We were up and getting ready to spend the day in the Sun!
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Robin arrived at 10:10 am, and we headed to the Fair on opening day. We thought traffic would be a mess, but we ended up parking about 50 feet from the entrance! Robin purchased the ticket online earlier, so we walked right inside.
This is the 136th year and the 39th for Paul!
Mary kept thinking about turkey legs and all of a sudden she was surrounded by lunch.
Check out the name of the sand in the background!
“Our Buns Are Out Of This World”, yep, I would agree.
Control yourselves, girls!!!
We went into the buildings to cool off and do some serious shopping. We met up with the shirt guy at High Seas Trading Company and got two new shirts. We also got replacement shirts for the ones we bought last year that were never delivered.
The girls tried almost everything!
Then it happened: Mary’s nose began to twitch, and she spoke in tongues…yes, she spotted the famous Turkey Leg Grill!! We immediately stopped and found a spot to sit under the shade of a tree whilst Mary showed us how to demolish a BBQ’d 11-pound turkey leg.
Mary had visions of me getting a leg as well, so she would nibble on it while I was not looking.
PLEASE don’t hit me!
Mary is thinking about going back to work as a Professional Turkey Leg Taste Tester! (PTLTT)
The chomping noises were so intense that the small children walking by clutched their juice boxes in fear. But Mary was unstoppable. She kept gnawing with the focus of a raccoon in a trash can, determined to reach the bone.
And what a bone it was—white as something left in the desert for 50 years, white as a cloud, white as a ghost who had seen Mary eat.
It was, quite literally, a bone-chilling experience.
When Mary finally finished her prehistoric feast, Robin and I carefully removed our raincoats—which we had wisely worn as splatter guards—and sat down to enjoy our meal, grateful to still have all our fingers.
The CHOMP heard around the world.
We knew she was done when we saw her plate!
She removed 54% more meat than the average buzzard!
The most fascinating facts about these giant portable feasts include:
They are largely a modern invention: Despite their medieval reputation, giant smoked turkey legs were not eaten at historical feasts. The massive turkey breeds we know today are native to North America. The popularity of walking around gnawing on a drumstick is actually a trend that started at Renaissance fairs and theme parks in the latter half of the 20th century.
They get their flavor (and pink color) from curing: If you’ve ever thought your turkey leg tasted like ham, you weren’t imagining things. Most of the large-scale smoked turkey legs sold at fairs and theme parks are wet-cured in a saltwater, sugar, and sodium nitrite solution (similar to ham or corned beef) before they are smoked. This curing process firms the texture and gives the meat that distinct rosy color.
They are from “Tom” turkeys: the drumsticks you buy at theme parks are noticeably larger than those on a standard Thanksgiving bird. They are sourced almost exclusively from male turkeys (“Toms”), which are larger and heavier.
They are packed with tendons: Because turkeys walk a lot, their legs contain a dense network of thick, chewy tendons. Commercial preparation and slow-smoking low-and-slow help break them down, but anyone cooking them from scratch at home often pulls them out with pliers before cooking.
After the mildly upsetting lunch and sending Mary to the showers for a rinse, we continued walking. At the end of the day, we had walked 6,000 steps, totaling 1.95 miles.
Someone has talent!!
We went to Centennial Farms and visited the veggies and flowers before seeing the baby pigs.
Here are some interesting facts about baby pigs:
• Baby pigs are called piglets.
• Piglets can recognize their mother’s voice shortly after birth.
• Newborn piglets often weigh around 2–3 pounds.
• They are very social and like to sleep close together for warmth and comfort.
• Piglets start learning to root around with their snouts at a young age.
• A mother pig is called a sow.
• Piglets often have a specific teat they prefer and return to during nursing.
• They can be surprisingly smart and can learn routines quickly.
• Piglets communicate with squeals, grunts, and other vocal sounds.
• They are born with tiny sharp teeth sometimes called needle teeth.
• Piglets grow very fast and can double their weight within their first week.
• Despite the phrase “sweating like a pig,” pigs don’t sweat much, so piglets need shade and cool areas in warm weather.
Dinner is served!
After walking in the heat, a power nap was required. We sat in the shade of a cucumber bush, enjoying the occasional gust of wind.
I wore the shirt to make a statement about the heat!
Mary found her favorite clothes booth, selected some pants, and bought them. At the same time, Robin and I sat in the Butterfly area, drinking cold water and visiting with an elderly Mexican lady who had been brought to the Fair by her two sons!
Guess who was there??? Evelyn, a good friend, was also shopping at the same place.
Off we go!
By the time we got home, it was clearly time for a glass of wine and a “short nap” — which is adult code for do not disturb unless something is on fire.
The girls settled themselves in the front room, while I heroically went to the bedroom to hold the bed down for 45 peaceful minutes. It was a tough job, but someone had to make sure it didn’t float away.
After that, we rallied just enough for a dive into the pool and a long soak, where we pretended to be energetic people for a little while.
Later, we attempted to watch TV, but it quickly turned into a group sleep rotation. One of us would wake up just long enough to ask, “What happened?” before immediately falling asleep again.
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The ride home was memorable!
