2014 NC State Fair

Grant was jazzed about the idea of going to the fair this year. Since he remembers some of what we did last year at the fair, when he found out we were going this year he talked a lot about what he wanted to do. This year's trip was a little shorter than years past. I work at the fair for my job and I've spent entirely too many days at fairs this year. But I couldn't not take him, he was just too excited.

Usually we go on the last Sunday. This year I decided we should go on the last Saturday and I could have Sunday to recoup before work on Monday. Bad idea. Saturday at the fair when you're already anti-fair is just plain silly. 

Grant's Fair To-Do List:

• See animals
• Eat a hot dog
• Eat ice cream

I used our staff parking (yay!) and the poultry stuff was closest to us, so we visited that stuff first.

Checking out the pond

This thing was big and mouthy 

Check out the one-legged guy in the middle (it's not
standing on one leg...it only has one leg)

And there was more interesting stuff inside the poultry tent:

Purdy duck

Baby things

Fun spotted things

Poultry with fun hair-dos

Grant's favorite were the big turkeys. Loved 'em and had
to point out all of them for us.

I find them creepy and slightly ugly.

We made our way towards the kids tent which was pretty crowded but Grant got to see the T-Rex skull in there so that was exciting for him.

We meandered through the building with the dairy cows (and to say hi to my co-worker)...

Best seat in the house!

And then over to the Expo building to get a better view of animals and some over-sized produce.

Fun balloon display!

Huge pumpkins!

My friend & co-worker, Penny, was set up in the Expo building which is also where the milking booth is. She asked Grant if he wanted to pet a cow. Of course he did. So Grant got to go behind-the-scenes to see the dairy cows that weren't being milked right then.

See animals: check.

Telling Penny "It's so soft!"

I was kind of amazed that he was so willing to pet her. Penny asked if he wanted to milk one and he said yes. Again...kind of amazed. So after his VIP cow petting experience, we hopped in line to milk one. He'd been very shy that day, maybe the crowd intimidated him. But he sat right down with the girl and she showed him how to do it.

He says he sort of got milk to come out :)

After that we got some lunch and walked around trying to avoid the busier spots.

Hot dog: check.

There was a fireman giving out hats...he wears it all the time now.

Grant remembered going on the kiddie roller coaster last year so we stood in a crazy long line to do that again. It acutally moved pretty fast though.

Sadly, that's where our fair experience ends. One ride. We were there for about 3 hours and after walking back through a crowd...I just kind of had had it. I felt terrible because Grant was disappointed but I had to go. We didn't get ice cream at the fair so we took Grant to Cold Stone when we left. As it turns out, chocolate ice cream makes you forget that mean Mama made you leave the fair early :)