"Fun" at the Fair

So it wasn't all fun and games, but we did our best to have fun despite the times I thought my children were better suited for the pens like all the other farm animals at the fair. Come to think of it, I don't think we've ever taken Ben and Zach to a County or State Fair before. Maybe it was just sensory overload that caused them to malfunction.

In between meltdowns, the boys had time to squeeze in as many rides as they could within an 1-1/2 hour window. They took their first Ferris Wheel ride with Darius, and rode a bunch of other kiddie rides. It's probably been a couple of years since they've been on any rides, so they definitely enjoyed themselves.

 

I think the best part of our visit to the fair was the Ice Cream Festival put on by Utah's Dairy Council.  I overheard some people in line filling in some other people about Utahans obsession with ice cream, and I had to laugh to myself.  Maybe there are other states that love their dairy, but I'm sure Utah has got to be at the top of the list. I wish I would have taken photos from inside the tent, but I was too busy eating ice cream. We paid $10 for the 4 of us to get in, and we could eat as much ice cream as we wanted! Fat Boys, Creamies, and Utah-made ice cream in dozens of flavors. The only thing missing was all the other ice cream lovers in my family. There's a bunch of them!

 

We found the farm animals as we made our way out to leave, and made a detour through all the buildings to visit them.  The goats were the clear favorites, followed up by a big sow and her piglets. 

 

My childhood memories are blurry at best, so I vaguely remember visiting the State Fair, but I'm pretty sure I have at least once. It's hard to put myself in the shoes of my boys (or even in my own shoes back when I visited the fair) so looking back on it now, I wish I would have handled their frustrations during our visit a little better. Take a couple of little boys to an event like a huge fair, and I suppose it's natural for them to want to see and experience everything in front of them without any thought about the cost. It's certainly not their fault that the prices are ridiculous for games, treats, and rides. I guess I have some work to do in terms of teaching them about money, so we don't always look like the bad guys, but I think it will be awhile before they can grasp inflation! :)