Every year, my family and I anxiously wait for the Eastern Idaho State Fair to roll into town. We have so much fun that we often go multiple times during the week that the fair is open. The smell of corn dogs, cotton candy, and funnel cakes lures us in with the excitement of another year at the fair.
The fair is for everyone, and anyone who attends is sure to have a blast.
We love to take the family on the Pepsi Wristband day because it includes admission and unlimited carnival rides for the entire day. We have three children, ages 15, 12, and 6, so this day, in particular, is always a day that we try to make it as a family. We also try to go with other friends and family to have an even better time. The fair always has fun rides that we are all able to enjoy. I am terrified of Ferris Wheels so I never ride them, but it is probably my favorite object to photograph when visiting the fair. My kids also love to play the games so we usually find the time to play some of the carnival games that are available.
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Honestly, our favorite thing to go for is the food. We are foodies and love to try all of the foods that we can—both new that year and the oldies but goodies that we can count on yearly at the fair. Personally, the first item I like to eat at the fair is the teriyaki chicken bowls. They are amazing! We also get mini donuts, turkey legs, spiral fries, pizza, corn dogs, and tacos. My family absolutely loves to get Tiger Ears, so those are always a must-have. Then I always end the day by taking home a big bag of kettle corn and a couple of caramel apples. It astounds me how much we eat during fair days but we have no regrets. The food variety is outstanding and there really is a great selection for everyone to find something they are craving. I also appreciate the performances you can view on the other stages from local people singing, dancing, doing magic, etc.
My favorite building to go into is the Art Building which includes work submitted by Eastern Idaho citizens in the categories of Fine Arts, Photography, Hobbies and Crafts, and more. I am an artist so I tend to appreciate this section more than the rest of my family but they will go in and look with me, especially during the years when I entered the Amateur Photography section. It’s always exciting to submit my photographs to this category. I rarely get to make the award ceremony so I typically find out if my photographs won when I attend the fair. Over the last several years, I was able to win ribbons for 2nd place, 3rd place, and an Honorable Mention. It is my goal to win a 1st place ribbon and I am hopeful that one day I will. Many people don’t realize that as a viewer you can vote for one photograph throughout the building that you feel is the best one and at the end of the fair employees will calculate how many votes the photographs received and an additional award is given out. Even if you don’t submit any work to these categories, I encourage everyone to take the time to view the beautiful art that is created by people right here in Eastern Idaho.
We often attend the fair specifically for the events that are held there. The family favorite is usually the Demolition Derby. Vehicles racing around and crashing into each other is always a big hit with my husband and our boys but I absolutely love attending concerts. In 2021, my best friend and I attended the Third Eye Blind concert and chose to sit in the General Admission area. We had so much fun! I’ve been to many concerts and this concert was actually one of my favorite concerts that I have attended. Good energy, good music, good people all around, it was great! I, personally, enjoyed the fact that there was an alcohol booth set up on the opposite side of the area, it left less congestion in the main beverage area which made less time waiting in lines. It ended up raining for a little bit so they had to wait to get the concert going but everyone was having a great time and the good vibes were flowing all around.
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All of my kids enjoy looking at the animals, especially our daughter who is the youngest. She loves the petting zoo and being able to ride ponies for a little bit. Another hot spot is the Home and Garden area. There are always great products for homes, gardens, and more. Every year we enter the drawing for the free train set in this building but haven’t won yet. It is usually here that my kids find souvenirs they want to take home. My boys love knives and there is typically a good selection that you can find. My daughter tends to pick a toy or stuffed animal to bring home and she always wants her face painted!
My absolute favorite thing about the Eastern Idaho State Fair is that there is something there for everyone. Even if you attend for one day, you can make the most out of it and plan to be there the entire day. I promise that you will find fun things to do or see and you won’t leave disappointed.
