10 Days of the Kansas State Fair!!! (Part 2)

 While selling tickets at the Kansas State Fair at gate 8 one evening, I met a  retired couple who were traveling from state fair to state fair just for fun.  They had already visited Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, Tennesee and were now in Kansas.  When I asked them why state fairs, and what they did at each of them they replied, "We just go to each one and search out the FOOD! We rate each fair by whether we like the tasty and odd kinds they offer." 

It's a fact that state fairs are known for their foods and the Kansas State Fair is no exception.  Like any fast food even the good ones are really "just fine", but there are always a few standouts.  Our Kansas State Fair has an event called "Tasty Tuesday" where one can go to specific participating booths and buy samples of their signature dishes for two dollars each.  It's a great way to taste many of the fair's culinary delights without spending a huge amount of money.  Most fair delicacies are ten to thirteen dollars per serving. 

My co-workers were brilliant and took a box to carry all their samples! A couple of my favorite foods are the AMBUCS icecream parlor where they make their own homemade waffle cones and the fried cheddar cheese curds! Another hit this year was nachos made with roast beef.  Kansas is known for it's amazing beef!!! 

Because of all the yummy fair food, one needs to do some walking to use up some of those calories. There are so many things to see and do at the Kansas State Fair! One of my favorite places to peruse is the Pride of Kansas Building.  Here you can find Kansas produce and agricultural displays.  Everyone loves to look at our traditional butter sculpture that is created during the first few days of the fair and patrons can watch the artist create their masterpieces.  This year's was exceptionally intricate, focusing on bees. 

Another fun activity I tried this year was "Goat Yoga." The goats were a little older than usual but I still had fun.  One particular goat was named Gabby, and we became friends! I'm not a big yoga fan, I prefer my water aerobics, but I love animals so I had fun hugging some little goats.  

 

My little goat friend letting me give her some hugs!  and then she spent some time nibbling my socks! It was really hard to concentrate and find relaxation amongst the goat's antics but the fun factor made up for everything else!!!

A favorite activity for me was looking at all the different exhibits in the buildings.  Vendors selling most anything, residents displaying their state fair entires for baking, the arts, and various other hobbies. I saw a pumpkin so huge that it was a new record for the Kansas State Fair, weighing in at 1350 pounds! Great Pumpkin, you've got some competition here.


A new event this year to help celebrate the opening of our Kansas State Fair Bison building was a sand sculpture and also a group of balloon sculptures to commemorate the United States 250 year anniversary celebrations as well as 100 years of the 4-H program. 

All of these exhibits were amazing! but my all time favorite one for the 2026 Kansas State fair was the Budweiser Clydesdales that came at the beginning of the state fair and were stabled just outside of our Gate 9.  They paraded the perimeter of the fairgrounds a few times during the week, and everyone gathered to watch them pass. I have always liked watching the Budweiser commercials that feature the Clydesdales but seeing them in person was amazing!  Such majestic beauties.  And of course the Dalmations were their sweet counterparts, riding alongside the carters holding the reigns.  

My final entry is a touring display  also in commemoration of the United States 250th Anniversary, The Freedom Truck.  This trailer housed an interactive display of American history for self guided tours.  I only had a short time to visit, but I could have spent an hour there reading all the historical information.  I truly enjoyed it! 

Reader, you certainly know that this is only a very few activities available, and only the ones I could take a break from work to attend. But there were actually hundreds of opportunities to relax, learn and be enriched for a nominal admission fee at the Kansas State 2026 Fair. 

Part 3: 10 Days of the Kansas State Fair will cover -Acts of Kindness, Silver Alert, and Wisdom from a Worker.

#KansasStateFair    #Buttersculpture. #Clydesdales #Freedom Truck #Sandart

10 Days of the Kansas State Fair!!! (Part 1)

 The last ten days for me have been fast, fun, and exhausting... and I am just crazy enough to do it all over again next year.  I worked the Kansas State Fair for the Ticket Sales division from September 11 through September 20, 2026.   I have done this in the past when I was assigned to a specific booth to sell tickets from 6:45 am until 4pm.  I thought that was tiring.  But this is the first time that I was hired to work for the ticketing office staff in the Kansas State Fair administration building, and our shifts run from 8am to 11pm. Yep, we are definitely CRAZY! 

When I work the state fair, I take a beginning picture and a last day of the fair photo, to see the effect it takes on me.  Here are this years pictures - 

Early in the week, Dillon's dollar day! Still feeling perky!

Showing my age right here. Not my most attractive look!   Very few hours of sleep at night can do that 😃

On top of the fourteen hour days, it was so hot this year. Like a furnace blowing across the fairgrounds with most days (except the last day) in the upper 90's. Yet the grueling schedule and days have so many moments in them that I have decided to write a three part set of posts to cover all my favorite things about this year's Kansas State Fair.  

Here goes, Part 1:

What was my actual job? Everything to do with ticket sales is the best way to describe it.  We provide help and support as well as the administrative needs of  ticketing at the fair.  We make certain all the ticket booths have the supplies they need. The tellers at the ticket booth windows have cash drawers of course, so we get cash from the bank and fill their boxes with the appropriate amount to do transactions.  We also receive the boxes after the gates close and we count their cash drawers for the bank. On top of this, we provide coverage for those unable to work a shift or needing lunch and bathroom breaks so that sales can continue throughout the entire time with no disruption in flow to get attendees into the fairgrounds.  Finally, we focus on getting patrons into the fair with as little time waiting in line as possible. Our goal is to make the Kansas State Fair the best experience that we possibly can.  

