#21: Go to the Big Butler Fair

Well I got to check off my first item on my Pittsburgh Bucket List! Yes number 21, go to the Big Butler Fair, is officially off the list. Now I know going to the fair may not be a huge deal to most but for me it was an uber huge deal not only because I had never been but because I never really went to a real fair. Yes my best friend took me to a small farm fair one year that came to town but that was mainly like a 4H crossed with a craft show with some rides. The Butler Fair however was a full on fair and for me it was amazing. Prior to going I was warned by great close friends about the carnies and their tricks and all, as well as had all my previous misconceptions, but when I got there I learned that those ideas were not so wrong. Innitially I arrived at the fair an hour before my friends, and the pick-up lines from the carnies were endless and insane. I truly thought my friends were exaggerating a bit when they warned me but oh to my surprise they were far from exaggeration. Everywhere I walked the carnies screamed out lines such as, 'hey blondie! I see no friend, want to be mine!' or 'Someone's looking lonely there, I can change that!' and 'ever dream of being with a carnie?' These lines made me laugh out loud as well as think twice about ever coming to a fair alone again, but thankfully I was only alone for an hour, and it really wasn't that bad, just shocking at how open they were to asking me to join them later that night. Later however I did see the other side to them.

Now for this visit my friends and I were only walking around, next time I am most definitely going on the rides against the warnings of their safety. Now we were having a blast just being ourselves with great friends. At first we wondered around the shops and carts just seeing everything and that alone was a blast for me. Now us being awesome girls and great friends we couldn't help but have a blast goofing off with the hats when they came in sight. I mean honestly who cannot play around with hats. There Hats! It's like a required Photo Opportunity!

 Hats! How Could Anyone Not Take Pictures!!!!

But the real fun happened when we went down "the alley." Now when I call this place the alley, it is strictly my nickname for it. This alley was the long pathway through the middle of the fair that wrapped around the food carts almost in a tear drop shape, and at the largest part of the drop, or the bottom, were a couple rides as well as some rides inside. All along this alley however on both sides were the games. Dart games, throwing ball games, knocking bottles and clowns, tossing coins and ping-pong balls, winning stuffed animals of all sizes! Though that was the funny part, oh yes there was stuffed animals as big as a fifth grader and soft and fluffy and fun colors.

 "Hey! You there! Blondie! Just play once! Today is Lady's Day! Every Lady wins a Prize!"

 and after you play and even win by hitting three balloons with your three darts, you get some dinky little toy that looks like it fell out of a serial box or came in your happy meal box. And of course there are the deals too!

 "Ladies! Ladies! Over Here! I give you a special Deal! Just for You!

Oh it was ludicrous! Carnies shouting from every where at anyone who walked by. It wasn't like walking by girl scouts or fundraisers where they only spoke if you made eye contact, oh no if you were living and walking and in sight they would shout at you. I feel my favorite "Special Deal" was a carnie shouted at my two friends and I and simply said, "I have a special deal for you, each of you ladies pay $5 for three darts, and even if you all miss on each dart, I will let you three have one giant prize versus three small prizes, just for you ladies!" All I could think of is are you kidding me! Yes we want to pay $15 for a stupid stuffed animal that probably only cost 8 bucks and then we can share it, who are you kidding bud? Don't let my blonde hair fool you, we're not stupid.

Now we did not take that carnie's "Special Offer,' but of course being in the spirit of the carnival we did play some games. S'mall's came out with more than enough fun reminders of the day, one of which being an awesome white bison she chose to name Jaquine, which she won by paying for three darts at multiple games and letting each of us taking a shot and then trading in the dinky prizes for him, and Lex got out with her very own living Goldfish which S'malls won for her on Lex's last ping-pong ball in the toss. Surprisingly enough the Gold Fish is still alive and it has now been a whole week! I know right!

To end the day I got the chance to try my first ever Fried Oreo..........It was AMAZING!!! I particularly do nto like oreo's in general but I tried a fried one and I could not get enough of it! Sooooo delicious! Now the fair is gone but the memories remain and I know one thing for sure, I cannot wait to go back to the fair when it comes back to town next summer! And next time I'm going on those rides too!