Are you going to the Illinois State Fair?

[EbonyRaptor]

The Illinois State Fair started last weekend and will run through next weekend. My wife and I are taking our annual trip down to Springfield to hang out with some horsey friends and do horsey things. We'll be down there Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday hanging out in horse barn #14C. We enter my wife's purdy little Arabian mare in a couple competitions and hope to win a ribbon or two. We haul my horse down too just so he doesn't get lonely when his herd (of one) is away. He's not purdy enough to win ribbons, but he's sturdy enough to haul me around.

Like I mentioned, we'll be hanging out in horse barn #14C unless they shift us around at the last minute, in which case we'll be in one of the other #14? barns - just look for plaques above the stall with our horse's names on it - "Kit" and "Splash".



Stop and say hello. I'd love to meet some of fellow Hawk fan posters. I'll have a cold one ready for you.



By the way, if you ask for EbonyRaptor, they'll probably look at you like your crazy. Better use my real name. I'm Glenn.

 

[bri]

I have never been to the state fair, but I wish you luck on your equine entries. My dad grew up on a farm and I think he used to show his Angus calf at the fair, but that was like 45 years ago or more so I'm sure things have changed. My dad grew up having to milk cows and stuff cause they had a dairy farm.



At my uncle's funeral last week they were taking about my dad's sister bringing the horse in the house and taking it upstairs and what a task it was to get it back down.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

I have never been to the state fair, but I wish you luck on your equine entries. My dad grew up on a farm and I think he used to show his Angus calf at the fair, but that was like 45 years ago or more so I'm sure things have changed. My dad grew up having to milk cows and stuff cause they had a dairy farm.



At my uncle's funeral last week they were taking about my dad's sister bringing the horse in the house and taking it upstairs and what a task it was to get it back down.

Thanks Bri. My wife's horse (Baskit full of Stars - "Kit") has won ribbons 3 of the 4 years she's been entered - a 1st, 5th and 7th, so she usually shows pretty well. This year, with my wife's illness, we haven't been riding her so she's gotten a little pudgy - the judges don't usually like "pudgy". But, it's not really about winning ribbons ... it's about hanging out in the barn with old friends and drinking brewski's. Yee Ha.

By the way, I've seen a horse ridden up a stack of hay bales. What a goof! Took him forever to back that horse down. At least with hay bales there's a 16-20 inch wide surface for the horse to plant and feel his feet under him. I can't imagine trying to get a horse to navigate 7-8 inch stair treads.

 

[bri]

Sorry to hear that your wife has been ill. Hope she is doing better. I'll keep her in my thoughts.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

Sorry to hear that your wife has been ill. Hope she is doing better. I'll keep her in my thoughts.

Thanks Bri. She is doing better. Done with Chemo and will be starting radiation in a couple weeks. Prognosis is good though. We expect she'll be back to making war on the weeds in her gardens come next spring, not to mention throwing a saddle up on ole pudgy a few times next summer.

 

[TSD]

Last time I went to the state fair I was a kid. I mostly enjoyed eating these tasty steak chunks they were selling in front of the cows.

 

[bri]

Last time I went to the state fair I was a kid. I mostly enjoyed eating these tasty steak chunks they were selling in front of the cows.

Barbarian

 

[MassHavoc]

Last time I went to the state fair I was a kid. I mostly enjoyed eating these tasty steak chunks they were selling in front of the cows.

That wasn't steak, but it did come from the cow.

 

[Bringmepie]

By the way, I've seen a horse ridden up a stack of hay bales. What a goof! Took him forever to back that horse down. At least with hay bales there's a 16-20 inch wide surface for the horse to plant and feel his feet under him. I can't imagine trying to get a horse to navigate 7-8 inch stair treads.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

OK - it's braggadocio time. My wife's horse took 3rd place at the Illinois State Fair on Thursday in the "Arabian mares, 4 years and older" category - halter competition. Got a nice yellow ribbon. Yahoo!



The mares sire took 1st place and Grand Champion in the Arabian Stallion competition, and a sibling took 3rd place in Arabian Weanling. All in all a pretty good haul for our breeder friends at "Wild Wind Arabians" out of Macomb Illinois.



But now that all the ribbons have been put away and we're back to the normal routine ... there's nothing quite like mucking stalls and cleaning the barn on a 90% humidity day. Whew! I got so sweaty and randy that the horse flies were choosing to attack me over the horses. Ever have a horse fly biting you on the bald spot on the back of your head when you have your hands full and can't squash it? Not fun.



