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We used to go to the Kentucky State Fair all the time when I was a kid. (80s and 90s). My Boy Scout troop used to volunteer and we'd get free admission. Later on in high school, it was a major social event as it takes place the same time a new school year is starting. When I was 15 years-old I went to the Kentucky State fair with some friends. We got there early in the morning and planned to stay right up until closing. I don't really remember fine details, but I started talking to this girl while we were waiting in line for something and we really hit it off. After a bit we split away from our groups so we could explore the fair together. It was unbelievable how great we were getting along and I thought I was in love. So closing time comes, we all met back with our groups and I ask for this girl's number. That's when I noticed the 812 area code, she's from Indiana. It's not that I care she lives in Indiana but I live in Kentucky and neither one of us had a car. I don't know why we never spoke about it before. We talked about our families and stuff but never said where she lived. We spoke on the phone once and that was that. There was a wing of the fairgrounds that was all different vendors. Typical stuff you'd see at conventions and lots of government displays. Since we were broke and this place had air conditioning, we always made sure to go there. All the booths were corporations doing promos so they'd hand out pencils, pens, buttons, knicknack crap like that. They'd also have bags for to carry stuff around in. These bags will be important later. Up until the early 90s, Philip Morris used to hand out free packs of Marlboros or other brands they were trying to promote. You had to be careful here because they are not going to keep giving the same kids samples. So we'd switch t-shirts (which we got for free at a booth!) , wear a different hat (which we got for free at a booth!) and pass yourself off as different. Or wait out the people's shift in the booth. Remember when I said those free bags were important? We used those for shoplifting. In another wings there was a flea market kind of setup. A few vendors selling concert t-shirts who would have all the shirts laid out in a table and folded nicely. See, there were no cameras in those days at least not in a huge building like this. So once the booth owner's head is turned, you gently push the t-shirt of your choice into the open bag that is just below the table and walk away. The bag is think plastic and you can't see through it. Everywhere you look everyone else has the same bags and it all just blends in. I remember one year they handed out varnished lumps of coal. Not sure if they meant to use it as a paperweight or what, but it was obviously a promotional item. And of course https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlhlZLNu73U
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Oct 15, 2023 17:53
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| # ? May 3, 2024 19:21 |
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I'm going to the sheep barn and then go to the booth where you make spin art.
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Oct 15, 2023 18:35
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I’m going to the sand art booth and hope that it makes me feel not quite so awful as my parents had yet another terrible shouting match just half an hour ago [time passes] no, it did not help, I feel utterly empty
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Oct 15, 2023 19:28
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Why does that dude hang out in the bathroom with a donation jar all the time? I ain't gonna give you money cause you like huffing farts. Also, elephant ears with cinnamon and sugar > funnel cakes. No question .
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Oct 15, 2023 20:25
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Gherkin Jerkin posted:Why does that dude hang out in the bathroom with a donation jar all the time? I ain't gonna give you money cause you like huffing farts. I tipped the guy cuz I had an emergency situation and the stall I luckily walked right into was freaking spotless. SPOTLESS. Big stall, locked door, very relaxing among the huge crowd. Dropped five bucks and thanked him directly.
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Oct 15, 2023 20:29
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Gherkin Jerkin posted:Why does that dude hang out in the bathroom with a donation jar all the time? I ain't gonna give you money cause you like huffing farts. Betcha its like how nightclubs have a "restroom attendant" who hands you towels. They want to keep an eye on what's going on in the bathrooms but it would be wierd having a security guard just standing in there.
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Oct 15, 2023 21:52
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Pekinduck posted:Betcha its like how nightclubs have a "restroom attendant" who hands you towels. They want to keep an eye on what's going on in the bathrooms but it would be wierd having a security guard just standing in there. cant believe this never clicked for me
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Oct 15, 2023 21:59
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Bonzo posted:We used to go to the Kentucky State Fair all the time when I was a kid. (80s and 90s). My Boy Scout troop used to volunteer and we'd get free admission. Later on in high school, it was a major social event as it takes place the same time a new school year is starting. hell yeah that pretty much sums up the kentucky state fair experience. i saw someone post Big Tex earlier and i couldn't remember the one in kentucky, but there he is Freddie Farm Bureau. i remember having the varnished lump of coal too. the vendor market was amazing to me because of all the people selling baseball cards that were well out of my ten year old price range.
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Oct 16, 2023 00:37
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https://i.imgur.com/CIC7l8U.mp4
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Oct 16, 2023 01:06
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*gets back in line
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Oct 16, 2023 01:09
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https://i.imgur.com/z6tQELL.gifv
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Oct 16, 2023 01:20
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I'm like a vampire but for snow cones. Bleed em white.
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Oct 21, 2023 20:13
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Corn dogs too. Call me goon-icula.
