The Nebraska State Fair Adventure!
Where can you find foot-long corndogs, a huge aquarium full of Nebraska native fish, the world’s largest pair of overalls, a bronze pig from the Pillen family, a Birthing Pavillion with baby livestock, a hot beef sundae, and more? Why at the Nebraska State Fair! The state fair moved to Grand Island in 2010 after over 100 years in Lincoln and this has helped to make it more accessible to out-state Nebraskans. As the seasons change, the state fair arrives the week before Labor Day in all of its tacky glory. It’s a true Nebraskan experience!
Taking advantage of our retirement hours, we pulled up a little before noon on Wednesday and had plenty of parking. The gate fee was $3 a piece and we headed into the Nebraska Game and Parks Pavilion, across a beautiful little man-made stream, and into an area with (you guessed it), a man-made waterfall, stuffed dead animals (including a beaver) and an aquarium full of the biggest carp and bullheads I have ever seen in person. The best part was a free shooting range with air rifles and an archery range where I actually hit the broad side of a ginormous faux buffalo with an arrow. I imagine my survival instructor, Sam Larsen, would be quite proud!
One of the biggest parts of the state fair is the livestock competition where breeders and 4H members bring their best animals to show for prize ribbons. There is an arena where
contests show off their cattle just like a fancy dog show except no one runs them around the ring. Nebraskans also enter garden vegetables, canned goods, quilts, crafts, and even desserts. It’s amazing how many fundamental skills have survived from Nebraska’s early settlers.
A trip to the state fair is never complete without overpriced deep-fat fried food and sugary lemonade and I indulged in both. In addition, it’s also important to go through the comfortably air-conditioned vendor area where, for a price, you can buy nearly anything from overpriced cookware to a $40,000 hot tub bigger than my backyard. I did register to win my very own weather radio at the National Weather Service booth and actually bought some aloe vera lotion guaranteed to heal dry skin.
After about three hours, I had sweat sunscreen into my eyes which signaled to me, that it was time to head home. Predictably, the state fair always brings heat just as Husker Harvest Days always brings rain. With a bag full of vendor swag, we walked our way out to the dusty, dirt parking lot that seemed further away than it did when we had arrived. It was a grand day of adventure and an important piece in the puzzle of understanding Nebraska.
