Every year since I have been a junior in high school, my brother, my sister and her fiance have gone to the North Carolina state fair in Raleigh. In high school, I was never able to come up to join them in this October tradition because the date of the fair would always conflict with my marching band competitions. However, as a fresh, new college student who lives approximately 45 minutes away from Raleigh, I was able to go to the fair with my brother and my sister's fiance. My sister was unable to attend because she is currently in Zambia for pharmacy school.
Having never been to a true fair, and one as large as the state fair, I was so excited to attend. Over the years my siblings had coated my ears with tales of fried Wisconsin cheese and candy bars, making me envious beyond belief. They went every year without fail, so I thought it must be a truly spectacular fair. My expectations were high, as they were solely based on the positives.
On the exalted day we would be traveling to the fair, last Saturday, my experience was already marred by the fact that we had gotten to the fair so late. This was mainly my fault. I had procrastinated on doing an assignment and I had to turn it in before we left. However, I did not think that the traffic getting into the fair would be as horrendous as it ended up being. A 15-minute drive from my brother's apartment to the fairgrounds quickly turned into a 45-minute one.
This was my first sign of one of the negatives of the fair: the grossly large amount of people there packed into one place. When we finally got in we beelined to the fried cheese, which did not disappoint. It was hot, delicious and melty. The fried candy bars we had later were also heavenly. The warm chocolate, caramel and peanut mixture of my Snickers bar melded into ambrosia on a stick. We also went on some mediocre rides with names such as "Fun Slide" and "Super Slide." The rides were fun for what they are, but by the end of the fair, I was questioning whether or not all of this was worth it.
Mixed in with all of the fun was a sad mistreatment of animals. The hens and turkeys were the only animals left from the livestock competitions for the public to see. They were crammed into tiny cages, reeking of their own filth and being ogled by countless people. Another depressing display I saw was in a horseback riding ride. The horses were forced to walk around and around in small circles for hours with no respite. The horses could not have been enjoying this experience, and frankly, they looked almost broken.
Another impact of the fair to consider is the effect to be had when a huge group of people gathers together in one area. I cannot imagine the amount of garbage and waste left in the environment after the fair is over. When the people leave the fair is a ghostly skeleton consumed by waste and human consumption. There is also likely a plethora of food waste left over after the fair. With all of the booths selling food, there is no way that every booth sold all of its food.
It is likely that the money made at the fair is partially going towards those displays and rides that mistreat animals, or at least towards having a fair the next year, where more mistreatment of both animals and the environment will happen. So, although I did have fun spending time with my family at the fair, I am not sure I want to go again. The fried foods were delicious, but I do not think that they are worth the mistreatment of animals and the environment. I do not want to be paying money towards such a gross display of human excess and consumption, with animals and nature as the victim.
