A Fair-ly lovely Schmorgisboard

So, back a billion years ago when my life was all carefree and I had no studying to not do, I went to the LA county feature with a couple of girlfriends from high school. And then weeks later I remembered it and decided to talk about it on my blog.
So here we are. The fair! Ok, besides the fact that since being at school I have heard LA referred to as "a stink of a city", I love so many things about it. And one tradition that rests deep in my heart is the fair. When I was a kid, we would go to the fair every year and my mom used to work at the information booth and all the kids would beg for those wristbands that got us onto unlimited (or as I like to say, infinity) rides, and a lot of years we actually got them.

I remember one year I was on the ferris wheel with my two little brothers and at the top of it I got a terrible nose bleed (we must have had quite the elevation change) and we kept yelling at the creepy carnie folk working the machine to let us out every time we were at the bottom and finally like five rotations later they let me out, after I had gotten blood all over everything.
What an appetizing story.

But even though the fair can be a bit gritty, I love it. I wanted to try a deep fried klondike bar this year, but I am mega cheap and it cost $7. I also love the farm animals. My mom loves the baby piglets and my older brother used to make us get fresh squeezed milk, but I would only get chocolate milk because high milk fat is very intense.
Another fair tradition is the table settings. I'm glad my friends were down to do this because out is such an old lady hobby. Basically contestants set tables:

And the judges take off points for things like "champagne glasses smudged with fingerprints" and "menu includes soup, but there is no soup soon on table" and there is an intense scoring system that scares all the manners right out of me.

And new this year! There was a shark exhibit where a man swam in a very, very small tank with sharks (it was so small that I felt bad for them) and played air guitar and danced a waltz with the sharks in what appeared to be animal abuse. But apparently if you flip a shark upside down it automatically goes unconscious. Which I think makes the animal abuse worse, not better.

Oh and Hot Dog on a Stick!  I love eating this stuff at the fair.  It is just... so very the fair.  They have cream cheese on a stick!  I want to try it sometime, but I saw the sign for it right after I had already ordered (and the lady working there had already taken a block of cheese on a stick and dipped it first in batter and then in a boiling vat of oil - yum!).  But the limeade is superb.
And just because I can, more pictures: (but don't worry, they are good)

Acrobats!

A very secure system!

I guess that's it!

Oh and ten points for whoever gets the reference in the title.