...oh man, so dang fun! I'm going to let the numerous photos do most of the describing. Wow.
For over 80 years, the Alaska State Fair has been a gathering place for all Alaskans (and tourists who put it on their MUST list), and a “last hurrah” before summer gives way to the long Alaska winter.What started as a celebration for the Colonists in 1936, has grown into the state’s largest annual event. Each year, fairgoers enjoyed nightly concerts featuring headline entertainers in the AT&T Concert Series, carnival rides and games, hundreds of food and vendor booths featuring uniquely Alaskan items, tens of thousands of exhibits in categories ranging from quilts and goats, world-famous giant vegetables, and lots of activities and free entertainment with Fair admission (it was only $2 each with canned food donations).
For those not familiar with this guy, he is Daniel Tiger... a big hit with the two year old crowd (who I had to push aside to get this photo).
Our first Fair performance was the Fred Scheer's Lumberjack Show. Steeped in the logging history of Wisconsin’s north woods, this entertaining Fair fav was a blending of sport, history and comedy. We delighted in watching world champion competitors battle it out in the Olympics of the forest.
Next was the very entertaining Loop Rawlins Wild West Act. Loop’s unique show of trick roping, whip cracking and fancy gun spinning has thrilled thousands of audiences, from the stage of NBC’s America’s Got Talent to Cirque Du Soleil on the Las Vegas strip. We were very impressed by this show. Yee haw!
Oh yes we did! Dinner was a Pork Chop-on-a-stick and batter fried Cheese Curds. And it was good!
Some sights just struck us as funny.
After speaking with several farmers, and having been in the state for over a month, this was a cold summer. Cold does not equal giant, in the vegetable growing world.
Instead of comparing this year's crop to award winners of the past, we just enjoyed all that we saw. No one, standing near me, knew what this was. We had to flip over the ribbon to figure it out. I'd say a 40.8 pound rutabaga is pretty darn impressive.
The boy who won with this 12.58 pound turnip said his entry last year was almost twice as heavy.
Some of the vegetables were just plain scary.
I fell in love with this vegetable sculpture. Didn't the artist capture the emotions of being dipped by a lover perfectly?
The flowers were breathtaking. I was not surprised when this arrangement, in the Alaska State Shoe, won!
I could live amongst the Dahlias!
Is this a normal category in the canning competition at all State Fairs? Interesting.
Might this be my Only in Alaska for today?
The number of Spirited Beverage entries was huge. I thought the rhubarb wine to be the most uniquely Alaska. Fun stuff.
The highlight, and perfect finale for our Alaska Adventure, was witnessing the awesomeness that is Home Free.
Home Free is an American a cappella group of five vocalists. The group competed in and won the fourth season of The Sing-Off on NBC in 2013.
In terms of musical roles, Home Free is structured like a traditional barbershop quartet, with a lead tenor, two harmony voices, and a bass. The lead tenor, who fronts the group and sings most of the solos, is swoon-worthy Austin Brown. Tenor harmony is sung by Rob Lundquist, baritone harmony is sung by Adam Chance, and Tim Foust sings bass. In addition to the four voices, percussion sounds are provided by the extraordinary beatboxer Adam Rupp. If you don't know these guys, you should. We couldn't have had a more fun night at the Fair. We're ready to head home now. Wow.
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comments:
Karen Booth
said...
I'm happy you made it to and enjoyed your "end game" in Alaska. What vegetable were you holding in the first photo? The pinkish/purple and white dahlia and the pig faces were my favs.
2 comments:
I'm happy you made it to and enjoyed your "end game" in Alaska. What vegetable were you holding in the first photo? The pinkish/purple and white dahlia and the pig faces were my favs.
The three little pigs are adorable! Is everything BIG in Alaska?
And the Home Free beat boxer is amazing...how does he do it?
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