Great State Fair of Oklahoma or just Ok County Fair

[RadicalModerate]

Maybe Mayor Mick (and The Grandstand Hatin' Cabal of Major League Cityans) can move The OKC Fair downtown and have contestants work on Cleaning Up Bricktown and The Canal.

It would actually be closer to The Original Location over there on Eastern that was replaced by a school.
And is closer to The Ballpark and Other Entertainment Venues.

(just kidding . . . geez. really. OKC is 1000% better than it was in '73. =)

Still waiting for the definitive difference between a Pronto Pup and a Corn Dog . . .

[Achilleslastand]

I bet our city fathers would find a way to make the fair better if it were in bricktown.
Until then its second rate.........

[BlackmoreRulz]

Dang, I guess I'm not the only one.....thought I was just getting old.....

[Roadhawg]

The Iowa State Fair is my favorite and has been for a number of years. They actually have farm animals to look at and they stay for the entire run. Seems like the Oklahoma State Fair is for people to sell stuff (that you really don't need), and for people to have a lot of opportunities to buy beer, and a lot of opportunities to get thrown in jail; and for a lot of policemen to get extra work. The Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson is also great.

The Nebraska State Fair is the same way. I just haven't been too impressed with the OK State Fair.

[Easy180]

Went today, great weather, good food, cold beer and came home with bloody mary mix...Love me some fair

[SOONER8693]

It's a joke. Add to the list of things gone, the Cottonwood Post. Compared to the State Fair of Kansas, Texas, Iowa, ours is a pathetic joke. Didn't used to be.

[MadMonk]

Went last night. Same ole same ole; it was crowded, but the mob wasn't unruly. All in all a pleasant night. The highlight was all the Okla. wineries in one place and doing a lot of tasting.

I also learned that my tolerance for spinning rides gets lower every year. Guess I'll stick to the ferris wheel and the ski lift ride from here on out.

[Easy180]

It's a joke. Add to the list of things gone, the Cottonwood Post. Compared to the State Fair of Kansas, Texas, Iowa, ours is a pathetic joke. Didn't used to be.

So you are saying it is worse than 3 other fairs which means its on par or better than the other 46....Sounds good lol

[rcjunkie]

It's a joke. Add to the list of things gone, the Cottonwood Post. Compared to the State Fair of Kansas, Texas, Iowa, ours is a pathetic joke. Didn't used to be.

The Cottonwood Post has been gone for 5--6 years.

[adaniel]

I have been in OK for 7 years now and I just got a chance to go to the fair for the 1st time this Saturday. I can only compare it to the TX fair (which I went to as a kid growing up in DFW) and the GA state fair. IMO I would put the fair here way above the one in GA and just a few notches below TX. The fair in Dallas is superior only because its a bit bigger, and I loved going to the car show. Other than that I had just as much fun at the fair here this weekend. I also found the OK fair is way cheaper than the one in Dallas. To get into the gate down there its $16. Plus everything is bought with tickets, but a corn dog is now like $10 worth of tickets and they are not nearly as good as they use to be.

Definitely saw the "fair people" some have alluded to including some pretty sweet mullets lol. It was all good fun though and I can guarantee those types of folks exist at every fair. Also, loved me some indian tacos.

My one and only complaint is would it kill them if they threw some gravel in the free lots? NW 10th street was a muddy mess, and the parking lot was a joke. Cars slipping and spinning all over the place. I'm sure it was a total fiasco on Thursday when it rained, although I'm sure the tow truck drivers made a killing pulling people out of the mud. I just coughed up the money and paid to park in a nice, paved lot.

Other than that I had a great time!

[RadicalModerate]

The Cottonwood Post has been gone for 5--6 years.

The beginning of the end of the "Great"-ness for the OKC Fall (State) Fair.
Is it true that They installed a Starbucks at the former location of The Goodholm Mansion?

[GaryOKC6]

I took the kids on Saturday. I thought that this year’s Disney on Ice was one of the best. They loved to. We walked the whole thing and sampled the food. The kids rode the rides until they were all too tired to carry on. I took them to the games on the midway and let them win some of the overpriced crummy prizes which was worth the enjoyment. I spent about 140.00 and thought that it was well worth it for a whole day of entertainment for the Family. (also considering that the beer was $6.00 each). It was what I expected, nothing more/nothing less.

[metro]

What's new on the food scene this year?

[GaryOKC6]

What's new on the food scene this year?

Well there was certainly a lot of food to choose from. I am a traditional guy in that I have to have a greasy corn dog and an ear of raosted corn. We all sat at the picnic tables under the space needle ant there was a ton of food vendors there. One of the kids got something caled tornado fries. It was basically fresh cut potato chips fried in a huge clump with seasoning on it. They a little too greasy but were really good. My wife and daufgter got the worst item of the day. Fried cheese. I looked like a corn dog only with cheese inside. Not very good at all.

[RadicalModerate]

You had me at Roasted Corn. =) I think The Great State Fair of Minnesota mastered The Art of Fried Cheese (curds) back in the late 1940's and wisely decided not to attempt the impaling of them on a stick, like sort of a "CheezKurdKabob" or whatever. However, I see no problem with giving a patron two sticks, some cheeze curds and a little Hoisen dipping sauce for an Oriental Flair.

So . . . Were the Traditional Giant Cinnamon Rolls or Indian Tacos as good as always? Or better? I wonder if anyone has thought of making "Indian" Tacos the same way, except with some easy "Curry Sauce"? Were the "Tornado Fries" a New Improved Version of those FABULOUS Hand Drill With a Spiral Jig Cut Fresh Potato Fries that appeared one year?

