Arizona State Fair

After going to the State Fair last year, I was a little skeptical about going to the fair this year. In fact, I think that I was anti-fair. Last year, we went in the day (WAY HOT!), we spent a ton to get in and it seemed like nothing was included in the admission fee, and we had to spend more to do anything that we wanted. It just seemed like it wasn't worth it. Well, this year, after some convincing, I was told to try it again the "right way." This time around was so much better! In fact, I LOVED going and would go again for sure :)

So, here is my list of how to do the fair the "right way."

1. Go on a discount day...the day we went tickets were only $5 if we were in before 5:00 - sweet!

2. Going at night is so much more fun because of all the lights, music, and of course crazies!

3. Go to an event...namely...The Demolition Derby! We got to choose the craziest cars and cheer for them. Parker chose the pink car and yelled pink all night (is that strange that he loves pink???) We got kicks out of the names of some of the cars and loved watching the crashes, smoke, and bits of fire. This is totally an event worth seeing!

4. Don't forget to eat the fair food (even for the price)...gotta love Navajo Tacos and Funnel Cakes. Funny side story on funnel cakes - when we went to Disneyland 2 1/2 years ago, Rich spent all day talking about how he wanted a funnel cake. I figured this was a tradition or something - but it turned out that he had never had one before. He had just heard my brother-in-law Dean talking about them and decided that is what he wanted that day. We went out of our way to find them at the end of the day because he couldn't leave the park without a funnel cake. Now, we can't go to an amusement park without getting one...I guess that he loved them that much!

5. Make sure to people watch. Seriously, I love people watching. You see the craziest people and have to wonder "What are they thinking (or not thinking)?"

6. Enjoy the rides if you have time...this year we didn't go because we had just been to Castles N' Coasters the day before...but last year, I definitely enjoyed the sky tower drop. I know that some people are afraid of state fair rides because of all the specials...but it is fun to go on at least one :)

7. Go to the exhibits...there is some fun art, photography, animals, & even cakes. Pretty impressive :)

8. Watch for the special events outdoors - this year we got to see some diving. A man even lit himself on fire and jumped off.

9. Listen to the music, dance, and make a fool of yourself because everyone else is :)

10. Take fun pictures!

Oh, there are many fun things about the fair and I am glad that I had so much more fun this year so that I can remember this next time!