South Florida Fair


We've waited awhile to be able to attend the South Florida Fair again (we went a few years ago with Michelle) just so that Wayne could ride every single carnival ride. And he made a valiant attempt! We got there soon after it opened and headed right to the midway. The first ride we came to - Eye in the Sky - wasn't actually considered part of the "unlimited ride pass" and cost an extra $5. I guess it was put up by a different company. So, we skipped that one.

Later we ate a snack at a table near that ride entrance and decided the most frustrating job at the fair belonged to the person who got to repeat over and over - like every 30 seconds - "The wrist band isn't valid here; you can buy tickets at that booth." I couldn't understand why they didn't have an obvious sign mentioning that little fact.


Anyway, the first ride was the Super Himalaya. That was followed by the Magic Maze (not much of a ride, but a fun house) and then the Free Bird. I think that was Wayne's favorite ride of the day.


There were several shows going on at different times and places, and Wayne's co-workers had recommended a couple of them that would be worth seeing. He thought breaking up the rides was a good idea, so after the Free Bird we headed to the Ice Parades Skating Show. It was nice, but a bit loud, and reminded us of cruise ship entertainment.


The second show we saw (a few hours later) was called Stars of the Peking Acrobats. Our seats weren't as good, and the music was still loud, but I enjoyed this one more. There are some incredibly talented people in the world.


As we walked by all of the rides, we realized that many of them are repeats, just with different names and lights. For example, Centrifuge and Starship 2000 are both gravitons. The Alpine Bobs was the same as the Super Himalaya. Vertigo and Yo-Yo were similar.


The original plan was to mark down every ride he went on, so if he didn't finish this year, he could do so next year. We had a list, but it was by tickets needed, and I wanted one in walking order, so I had to create my own:
  1. Super Himalaya
  2. Magic Maze
  3. Free Bird
  4. Centrifuge
  5. Giant Wheel
  6. F-5
  7. Zero Gravity
  8. Rock Star
  9. Orbiter
  10. Sizzler
  11. Super Cyclone (roller coaster)
  12. Air Raid
  13. Sea Dragon
  14. Wipe Out
  15. Magnum
  16. Zombie Apocalypse 
  17. Mighty Mouse
  18. Typhoon
  19. Sun Wheel
  20. Bumper Cars
  21. Street Righter 360
  22. Starship 4000
  23. Techno Power
  24. Yo Yo
  25. Cliff Hanger
  26. Extreme
  27. Scooter (bumper cars)
  28. Alpine Bobs
  29. Wacky Shack (another fun house)
  30. Land Slide
  31. Zipper
  32. Spin Out
  33. Space Roller
  34. Vertigo
  35. Spider
  36. Delusion
  37. Mega Drop
  38. Drag Strip Mega Slide 


After the first show, we walked back to the midway and Wayne rode the Centrifuge. He would have ridden the Giant Wheel, but they didn't allow solo riders, so then it was on to F-5. Zero Gravity also required more than one person on the ride. So, I guess there is one disadvantage to attending a carnival when it isn't crowded. (There are many more advantages, though.) Then it was time for Rock Star (see above). By this point, he wasn't sure his stomach could handle the next two rides, so we skipped them with the plan to come back, and it was on to the roller coaster - Super Cyclone.


We watched Air Raid for a bit, but it looked like having a single person would make it unbalanced, and it also included being spun upside-down, so he decided to pass on that one for the time being.


Sea Dragon was a fun ride, with no cause for going upside-down, and Zombie Apocalypse was pretty tame, and even lame. The two rides in between those involved a bunch of spinning so he didn't want to do them back-to-back, and by then it was time to head to the acrobat show. After the show we were hungry, so we had barbecue for dinner.


Afterwards we finished wandering around the midway, but by then Wayne had made the decision that unfortunately he was no longer a young man, and he was through getting dizzy for fun. He stated - on the record - that we don't need to buy a ride ticket in the future, even if we didn't finish all the rides this year, which he didn't. He did go through one more fun house type, but that was the end of turning in circles. In case you're wondering why I didn't buy a ride pass, it's because I came to the same conclusion a good ten years ago. We wanted to enjoy our time exploring the fair without feeling nauseous.


So, we did. We saw a few quilts, walked past many vendors selling interesting items, looked at chickens and roosters and bunnies, and even saw a few horses and cows.


We weren't planning on watching the parade, but as we walked out of the agricultural building, there it was! I doubt we'll ever be as close to the entries ever again, assuming we even watch another parade in person. It was dusk and and they were marching quickly, so the pictures aren't very good, but here's proof that we were there!


Our favorite entry, and I couldn't get a picture of it, were human-sized transformers. It was actually pretty cool to watch them turn from robots to cars and back again. We were so intrigued that when we got home we did an internet search on the concept. Here are a few of the links we found: a YouTube video, another video, and a costume rental site. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any prices or where to get one ourselves, but I imagine it's at least several thousand dollars for such a costume. Lots of fun, though.


In my opinion, you haven't been to the fair until you've eaten a funnel cake, so we made sure to do that as well. Fortunately, this one did not disappoint.


Our final activity was to walk through the bulk candy booth. $4.29 for half a pound is way over-priced, and I was proud of Wayne for having an empty basket after walking through the maze. Instead we decided to stop at the grocery store on the way home to pick up some Jujyfruits and Sour Cherry Balls and Gummy Worms for the next movie night.


I was also impressed that we were home 4 hours before the fair ended. I guess that's a sign that we're getting older. Oh, well. We had a wonderful time wandering and exploring and people-watching and just being together. We may even go back again another year, but we'll have to save our $5 bills because next time Wayne wants to play all the carnival games!

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