Meteornotes Posted October 6, 2006 Posted October 6, 2006 So a few weeks ago, we decided to visit the MD state fair. I had never been there, and Mary had not been to one in over ten years. Since the fairgrounds is only a few miles from our house, and it was a nice evening, it seemed like a good idea. We might have visited the fair earlier, but some lame TPR person visiting the area neglected to inform us that he was going. All those papercuts must have caused him some major brain troubles. Anyway, I had only been to fairs in PA before this one, and I think the MD fair fails in three significant ways: Way Less Mutants - We didn't even spot a mullet all night! Everyone was more or less normal. Compare this to when I went with my parents to the Bloomsburg Fair in PA a few years back, where I thought I had accidentally stumbled upon an open casting call for George Romero's next zombie apocalypse film. Scientists studying the effect of the diluted gene pool could have done some nobel worthy research there. I suppose the mutant population of MD just isn't quite as large as the one in PA, or they were all staying at home until demolition derby night. Deep Fried Stuff - Usually when visiting a fair, you will note all sorts of things being deep fried, including many items you never thought should be anywhere near a fryer. Well, in MD, all I saw were Oreos and Twinkies, which are pretty mundane at this point. I'm hoping that our constant outsourcing of work to other nations does not mean that we have lost our edge here in the US at the outer edges of deep frying technology. Though since visiting the fair I did see an article on some sort of Deep Fried Coke at a Texas fair, so perhaps not all hope is yet lost. Arts & Crafts - No statue of Elvis made out of butter. No Elvis art at all, in fact. So sad. Despite all this, we still had a good time. Ah, enough of my yammering, lets go to the visuals! We missed this, but we decided that it would likely feature more talent and more entertainment than an episode of American Idol. Thanks for viewing! I had no idea there was an ACE convention in town! Sleeping pigs. Woot! Donkey! Llamas! Almost as scary as those mutant things we saw at Walibi World a few years ago. Hot goat on goat action! Cute little ducks. Time for some animals. Here's a cow. OK, this is not at all what I was hoping for. So let's check out some of the exhibits. This sounds promising... More lighted goodness. Derek, this is as close to a vertical loop in the place as I could find. Another spinning thing. If Nicole was here, I might have ridden some of these. The Zipper Thing Of Death. No way was I riding this. And Mary's soul was almost melted just by watching it in action. Random midway action. They had a bunch of stuff, including three ferris wheels.
SharkTums Posted October 6, 2006 Posted October 6, 2006 OMG I can't believe you missed the Animal Costume Contest...that would have been awesome! I saw them make the 'deep fried coke' on the Today show and was very disappointed! Basically it's like a donut, but they use coke instead of other liquids then fry it up. LAME!
sfne2005 Posted October 6, 2006 Posted October 6, 2006 ^ Would have been better if it were a deep fried pepsi! How dare they ruin a donut and put coke on it!!!!
Calvin Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 Since when does everyone hate the Zipper? It's like hating the Tilt-a-Whirl or the ferris wheel...
okinawaboy11 Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 I lovvvvve zippers. And ferris wheels and tilt a whirls. I must be weird.
Calvin Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 Freak-o. But really. I know some people who would give their right arm to ride the Turbo, but wouldn't touch a Zipper for all the gold lining Michael Jackson's piggy bank.
Calaway Park Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 Freak-o. But really. I know some people who would give their right arm to ride the Turbo, but wouldn't touch a Zipper for all the gold lining Michael Jackson's piggy bank. I would give an arm AND a leg to ride Turbo, but if a Zipper's at a fair it's the first thing I head to...
JimmyBo Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 I had a friend nearly fall to her death on a Zipper. The door opened, she flew out but hung on with her arm with the door slamming on her arm. She broke her arm and had gashes all over it. So my point is...they look fun but I stay away from them thanks..... Edit: BTW, great stuff Dave and very disappointing for only fried twinkies and oreos...what happened to fried rodents?
Calaway Park Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 I had a friend nearly fall to her death on a Zipper. The door opened, she flew out but hung on with her arm with the door slamming on her arm. She broke her arm and had gashes all over it. So my point is...they look fun but I stay away from them thanks..... Edit: BTW, great stuff Dave and very disappointing for only fried twinkies and oreos...what happened to fried rodents? This is blaintly an operator fault if it did happen, as the doors use a bobby pin and a latch to close, it would take some rough ride for it to open on its own... And she held on with one arm; yet her arm was broken and it had gashes because the door was slamming on it.. she would have let go you think? Sorry, it's just that, if Zippers were as prone to accidents like this as they were when released [they were released with a faulty lock] they would not be in circulation.
pvcoasterguy Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 I believe that the Zipper is one of the most flawed and unsafe designs out there, especially in a carnival setting. Throughout the ride, your force is pushing against the door, and, at times, the Zipper ride is incredibly forceful. This in combination with the chance that the operator may not even lock your car sends shivers down my spine. Any ride should be able to have fail-safes that would lock the car for the operator had he/she forgotten, or at least it should shut off the ride. But this ride doesn't. It's an old ride, extremely dated, with a bad design. I don't care what anyone tells me--I'm never going on a Chance Zipper. And Calaway, what are you even trying to say? Even if the arm was broken, it could still grasp something, especially if it was a life-or-death situation. I wouldn't question something like that... why would someone lie about an accident?
FlyingScooter Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 Thanks for posting this tr. i missed my county fair this year. I miss the animals.
cfc Posted October 7, 2006 Posted October 7, 2006 Funny stuff, Dave. I was thinking of hitting the Va. State Fair this weekend, but the weather sucks. If you want to see plenty of "mutants," you might want to check out the Stanislaus County Fair if you should ever find yourself in Turlock, California, in August. Yes, I grew up in Stanislaus County, and a quick visit to the fair will probably give you a few hints about why I left.
Meteornotes Posted October 9, 2006 Author Posted October 9, 2006 I saw them make the 'deep fried coke' on the Today show and was very disappointed! Basically it's like a donut, but they use coke instead of other liquids then fry it up. LAME! Wow, that is lame. I was thinking they put the coke into some sort of batter bottle and deep fried that. Though I guess a donut made like this would still taste better than a Krispy Kreme... dt
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