder dusted on the outside for the peel. An ice-cream (baked) potato! DELICIOUS. We’ve made them at home before, and they’re super easy.

        Like

        Reply

  9. Oooh, we have two chickens almost exactly like that “sharpie” feathered one. Except they’re silver. Our chickens are Silver Sebrights but I think those are Golden Sebrights. Ours are mean.
    (I am not a chicken expert. We just have a few chickens. XD)
    I love your pictures! Those statues are amazingggg.

    Like

    Reply

  10. Awe that wood bunny sculpture is so cute!
    Wow I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen anyone on a unicycle in real life before. XD Just on TV I guess.
    Wow that IS a very fluffy chicken! XD
    Oh I LOVE that last pic of the ferris wheel! I like how it’s perfectly framed by the silhouette of the trees that you can just barely see. It makes it kinda unique. šŸ˜€

    Like

    Reply

  11. Ha ha! I too would like to know what an ice cream potato is! Sounds like something I would most definitely eat! I also swore that I would NEVER eat a deep fried Oreo, but then one of my daughters dared me and oh my, it was much better than I would have liked it to be :/

    I love the night pictures that you took, they are beautiful! I also love that ‘decorated’ chicken that won the blue ribbon (any idea what kind it was?). I love to color and if I ever come across a coloring book with a chicken in it I will most definitely replicate that beautiful pattern!

    Thank you so much for posting these!!

    Like

    Reply

    1. Me too! XD HAHA, that’s pretty funny about the deep fried oreo. XD
      Thank you so much! One of my other readers said it was probably a Golden Sebright chicken, and they have Silver Sebrights. So neat! Ooh, that’s a great idea!
      My pleasure – thank you so much for reading!

      Like

      Reply

  15. Oh, a Willow chicken! You are so right, Allison! šŸ˜€
    That unicyclist show looked cool, and the chainsaw art is fantastic.
    My favorite photo is probably the last one, which is of the ferris wheel in the dark. I like photos of bright lights in the dark.
    I don’t really have a favorite part of the fair, because we don’t frequent fairs. This year we did go to the bluegrass gospel night at the fair, but that was all we went for. As such, I haven’t had fair food in a looong time, but I do remember having fried dough at the New York State fair and I believe it was delicious. šŸ˜‰ Also, question: what is a funnel cake? The first time I heard about funnel cakes was on an Adventures in Odyssey episode, and I’ve never actually seen one in real life.
    ~Sassafras
    P.S. I finally sent you an email! šŸ™‚

    Like

    Reply

    1. Heh heh.
      Yes!
      Ahh, thanks! I do too. šŸ™‚
      Ooh, that sounds fun! I’m not sure if I’ve had fried dough before, but it probably would taste similar to funnel cakes. They’re basically squiggly pieces of lightlysweet, fried dough that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; made by pouring batter into hot oil, and usually topped with cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar. šŸ™‚
      P. S. I GOT IT! Thanks so much!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  16. Sorry I’m soooo late to the party! HAHA! Looks like you and your family had a great time! i don’t get to go to the fair much, but when I do, I’m just like you guys. I don’t ride any rides. I just head straight to the animals and rodeo! HA ha! Anyway….. Is that fluffy chicken maybe a Silkie? That’s what it kinda looks like!

    Like

    Reply

  17. Sounds like you had a great time at the fair!! Thanks for sharing these photos and fun times with us!! My fav. photos are of the ones at night!! šŸ™‚ šŸ™‚

    Like

    Reply

  18. YAYAY!! More fair photos!! šŸ˜€ Those chainsaw carving are AMAZING!! O_O These pictures all make me want to be at a fair! XD I have actually never had a funnel cake! XD But I will get one the next time a see some! šŸ˜› These are all such happy and fun pictures! šŸ˜€ I love them so much!!

    -Laura ā¤ šŸ™‚

    Like

    Reply

Your comments make my day! Please keep them clean and respectful so everyone can enjoy this blog. :) Thank you!