the Ohio State Fair Delivers Foodgasms and Thrills

We'd only been here a few weeks when the Ohio State Fair came to town last year. But when we told our new neighbors that we wanted to go, they were horrified. "You'll get the wrong idea about Ohio! It's crowded, full of disgusting people, and you'll have no fun." So we skipped it, and spent the next 12 months regretting our decision.

This July, we were ready. We were bound for the fair, and no one would be able to talk us out of it this time. And the fair was even better than we had imagined. 

First we feasted on fair food.... Steak on a stick, roasted corn, kettle corn, hand cut fries, corn dogs, and of course, fried things. Deep fried Oreos, Nutter Butters, Twinkies, and, the clear winner, only available at the Ohio State Fair: Deep Fried Buckeyes. Imagine a light outer layer of sweet, slightly crispy dough, yielding easily to hot, dark chocolate, and then to a molten peanut butter creme center. These deep fried buckeyes were an explosion of goodness in the mouth.

We enjoyed a good 30 minutes of collective family foodgasm, darting from booth to booth, throwing dollar bills around, and lovingly feeding morsels to each other. No doubt about it... the Druckman family was in fair food heaven. I don't think I've ever been more proud of my children. Their gusto and enthusiasm brought tears to my eyes, between bites of inky binky cinnamon donuts, little hot bites of greasy sweet perfection.

The food would have been enough of a highlight, but we rounded the corner and came face to face with a helicopter. A real, bonafide flying machine. Jack simply stopped moving. It was as if he had met his destiny at the Ohio State Fair. In his mind, there was no doubt that this night would be his first helicopter flight.

The ride must have lasted less than 5 minutes, just up and around the fair before a soft landing, but the view from up above was magical, and the look on his face as he flew next to the pilot was easily worth the $30 fare. He'll remember this night for the rest of his life, and so will I.