Family Fun Night

We took the kids to the county fair last night, along with half the neighborhood. Really, it was a lot of fun. We love doing stuff like this with the kids. But what baffles me is this...

We waited until Friday night to go because it was payday. This is a lowdown of the cost of a night out at the fair: $23 for dinner at McDonalds (so we don't have to spend a fortune on fair food), $5 per adult to get in, $1 per kid. Ride wristbands are $20, which is the better deal, because rides are $3-$5 each if you just buy tickets. Funnel Cakes: $5. Bottled Water $3. Small Sprite $2. Now here's the question? Why aren't the clientele at the county fair upscale, high class, white collar families? Aren't they the only ones that can afford it? I never run into my gynecologist and his family there. You don't see our financial advisor in line with his kids for Ocean Motion. What we did see a LOT of (since Marc and I spent the evening people watching) were VERY young, VERY pregnant women, men wearing wife-beaters and missing half their teeth pushing strollers with like 6 kids hovering around them, migrant workers and the mentally impaired. Ok, givng the benefit of the doubt to the VERY pregnant women, they can't ride the rides, so the save the $20 wristband cost, but you can't tell me those hormones don't require elephant ears, corn dogs and butterfly fries!

Now on to justify why we spent our evening here: The county fair is really a great place. Local groups get to perform in the bandshell - the neighborhood girls danced with their dance classes on stage for parents, grandparents and other onlookers. The merchant's buildings are filled with local businesses trying to promote theirselves in this crappy economy by giving away cool little things like pens, magnets, shoe cleaning kits, calendars and rulers. The 4-H'ers have worked really hard throughout the year raising their animals and we love to walk through the barns where you actually get to hold, pet and interact with the llamas, pigs, sheep, bunnies, etc... The conservation league has a bow & arrow station set up to teach people how to aim and shoot (this was Sam's favorite- even above the rides). Oh... and the food. Can't forget the food... the funnel cakes ROCK!