Enjoy Music, Food and Kangaroos at the State Fair

By AMANDA MCCULLOUGH

Rides, fried food and mullets: what more could you want from a weekend activity? Every year, the Commonwealth of Virginia puts on a fair at Meadow Land Park near Kings Dominion for two weekends.

A mere thirty minutes away (exit 98 on I-95 South),with an entrance fee of $15 for the full day, or $10 after 5 p.m.

The fair includes a variety of shows from a family run circus (including fire stunts), a BMX stunt show, the Aussie Zoo (you can pet and hold a kangaroo) and pig racing to a concert every night. This Sunday, The Band Perry will be closing the fair and is sure to draw a crowd.

If shows and fried food are not your thing, they have cheap beer and a livestock pavilion, from goats to alpacas (ask if you can feed them, it was a highlight of my fair experience). If you like a little competition, stop by the livestock tent and see goats and cows compete against one other for the coveted first place ribbon.

If none of those sound fun, then go for the people watching alone. There are all sorts from NASCAR fans to men eating turkey legs in business coats.

Buy a few tickets and ride the ferris wheel or go on the scary roller coasters that are sure to make your stomach churn. Either way, this year’s state fair has something for everyone. Take advantage of this once a year opportunity; grab a few friends, put on a flannel shirt and cowboy boots and go. It’s fun to be a kid again.

Eat a jumbo corn dog and sip on homemade root beer while taking it all in. The fair closes this Sunday, so go already.