So, yesterday AND today we hauled the entire family — myself, my wife, our two boys, and our brand new (1 month old) daughter — to the Iowa State Fair. It’s a trek we take every year, though not always twice. This year was slightly more problematic than in previous years, though not necessarily for reasons you might expect. The brand new baby was probably the simplest and easiest to manage element of the entire undertaking, which is really saying something. Though please don’t take my language to mean that we had a bad time this year. The experience taken as a whole was definitely more positive than negative. I guess I just wasn’t prepared for how difficult the boys would be this year now that they have become more opinionated than ever before. I also wasn’t prepared for how poorly I would react to their combined grating irritation. But we survived! And that’s something that can definitely be said. With gusto.

And now, here are some of my general observations and tips about the Iowa State Fair.

• Park at the Park & Ride at 7th and Center downtown. Free parking on the weekends, and a nearly empty shuttle to and from the fairgrounds. Only $2 per adult and $1 for kids 5 and up. Pretty good deal if you ask me.
• If it looks like it might rain — even if you think there might just be only the slightest chance — bring your umbrellas, ponchos, galoshes, and ceremonial rain sticks, because let me tell you; there is NO WHERE to go when it begins to downpour and several hundred-thousand people make a mad dash for every available enclosed space within the entire fairgrounds. Yes, this happened. TWICE.
• The night before, take washcloths and soak them. Store them in a Ziploc bag and toss them in the freezer. Fill a couple of water bottles half-full of water and put them in the freezer, too. The next morning, throw them in your bag. The washcloths are awesome for applying to the back of your neck when it gets hot. Put some fresh water into your ice water bottles to enjoy cold, refreshing water the entire day.
• You’re welcome.
• Kiss your wife for how awesome she is if she is as prepared as my wife is.
• “On-a-stick” food is not necessarily as good as “eat-with-your-hands” food. I didn’t have any food on a stick, and quite a few foods that were wrapped in wax paper. And even more cup-based foods (generally referred to as “beverages”). The difference in quality is negligible.
• While I’m on the topic of food: steak sandwiches at Butcher Boys.
• You’re welcome.
• Last thing: if there’s any one thing that the Iowa State Fair does well, it’s would have to be its uncanny ability to make you feel like you really need to diet and exercise.

Will we go back next year? Of course we will! It’s an annual tradition. Harlyn will be more alert and potentially mobile than she was this year. Caleb and Alex will both be … well, Caleb and Alex. I might just have an aneurysm! Wouldn’t that be fun to watch? Tune in around this time next year to see how we do at the Iowa State Fair 2010!