Laura-Jane Adventures

My first full weekend in Indiana involved a trip to the Indiana State Fair with my host family. The Indiana State Fair is held in the month of August, it attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and is a chance for individuals to appreciate and display everything from handmade jewellery to agricultural machinery. As someone who comes from a small Scottish city the most moving fair I had ever attended was the small-scale, although lively, Dundee Flower and Food Festival. So unsurprisingly, the State Fair shocked me with how large it was in area and the variety of stalls, food and entertainment offered.

Our first stop at the fair was to see the Hoosier Horse Fair. This show allows owners who take pride in their animals to demonstrate the skills of the horses and their immense beauty. The arena sat thousands of people and you could feel the appreciation in the room.

If you plan to go to Indiana State Fair you will not be limited in regards to what there is to see and do. The circus is a very popular attraction, therefore I would suggest purchasing tickets early in the day to ensure you have a seat. In addition, there are many attractions on the agriculture in Indiana which can interest all ages, and you can even get yourself some goodies!

Another amazing thing about the Indiana State Fair, and almost every fair I’ve been too, is the food. The endless food trucks made it impossible to choose what you were in the mood for and of course being from somewhere other than America I was intrigued as to what some things were. My American family recommended an ‘elephant ear’, which is fried dough, stretched, and covered in sugar and cinnamon. Extremely bad for you but absolutely delicious.

The Indiana State Fair is a way for the culture and traditions of the state to be proudly shown to citizens and visitors. The stalls offer rare buys and often useless junk, but portray what has helped the state flourish economically. To conclude my first ever state fair we had to go to the funfair, of course! This was a great way to end the night and is the part of the fair which draws in the youth. Here I could feel the young American culture and that was significantly satisfying for a young girl who has come to America to find herself.

To conclude, I would tell anyone living in the United States or visiting to go to any state fair. They are a chance for people to come together and celebrate the culture and history of the area. For myself it gave me the chance to get to know my host family and their close family, whilst learning more about the state I am spending the next ten months of my life in. Also, if anything else, it was a good excuse to eat too much sugar!

Lots of love,

Laura Jane x