Frankly, I'm surprised that they didn't put in a Designer Cupcake or Muffin Top Vendor next to the Starbuck's where the Goodholm Mansion used to be.

All joking aside: I am sincerely happy that you and the kids had a good time at the Fair.
That is what it is all about. Sometimes Nostalgia (usually faulty/less-than-perfect) gets in the way of remembering this.

(Edited to Add: I hope The Peruvian/Inca Flute Band was invited back . . . or is that now passé?)

[GaryOKC6]

You had me at Roasted Corn. =) I think The Great State Fair of Minnesota mastered The Art of Fried Cheese (curds) back in the late 1940's and wisely decided not to attempt the impaling of them on a stick, like sort of a "CheezKurdKabob" or whatever. However, I see no problem with giving a patron two sticks, some cheeze curds and a little Hoisen dipping sauce for an Oriental Flair.

So . . . Were the Traditional Giant Cinnamon Rolls or Indian Tacos as good as always? Or better? I wonder if anyone has thought of making "Indian" Tacos the same way, except with some easy "Curry Sauce"? Were the "Tornado Fries" a New Improved Version of those FABULOUS Hand Drill With a Spiral Jig Cut Fresh Potato Fries that appeared one year?

Frankly, I'm surprised that they didn't put in a Designer Cupcake or Muffin Top Vendor next to the Starbuck's where the Goodholm Mansion used to be.

All joking aside: I am sincerely happy that you and the kids had a good time at the Fair.
That is what it is all about. Sometimes Nostalgia (usually faulty/less-than-perfect) gets in the way of remembering this.

(Edited to Add: I hope The Peruvian/Inca Flute Band was invited back . . . or is that now passé?)

I thought about the cinnamon rolls until I saw that they were 9.00 each. I just can bring myself to pay that for a cinnamon roll. Opted for another 6.00 beer instead.

[Fantastic]

the worst item of the day. Fried cheese. I looked like a corn dog only with cheese inside. Not very good at all.

I will respectfully disagree. Fried cheese on a stick is my ABSOLUTE favorite thing at the fair. Every year it is the first and last thing I get at the fair.

I usually fast for a day or two before the big fair day and my family and I go from open to close (though probably not this year due to my work schedule). I enjoy a fried cheesburger, indian taco, chicken on a stick, really mad turkey nads (yep, exactly what it sounds like), fried twinkie, fried cheese cake, fried mashed potatoes, and at least two to three other random food items. Ok, I know that sounds like alot, but my wife, son and I share most of these except the fried cheesburger (wife gets a fried PB&J instead) and the turkey nads (even though she's had lamb fries before, and liked them, she just can't do turkey for some reason)

Seriously, I love the fair, and I'm perfectly fine with the whole "selling you things you don't need" thing. It's just part of the fun of it. We usually blow about $200 dollars each year at the fair (I take $300 just in case), and I think it's perfectly worth it. And it's not that much more expensive than what we would do on a normal family day.

[ExtremistPullup]

Michael so wants the space needle to open again. we saw a pig race and animals about to give birth.
I did get a free shirt from the Marines for dong 34 pull ups my name is still on there board.

[BBatesokc]

That's awesome. I'm trying to get to just 10 pull ups as part of my training for the tough mudder. I'm dead at 7. The only thing I know to do is practice with the pull up assist machine at the Y. Any other suggestions?

[Achilleslastand]

That's awesome. I'm trying to get to just 10 pull ups as part of my training for the tough mudder. I'm dead at 7. The only thing I know to do is practice with the pull up assist machine at the Y. Any other suggestions?

Agreed that is awesome.....
Back in the day at least as far as pull ups go if you wanted a perfect score on the USMC pft you had to do 20.
Might try a lat pulldown machine ...also might try to reverse your grip you might be able to eek out a few more.

[BBatesokc]

Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"

[RadicalModerate]

Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"

Don't you know that The Games of Skill Concessionaires on The Midway love to see those other folks strolling up to their booths?
("Yeah . . . I'm still a-payin' fer this here life-sized stuffed anaconda, but I won it fair and square . . .")

Suggested Reading: "The Mark Inside" Amy Reading (spec. ref.: definition of "humbug")

[GaryOKC6]

Completely stupid! "Some Oklahomans Take Out High-Interest Loans To Go To State Fair"

This does not make much sense to me either. If you can not afford to go to the fair then how can you pay back a high interest loan. As much as I love the fair, i would cut it out of my plans if I were struggling to pay my other bills.

[RadicalModerate]

You pay at least "the vig" on a high interest loan, taken out to win a stuffed anaconda, by going to a casino and playing the slots. You do so because of the "message of hope" delivered by the "humbug" in your metaphorical ear. ("Humbug" didn't always have a negative connotation.)

[kevinpate]

This does not make much sense to me either. If you can not afford to go to the fair then how can you pay back a high interest loan. ...

The thought process, such as it is, runs like this.
S/he lacked the discipline over this past year to set aside 15-20 a month to save for the fun outing at the fair. But still wanting to have fun, s/he decides to just borrow the money and then pay it back over the coming year. And then next year, having shown that s/he can handle the payments, s/he repeats the process next year and goes again. Saving in advance doesn't tend to be a part of the equation.

On a somewhat higher scale, it's why places that rent computers, tv's, appliances, etc. find it easy to stay in business.
On a still higher scale, roughly the same thought process helped create the market for 6+ year car loans, and so on.