Fun Finds at the Local Fair

Spending the day at the fair or festival in town invites guests to walk into a world of extraordinary talent and incredibly interesting events. While most fairs will have the same basic set-up, each will have its own specific schedule, as appropriate to the area.

The arts and crafts section of the fair gives visitors a taste of regional talents, along with the standard metal jewelry booths and food items. This section tells the story of the region, as most booths will focus on hobbies and interests specific to the region. In southern fairs, booths will hold ugly mug pottery, wood working and southern traditions in food. Guests will find delicious treats like southern fried fruit pies, which are delicious and terrible for diets, but worth the extra calories. There is also the homemade root beer in recycle bottles that give guests the feel of old time root beer brewing. Some of the best root beer around can be found at fairs and festivals.

This is also where most of the handcrafted decorations for holidays come from. Four foot tall wooden Santa lanterns for the front yard can be found in booths lined with other Christmas yard decorations that range from door hangers to lawn ornaments. Guests can also find hand blown glass Christmas tree ornaments and organic ornaments made of cinnamon sticks and dried herbs.

For those who enjoy handmade accessories, a fair is a great place to find that one of a kind hand sewn purse made from recycled denim or handmade scarves knitted out of unusual materials like alpaca wool.

Others find unusual, handmade goat's milk soap and lotions at the fair, and swear by their luxurious texture. Soaps and lotions are also a mainstay at festivals and can range from just goat's milk soap to unique blends of essential oils such as rose and lavender. They come in solid, milky forms to the clear gel-like substance that store bought soaps frequently come in to satisfy all needs.

Another great item found at festivals is handmade food items, like jellies and jams. Guests crowd around booths that are filled to the rafters with handmade fudge and candies. They search endlessly for that booth with handmade jellies and spreads, manufactured with local produce. They flock to areas that sell local fruits and produce, as most guests are searching for better tasting, all organic foods.

Whether you are going to find a window design for the upcoming holiday season or that scrumptious, local flavor to add to your cooking, festivals and fairs are a great place to find the unique and interesting. Most booths will have business cards that they are happy to give to you, in case you run out of your item before the next time around. Be sure and ask for one, just in case you need to reorder or order for your friends and family.