Hand-eye coordination is not my jam. I won’t be winning any giant plushies from the carnival games at the Howard County Fair.
If I’d felt lucky during my visit on Sunday, I would have tried to break a plate, since I’m a pro at it when doing the dishes. Instead, I watched gamers try their hand at basketball hoops or balloon bust and scouted some of the best attractions at the 78th annual fair.
Here’s what to do before it wraps up on Saturday.
Cheer on the pig races
Three times a day, two trios of pigs and a quartet of Nigerian Dwarf goats sprint around a sawdust racetrack with spectators cheering them all on. All of the animals are part of the Wee Wee Wee Racing Pigs family. The daily races are at 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. but are subject to change with weather.
On Sunday afternoon, the little piglets got ready to race first. Ham Solo, Chewbacon and Luke Swinewalker started off slow before Ham Solo took off all the way to the finish line.
Then larger kunekune and pot-bellied pigs were up. Hannah Montana, Kevin Bacon and Lindsay Lohan were so fast I didn’t see which pig won.
The Nigerian Dwarf goats — Butterscotch, Ice Cream, Oreo and Chocolate — each got an appointed cheerleader from the crowd, and Butterscotch took the W.
Eat a fried oreo
After perusing the fair’s many food stalls, I decided on a few fried Oreos and a freshly squeezed lemonade, a classic pairing if I do say so.
A few other items sparked my interest, too: The gelato nachos from Mike’s Gelato comes with two scoops of the frozen treat and a side of waffle chips drizzled in chocolate, strawberry or caramel sauce.
Also, I was surprised to see candy apples, a food I associate with pumpkin picking.
If you’re looking for non-fried food, I spied pit beef sandwiches, smoked turkey legs and lots of sweets, like cotton candy or ice cream.
If it’s hot, head to the self-serve slushie truck or order the root beer float from Goertze’s Dairy Kone.
Ride the Super Shot
As someone who is afraid of heights, I couldn’t take my eyes off the Super Shot, where riders’ feet dangled as they slowly crawled to the top of the tower, only to plummet back down. Screams and shrills rang out all evening.
Thrill seekers can load up on ride credits from the self-serve kiosk, and the fair offers ride deals every day that include unlimited ride armbands. On Thursday, all rides are $2. For attendees that want to skip the line, express passes are $15 per person.
Rides are open until 11 p.m., but don’t wait too late to go — admission stops at 10 p.m.
For the little ones, there’s a classic swing ride, a small ferris wheel, a carousel and spinning tea cups.
Pet the horses
Every day from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., attendees can get up close and personal with horses from a different group at the equine exhibit.
On Sunday, Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue brought three draft horses to the fair. Since 2005, the rescue has saved over 1,500 work horses used for plowing and other farming jobs.
Other groups coming to the exhibit this week are Centaurs 4-H Club, Days End Farm Horse Rescue and Safe Haven Equine Warriors.
Meet an emu
Walking into the petting barn, I wasn’t expecting to find emus. I then was even more surprised to see they were for sale. Their heads looked super fuzzy, but I didn’t get too close because a pink sign kindly warned that the emus can bite.
The rest of the petting barn is full of cuddlier critters. It was hard to tell if the piglets or the little bunnies were the bigger hit Sunday afternoon.
Other animals looking for affection in the barn are baby chicks and ducklings, alpacas, goats, a cow and even a donkey.
I recommend visiting the petting barn at least twice when at the fair, but not between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., when the animals have nap time. Within minutes after nap time, the barn fills with cooing fairgoers.
