Ode to the Ohio State Fair of 2009

Well, another fair has come and gone. Just last week, I performed my last show at the Ohio State Fair for 2009. "In the old days"...when the fair was longer, today would have been the final day. How I miss that.

It will be another year before I'll have fresh roasted corn. I know I can roast my own corn, but it isn't the same. It will be another year before steak on a stick, cheese on a stick, pork chop on a stick, deep fried oreos on a stick, Snickers on a stick, deep fried Twinkie on a stick, cotton candy on a stick, corn dog on a stick and all of the other tasty treats from the on-a-stick food group.

Of course, I do have a few other favorites. I love the mini donuts, the elephant ears and my new favorite the iced cinnamon pecan roll. Obviously, these are just my top picks from the sugar food group!

The fair always brings back such fond memories for me. My mom really did wake us up early to be at the fair at 6AM. My mom is no longer with us, but the fair always brings back sweet memories of her. Or, maybe it is just all of the sugar that I eat. Either way, it leaves me feeling close to her memory.

As today marks the first week since the fair closed, a small tear comes to my eye.

Alas, we will all have to wait another year (minus one week) until the fair is here again! Hopefully, ODNR will call next week to schedule me for next year. I will be giddy with excitement as I count down the days. (Jason...is that you calling?)

What Happened to Summer?

Wow! I can't believe summer is almost over. School is about to begin. Where does time go? If anyone can find it, let me know. I'm in search of...lost time.

I'm working on a few real posts, so stay tuned!

The Old Mansfield Reformatory

I know this may sound strange, but last weekend I took my two nieces and my nephew to jail. Actually, it was to the Old Mansfield Reformatory.

We thought it would be cool. Not only does the prison have its own, original history, but its post life is fascinating! After the prison closed in the early 1990s, several movies were filmed on location, including Shawshank Redemption. It is also reported to be haunted.

So, last Sunday, we loaded up the kids and we had a blast!

The outside of the prison is beautiful. We all agreed that it looks like a resort. There is even a lake out front.



There are three separate tours available. And, all of the tour guides are volunteers. This allows the ticket price to go towards renovation. Unfortunately, our tour guide wasn't that talkative. We learned more from the Internet. However, the kids loved it!



We recommend this quick trip. So, grab the family and go to jail! Just kidding! But, it was a lot of fun and it was a unique experience with so much history and pop culture. (Want to see more photos? Check out the flickr photo set!)