So last Thursday I took the kids to the DuPage County Fair and tried to document the entire thing without any people. I just wanted to capture most I could about the event through the objects that were trucked in to the fairgrounds– the rides, concessions, animals, and pies. You can see the complete set for 2010 here.
I did the same thing for 2009 (the best thing was the Music Fest ride, with its hand–painted rock illustrations), but I was a bit more complete this year, where I tried to get a shot of every ride and every genus of animal represented. Here are some random thoughts:
- There is a proud contingent of people running the fair who remember the rural history of the county. I am super-happy to see all the tractors and see which family owned them
- There was a huge set of 4 or 5 barns full of pigs, rabbits, cows, roosters, sheep, and so on. I always make the kids go up and down every aisle. They always bleat lightly as they weigh the lights of the midway, but they end up seeing things that amaze them in there
- It's impossible to waste your money at the County Fair
- I am officially too old for the Zipper. We called that ride "the cages" when I was little. Didn't really like them then, and have absolutely no use for their upside-down-all-the-way-around bullshit now. Too old
- The Pharoh's Fury, on the other hand, with it's I'm-in-a-boat-swaying-with-stomach-bloop-goodness, is still awesome
- Conformity in clothing reigns among teens through time and space
- Fried flour with powdered sugar is a wonder
- Winning fish at the carnival should never stop, ever