Most of the time our sellers work no more than eight hour shifts, though some do choose to work double shifts.  They sit in little buildings with windows. Of course some booths are nicer than others.  One really nice one has microphones and speakers so the attendees can hear the teller without any yelling through the glass, but most don't.   I worked in one booth to give breaks to a dear lady who worked on her own everyday at a less trafficked area.  This booth was sparse, but all have some form of air conditioning, thank goodness. 

Gate 7 at 8pm...it's so dark!!

I even sold tickets  on  Dillon's Dollar Day from an apron pocket.  If patrons needed regular adult tickets for ten dollars, then I would sell them some for cash to keep people from having to stand in line in the hot sun for a long time. I never envisioned myself "hawking tickets" before Monday, but let me tell you, I can do it!

Now, one of the very best parts of being a ticket sales worker...the people. I met so many kind people in the past ten days.  While selling in a booth I am able to see many people coming through the gates.  Good friends like my friend Shelly. 

 and coworkers like Jeanette who has been a close, dear friend for the past 30+ years.

Overall I was blessed to work alongside a group of individuals in the ticketing office that made every day worth getting up and going into work for another day. I think next year I should take all of our pictures on the first day and then on the last too! 

Part 2, 10 Days of the Kansas State Fair will cover fair food, activities and exhibits! 

#KansasStateFair  #HutchinsonKansas 

Sunny Wisdom!

 There are many things I do not like about this time of year! September in Kansas.  The Kansas heat....we are in a string of over 100 degree days. Today it was actually a record breaking 104 degrees! Then we add the bloom factor....RAGWEED! If one is allergic to ragweed, and I am, then this too is at the top of the scale for pollen counts. But, there is a happy event in Kansas during September, it is sunflower field season! 

One of my favorite things to do is to visit our local sunflower field in Buhler Kansas.  I try to go each year. Sunflowers are just so darn cheerful!  As an added joy, this field also plants a vast amount of zinnias, such a fun flower that thrives in our dry Kansas heat as well as the sunflowers.   This year I visited the field with my husband. As we walked through the trails, I was touched by lessons I saw amongst the blooms. It was as if the flowers were teaching me a new way to look at the world around me, and I wanted to share a few of their lessons with you dear readers. 

When everyone else is being negative, looking at the adverse side of events, keep your head up and face the sun! There's something to look forward to if you just keep trying.

 Sunflowers don't care what color they are, they are happy to bloom right next to each other! This one is a double wise picture because if you look real close at these flowers you will find another hidden gem...

When you have a goal in mind, head for it full steam ahead! Like this busy bee, he has a destination and is barreling forward to complete his task. 

These sunflowers look like they are wearing a full length dress, I love the way their leaves cascade to the ground like a ballgown.  I looked at them and thought, one doesn't need anything fancy to be elegant. Just stand tall and be yourself.  

Finally, even in adversity you can bloom and shine! It has been over 100 degrees for days on end, no rain, dry as can be yet these lovely flowers stand tall and turn their heads toward the sun.  As should we all! 

Find your sun and shine! 

#Sunflowers #BuhlerKansas #Sunflowerfield #wisdom #Kansas

Webs of Ink by Rebecca Connolly

 Do you love historical crime fiction? Murder mystery thrillers? How about Agatha Christie novels?  Well, I have a book for you!  Webs of Ink by Rebecca Connolly is being published on November 3, 2026, and it has all the above ingredients and more.

Connolly began by pairing Maud West, famous female detective from London, England in the 1920's, with Agatha Christie to create a murder mystery triumph.  In her story, Connolly uses the time frame of Agatha Christie's first book publication (The Mysterious Affair at Styles) to introduce Christie to West. West is famous for using disguises to help solve her private detective cases, and Connolly melds the two women's lives and expertise to plot out a mystery for a counterfeiting crime ring.  

The case Maud West solves in Webs of Ink is a true case that she solved during her career. Some of the events in the novel actually happened to West with details from her actual written accounts.  Christie and West's husbands are also accurately portrayed. Now we get to the fictional part.  There is no evidence that Maud West and Agatha Christie ever actually met, the fact that they could have makes for quite an entertaining story.  

Before reading Webs of Ink, I had never heard of Maud West.  I looked her up and had fun perusing her disguises and crimes solved.  I am so glad I did too because that made this fictional romp so much more fun to read.  I purposely left out much of the storyline in this review so as not to create any spoilers for my mystery reader fans.  

If you enjoy a historical murder mystery with actual real life people depicted in the tale then I would recommend reading Webs of Ink when it debuts in November from Shadow Mountain Publishing.  I am rating Webs of Ink with four stars. 

 I want to thank NetGalley, Shadow Mountain Publishing and Rebecca Connolly for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Webs of Ink in exchange for this honest Review. 

#WebsofInk  #RebeccaConnolly #NetGalley #MaudWest #AgathaChristie #ShadowMountainPublishing