Red River Valley Fair

My first bucolic Saturday in the midwest was served up deep fried at the West Fargo's Red River County Fair.

Dressed for the Part

Fashion gurus and local chameleons Preston and I took our fair outfits very seriously. Preston donned ultra-faded dad-jean cutoffs, nikes and an apt Guinness T-shirt. While my ensemble's key accent/statement piece were brand new ruffled socks. To rock your own ruffled style you can find the socks in Target's Girl section. Don't worry you can make 'em fit.

HELLO

HELLO

HELLO

HELLO

HELLO

HELLO

HELLO

DEATH

COMES
TO

A MAN

WITH
NO
FEAR

Yummy Yummy in my Tummy AKA CHOLESTEROL, FAT AND HEART ATTACKS!!!

Not willing to dish out the benjamins for carny rides, Preston and I ate our way around the fair The Very Hungry Caterpillar style. And at this point in the program I will hand over the narrative to photographs.

Pork Chop-On-A-Stick & over priced fountain lemonade :(

Foot Long Corndog!!!

Cookie Dough-On-A-Stick!!

Cookie Octopi!

I personally think there should be a yard stick challenge. Fair patrons and those desiring to take a few years off their lives via the deep fryer would be able to purchase a yard stick stacked with every kind of stick-able fair food item. A Red River Valley meter stick would consist of a central foot long corn dog flanked by pork chops on each side, followed by cookie dough on a stick, then candied and/or caramel apples with deep fried cheese curds separating each course. Delicious, no?

Piglets and Jacuzzis 

In between artery clogging courses we wandered through the fair's halls of wonderssssss, also known as the 4-H Showroom, Livestock Quarters and Harvest Hall.

Visiting the Hall of Wonderssssssssssssss

4H- gangstas raise Netherland Dwarfs

Welcome to the Bread Art Category

Piglets!

While the 4-H achievements earn serious bragging rights, my favorite fair essential has always been and will always be the  hot tub display.

Country Concert

Each night the fair concludes with an all-star concert. More than 18,000 dakotans piled in for Friday night's Hunter Hayes show. 

32 Degrees Below set the tone for the evening when they surprised the stadium by performing  a musical interlude in the middle of "Country Girl Shake it for Me" of Sir Mix Alot's "I Like Big Butts". Continuing on the with the overall DGAF set-list The Band Perry performed a beautiful yet odd cover of Ms. Houston's "I Will Always Love You". Apparently North Dakota is where the big names do whatever they feel like. 

Uninterrupted scenery is the summer venue's gem. Just beyond the crowded beer soaked pit is a northern edge of the great plains.The endless panorama of  land seems to bring about a slower emotion than looking upon jagged mountain peaks or restless ocean waves. The ceaseless scenery calls out the infiniteness of living and possibilities. A prairie stills the heart.