The attendance at the fair, as far as I could tell from the crowd size, was pretty good. But what is kinda sad is the livestock competition has dwindled over the last few years. Used to be that almost all the categories had 15-20 entries, sometimes more. Now, the number of entries in many of the categories is in single digits. I think the economy has really affected this. Many people just can't afford the expense of keeping large animals anymore, or at least not as many as they used to. Plus the cost of going to the fair, entry fees, barn/stall costs, etc. It's a shame that a farming and livestock state like Illinois can't get as many entrants as they used to.

 

[CaveMan]

I won't be there but someone better have a funnel cake for me

 

[EbonyRaptor]

I won't be there but someone better have a funnel cake for me

Hey - forget funnel cakes, the great fair food this year was the meat parfait - pulled pork and beef brisket swirled with mashed potatoes and barBQ sauce with a cherry tomato on top in a 32oz cup. Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm. Yummy. And if that didn't grab ya, you could always find just about anything you could think of on a stick. My favorite is deep fried chicken wrapped in bacon. I love bacon, but I drew the line when a friend of mine offered me some of his chocolate covered bacon. Just couldn't go there.

 

[bri]

Hey - forget funnel cakes, the great fair food this year was the meat parfait - pulled pork and beef brisket swirled with mashed potatoes and barBQ sauce with a cherry tomato on top in a 32oz cup. Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm. Yummy. And if that didn't grab ya, you could always find just about anything you could think of on a stick. My favorite is deep fried chicken wrapped in bacon. I love bacon, but I drew the line when a friend of mine offered me some of his chocolate covered bacon. Just couldn't go there.

I am so glad the horses won? Do you live on a farm? I am with you on the fair/carney food. I only have it once a year on Labor Day. I love the lemon shake ups and elephant ears, and deep fried oreos, and sno cones, pork chops, funnel cakes, apples with caramel, apple cider slushies. Ahhhhhh so many things to pick from. Then in October around my birthday we always go to the orchard down by Peoria.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

I am so glad the horses won? Do you live on a farm? I am with you on the fair/carney food. I only have it once a year on Labor Day. I love the lemon shake ups and elephant ears, and deep fried oreos, and sno cones, pork chops, funnel cakes, apples with caramel, apple cider slushies. Ahhhhhh so many things to pick from. Then in October around my birthday we always go to the orchard down by Peoria.

Hey thanks Bri. Nah, we don't have a farm. We just have 5 acres out in the country that gives us enough pasture land to keep our horses happy.



Yeah - lots to eat at the fair. I'm pretty sure I never lose weight when I go there

We used to like taking the kids apple picking when they were small. At the time I was living in Hoffman Estates and I think we would go up somewhere around Crystal Lake where there were a couple good sized apple orchards. Course, that was over 20 years ago so the memory is a little foggy.

 

[Tater]

Congrats on the ribbons.

 

[MassHavoc]

Illinois State has a fair? My university didn't have one. I feel gipped? Congratulations by the way. I used to be a 4H king in elementary school

 

[Bringmepie]

Illinois State has a fair? My university didn't have one. I feel gipped? Congratulations by the way. I used to be a 4H king in elementary school

Did that recognition come with a big blue ribbon?

 

[MassHavoc]

Did that recognition come with a big blue ribbon?

nope a crown which I now use as co.... Nevermind

 

[bookjones]

Hey - forget funnel cakes, the great fair food this year was the meat parfait - pulled pork and beef brisket swirled with mashed potatoes and barBQ sauce with a cherry tomato on top in a 32oz cup. Mmmmm Mmmmm Mmmmm. Yummy. And if that didn't grab ya, you could always find just about anything you could think of on a stick. My favorite is deep fried chicken wrapped in bacon. I love bacon, but I drew the line when a friend of mine offered me some of his chocolate covered bacon. Just couldn't go there.

You really should. Bacon + Chocolate = 2 heavenly goodnesses joined together in a union of perfection like they should be! Vosges Chocolates (from Chicago) has some deeelicious Bacon-Chocolate bars and candies.

http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/category/bacon_and_chocolate





Of course they also work some deeelicious voodoo with chocolate + spices, curries, and chillies too.





Also, CONGRATS on the Fair ribbons.