Good-bye Cream Puff

Adding cream to Puffs.
dwm photo

Good-bye Cream Puff.  So long State Fair... see you next year!

2017 was more than fair when it comes to the thrills, oohs, and ahhhs of the annual state party.

Many events in life involve waiting.  Patiently or not so patiently, we look ahead.  We circle dates on a calendar (do people still keep calendars on walls these days?) and begin the long, slow process of anticipation.

Just as it seems the time you are looking for won't ever arrive, it shows up. Then, in a flash, it's a memory.

Hungry?  (dwm)

A memory etched into the senses of vision, smell, taste, and feel is the State Fair Cream Puff.

Made on location, the delicate puffs stand strong, as pillows of cream are layered between the pastry shells.

Gently twist the shells apart so roughly half the cream is on each shell, then eat.  Eat slow, savor the sensation.

The Wonderwheel.(dwm)

Part of the way I justify the Puff is that it happens once a year.

On the other hand, I looked ahead to the larger wheel of Wonder for 90 days. It lived up to and exceeded expectations.  At this point, I have no idea if it will return in 2018 (any clues from the folks in West Allis?), but hope so.

In all the years of attending State Fair, I never sat down to watch the Racing Pigs.  Apparently, it is one of the most popular attractions.  I didn't know what I was missing.

Now that I know, it will help me decide whether to stop in for chasing bacon next year.

Racing pigs.  (dwm)

Annual traditions enter the fabric of our lives by the repetition.  Those little things we find so endearing and anticipate all year, might yield a shrug and eye roll from our friends.

Believe it or not, I know people who live their lives quite content without ever eating a Cream Puff or standing in line to go down the Giant Slide.

Some love the aisles upon aisles of gadgets and gee-gaws you can't live without, even though you didn't know they existed before you walked through the gates.

See you 8/2/2018! (dwm)

Over some 50 years of State Fair, I'm pretty sure I've missed no more than 10.

I go for the new attractions, like the giant Ferris Wheel, and to take in the favorite foods and attractions because they touch a place deep in my heart.

Fifty weeks before next year's edition, it is good to know the Kids From Wisconsin will sing; the Cream Puffs will taste great: flavored milk at the Bucks' milk house will be the best deal; and sights - sounds - tastes - and smells will immediately confirm it's time, again, for the Wisconsin State Fair.