It’s been many years since I was a student at St. Thomas Aquinas, but I can remember anxiously awaiting my Charlie in the Chocolate Factory moment. For me, my Golden Ticket was a Student Pass and my Chocolate Factory was the State Fair of Texas. Yes, it happened every year, and every year I was just as excited as the previous. It never got old. It still doesn’t.
Though these days the experience is different, I like to stick to my traditions as much as possible.
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The Pirate Ship
This is a must do every. Single. Year. And not only is it a do, but I must grab a seat at the very back, not the middle. The middle seats are for babies. The back seats are for the daredevils, the risk takers, the extreme-sports types—me.
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The higher you go, the louder the “whooOOOooaaa” gets. The higher you go, the higher the probability of the whoas turning into yells or screams. The ride lasts for about a minute, but it’s a minute of stomach-tingling fun.
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The Corny Dog
It’s corny dog, not corn dog. ‘nuff said.
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The Beer at Bailey’s
This tradition didn’t start in my school-age years, obviously, but for the last several years it has been my go-to place for the cheapest beer at the fair. That’s until this year. This year, we were hipped to a cheaper spot. Cheaper than Bailey’s? No way, we thought. But yes, it did exist. And it was not only cheaper, it was way cheaper. Bailey’s better watch out. There’s a new Sheriff in town.
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The Haunted House Ride
This ride is not scary at all. I wouldn’t go on it if it was. It’s an old roller coaster ride that looks like it was built in a teen’s garage—think tinfoil, spray paint and plastic mirrors as design elements. The coaster cart takes you through different “rooms” that are dark and scary. I love it because it’s air conditioned, it’s safe (I could walk out of there if it broke down) and it’s cute.
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The Caramel Apple
I have to have a caramel apple with nuts before I leave the fair. It used to be a candy apple, but somewhere between my 20s and 30s, my tastes matured. The past two years, I’ve been short one coupon. It costs 12; I have 11. So the past two years I’ve had to convince an unsuspecting vendor to do me a solid. I’ve succeeded. It may be my new tradition—to come up short. Until next year, Big Tex.
Nina where you get the great sunglasses?
6 ticket beer place rulez!