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Oct 21, 2023 23:25
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All You Can Eat posted:Corn dogs too. Call me goon-icula. [clobbers you with porterhouse in hilarious homophonic misunderstanding]
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Oct 22, 2023 01:11
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVAvZWZ5ImI I've had one of those sandwiches. The experience Ms. Daviess County is having is authentic. Bonzo fucked around with this message at 16:21 on Oct 22, 2023 |
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Oct 22, 2023 01:13
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Not really a county fair where I was, but the local Lion's Club carnival. The carnies were from wherever. Conklin the stoner clown carnival or whatever the gently caress, same with the games and whatnot, but the concessions and some of the gambling games were run by the lions club members. So often we'd be 12 year olds, gambling and winning money from teachers or friend's parents who were running these games. Or bingo of course. I think I still have the Star Trek V poster that I won in probably about 1992 or so. Of course the ring toss games I was always trying to win the knives, bb guns r crossbows, but never quite happened. Also got booted out once or twice for being sassy with the carnies. I haven't been to one of those carnivals since 1998 or so, but I can still hear the Lion's club guy selling tickets for some draw "dollar a ticket or 3 for 2". Used to fall asleep to that when I was a kid even though my house was like a kilometer away from the park.
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Oct 22, 2023 03:47
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Lion's club ruled and I broke my glasses so often, they got a few pairs every year. Iowa State fair is a lot of fun, just beware of Eastsider night. Everyone gets super drunk and nobody wants to pay fair prices so you walk across the street to buy booze at the QuikTrip or the bar. Ever seen a car flip so high it struck a 2 story building?
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Oct 22, 2023 03:59
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It's also the only place left that will still make a good Green River float. Goddammit I love the fair, I missed out this year.
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Oct 22, 2023 04:01
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Ambassadorofsodomy posted:Also got booted out once or twice for being sassy with the carnies. if the carnies ever try starting poo poo just throw a crack rock or dime bag of meth a ways away and they'll all disappear real fast probably didnt have any when you were 12 though i guess
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Oct 22, 2023 04:03
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Forgot to mention that in my later teenage years, I had some friends who worked for the Lion's club cutting grass or whatever. They'd talk to the carnies and the carnies would talk about how every time they set up the rides they had a bunch of nuts and bolts left over. They had no idea where they went and they weren't always the same ones that were left over every time they set them up. I was never really a fan of amusement park rides to begin with and that just strengthened my resolve to stay off all types of carnival/amusement park rides.
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Oct 22, 2023 04:05
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I'm the ever-present fear that rides bolted together by meth heads might shake apart and murder everyone around them. Hi.
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Oct 22, 2023 04:08
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Ambassadorofsodomy posted:Forgot to mention that in my later teenage years, I had some friends who worked for the Lion's club cutting grass or whatever. They'd talk to the carnies and the carnies would talk about how every time they set up the rides they had a bunch of nuts and bolts left over. They had no idea where they went and they weren't always the same ones that were left over every time they set them up. Carnies ain't always bad people. My husband was one for 15 years, fixing the rides and making sure everyone is safe and sound to go. They're literally just doing thier job. If one barks at you the wrong way, bark right back at them.
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Oct 22, 2023 04:11
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Haverchuck posted:cant believe this never clicked for me lol yeah, it wasn't until I helped a friend with a restaurant I figured it out. "you have the bartenders that generate the revenue, its just an expense but you need security, you need the bathroom paper-towel handers ohhhhhhhh" DicktheCat posted:I'm the ever-present fear that rides bolted together by meth heads might shake apart and murder everyone around them. When I was a kid I wasn't allowed to go on any of those rides, especially the zipper. Its because my dad knew an electrician who got a temp job to work on the fair and came back shell-shocked and warned all the neighborhood parents away. I figure he was right. Pekinduck fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Oct 22, 2023 |
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Oct 22, 2023 04:24
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::Bursting through the gate, making a bloodhound-like beeline directly toward the nearest funnel cake booth::
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Oct 22, 2023 04:34
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Pekinduck posted:lol yeah, it wasn't until I helped a friend with a restaurant I figured it out. "you have the bartenders that generate the revenue, its just an expense but you need security, you need the bathroom paper-towel handers ohhhhhhhh" Luckily(?) I was such a wuss as a kid that the extent of my rides, if we're not counting the hall of mirrors or the mazes or the jungle gym things, were the giant slides and the bumper cars. Pekinduck posted:Betcha its like how nightclubs have a "restroom attendant" who hands you towels. They want to keep an eye on what's going on in the bathrooms but it would be wierd having a security guard just standing in there. Haverchuck posted:cant believe this never clicked for me 
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Oct 22, 2023 09:07
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He could just be cleaning the bathrooms. Like I said, at the Fryeburg Fair, those toilets were spotless, and this was 8 hours into the fair with a robust visitation rate. That dude was working.
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Oct 22, 2023 12:47
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buglord posted:Luckily(?) I was such a wuss as a kid that the extent of my rides, if we're not counting the hall of mirrors or the mazes or the jungle gym things, were the giant slides and the bumper cars. lol when I was a kid I, for some rat-race conformist bootlicker reasons felt I needed to get though the hall of mirrors AS FAST AS POSSIBLE and ate poo poo multiple times. buglord posted:ohhhhhhhhh Because I love obscure poo poo like this: do you know why the hotel chains "Super 8" or "Motel 6" are called that? Once upon a time, that was the price: six or eight bucks a night. Pekinduck fucked around with this message at 04:43 on Oct 29, 2023 |
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Oct 29, 2023 04:14
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| # ? May 3, 2024 19:21 |
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Meetin' a carny after the fair closes for some Coke
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Oct 29, 2023 19:36
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