Mississippi State Fair 2021

The Mississippi State Fair rolls around every October.  It is another thing I love about being home in the fall.  I love riding the rides.  I love eating the foods.  I love all the exhibits and the shows.  Most of all, I just love the excitement that the fair brings.  Last Thursday after school we drove to Jackson to experience it.

 

We started our visit by walking through the Trade Mart building.  The antique cars are always a staple at the fair.

 

We stopped by each and every booth.  This one had live ducks that you could pet.

 

They also had baby chicks.

 

Cruz got to practice roping a calf,

 

and milking a cow.

 

 

 

me and my boys at the fair

 

We watched the wild west show and then grabbed a seat for the pig race.

 

Ben was chosen for one of the races and his pig won.  You can see him here collecting his prize.

 

He was proud!!

 

We always enjoy a stroll through the petting zoo.

 

Icee anyone?   It was a hot afternoon!!

 

the boys and I about to ride the roller coaster

 

Cruz and I on another wild ride.

 

Ben rode this ride all by himself.  See the video below.

 

 

 

This was one of their favorites.

 

 

My favorite ride was this one called Freak Out.  I somehow talked Ben into riding it with me.   He was nervous but enjoyed it.

 

My mom joined us that day.  Here we are on the Sky Lift ride.

 

I love the views of the fair from above.

 

There was a firefighter competition going on and we sat to watch them for a while.

 

Ready for action.

 

Cruz eating supper.  His request, "nachos with chili and that artificial cheese".  I enjoyed a Penn's chicken on a stick and some fried mushrooms.   We all went for free syrup filled homemade biscuits afterwards.

 

our family at the fair

 

That evening we watched the circus.   It is always a favorite of mine.  You know our family is wild about any circus.

 

We took another walk through the Trade Mart building and the boys rode a few more rides before we left.  My mom and I rode the big Ferris wheel.  It was very pretty at night.  I love the fair lights!

 

 

 

It was a fun-filled time and another event that I was so proud to get to attend this year.  I always miss this outing when we're gone!

Mississippi State Fair 2017

One of my favorite times of the year is fall.  We do not have seasons in Guatemala so I miss fall each and every year when we are not home.  I love the colors, the smells, the food, and mostly the activities.  One of those activities is the Mississippi State Fair that takes place every October.  When we first went to the mission field we would take our vacation time during the month of October.  I loved coming home in the fall!  We then had two babies and that changed everything.  It has been five years since we were home during the month of October.  Cruz was two and Ben was just six months the last time we were home in the fall.  That makes me a little sad when I think about it. 

I was very excited about getting to take them to the fair this year.  I did that last Friday afternoon with my mom. David was supposed to go with us but ended up staying home to continue getting us settled back in to the mission house. We had a blast and here are some photos showing a little of our fun.

Welcome to your Mississippi State Fair

they were ready to ride!

we all rode the big Ferris wheel 

views from the top

we fed the animals in the petting zoo

Who doesn't love the big slide?  Oh what fun it is!

we all loved the sky ride

One of their favorite parts of the day was visiting the butterfly exhibit inside the Mississippi Trade Mart Center.  We spent a long time there.  Everyone was given a stick with food on it to feed the butterflies.  You could catch them and get great up-close views.  The boys were fascinated. 

 such a fun memory!

They begged to ride the log ride.  It was blazing hot that day so letting them get wet ended up being a good idea.  They loved it!

 

This one makes me laugh.  

How exciting to get to ride a camel!  Thanks to Mimi they can now say they have done that.

The pig races are always a crowd pleaser.

The boys watching the pig races.  Cruz was chosen to participate but his pig did not win.

He was also chosen to be a part of the magic show.  

 Cruz participating in the magic show at the fair

one last photo before we drove back home

When you add in some fried green beans, fried mushrooms, catfish, nachos, taffy, homemade biscuits, fresh squeezed lemonade, and cotton candy it makes for a full day.  You just feel like a kid again when you visit the fair.  I have many fond memories of going to the fair with family and friends over the years.  I am so glad I get to pass on that tradition to my boys. It is just one of many things about being home this time of the year that makes me smile.  Hopefully in a few years we will get to do it again.