Iowa State Fair hangover

If you've spent any time at the fair "on the clock" you know what I mean.
I love the fair.
However . . .
If you are there for long periods of time as a food vendor, a 4-Her, a ticket taker, an entertainer, a radio host, a bartender, a tv reporter, etc . . . you are two things when it's over.
Exhausted.
And bloated.
These are some highlights from two days at the Iowa State Fair.

Here's Dave Price moments after throwing poop in the annual cow chip throwing contest. If he doesn't look very happy, it's because he's watching his chip hit a tree. Don't worry Dave, there's always next year!

And this is the whole Channel 13 gang after the event. I really wanted pics of Kerry Kavanaugh doing this, because she's a novice. When we were picking out our chips she asked one of the organizers, "Do you have gloves?" She's from Boston, what do you expect? I performed horribly. One of my good friends who saw the video accused me of
throwing like a "girlie girl" and she's right, it was ugly. Our 10pm producer Maggie threw her poo a lot farther than Kerry and me, although none of us managed to place. But as you can see, we got participant ribbons and boxes of candy! By the way, the fudge inside is shapped like a pile of "you know what."

Later that day, I spent some time with the Pork Producers. This is my new friend Dana, who really knows how to grill chops! Unfortunately, I made my way here after eating Chicken on a Stick, a smoothie, a corndog, a funnel cake, another Chicken on a Stick . . . you're probably starting to understand why I wrote that the State Fair hangover includes being bloated!

Look who else was hanging out with the Pork Producers . . . Chief Weatherman Ed Wilson! Why is he wearing an apron? He sure didn't cook our meal that night!

It is always a riot doing live tv in a crowded place with a guy like Ed. Folks go nuts when they see him. A lady who is probably my mom's age just kept hugging him and telling him how much she loves him. Never a dull moment!

The final day of the fair ("Extreme Sunday") is what I had been waiting for, and not because of the half price admission . . . but because of JOAN JETT!!!

I love Joan Jett. The first 45 I ever bought with my allowance money was "I Love Rock & Roll." I think I was in kindergarten. I think my mom might still have the record somewhere. I don't have any siblings, but my cousins are all older than me and it was my cousin Michelle who introduced me to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. Thank you, Michelle!

Sadly, there were a gazillion people jammed around the Riley State, and I only got this view because a nice man let me jump up on the bleacher next to him to take a picture.

Here's a lady who probably looks familiar to a lot of you. It's Heather Burnside from KGGO! Heather spent EVERY SINGLE DAY at the fairgrounds this year. Here she is with her friend Regg, head coach and general manager of the Des Moines Buccaneers.
This is my friend Amy. We went to school together at Drake, which means we are at a point in our lives where we cringe when thinking about how long ago that was!

And here's Regg again! Never met him before, but any friend of Burnside's is a friend of mine!

Can you see Joan Jett in this picture? That's what I thought. Probably because she is a little, tiny woman about the size of Jeriann Ritter (speaking of JR - we were supposed to meet up, but could never find each other... the crowd was crazy). Joan should've been standing on some sort of huge platform for this event. The good news is, she sounded incredible. Little woman, enormous voice. Her band is great, too.

Who are these people?!?!?
This couple on the left . . . no idea. I took the picture because they were dancing like maniacs. I don't think they know each other, because the girl walked away and the guy kept dancing like that with any female in close proximity. Whatever works for ya, buddy!

I do know this lovely couple. It's 10 o'clock producer Maggie, with her boyfriend Garrett. After hearing Joan belt out "I Love Rock & Roll" these two strolled the fairgrounds and reappeared with this amazing work of art.
You can kindof see Joan here . . . only because I cropped and zoomed this photo to death.

More mob scene . . .

And finally, time to call it quits.
We are bruised from fighting the crowd, bloated from all the food on a stick, and sweaty from dancing it off. It's a good thing we only do this once a year!