A dearth of grease

The Indiana State Fair is about to come to an end once again, and I can't say I participated. Because of scheduling problems, I was unable to partake in greasy, triple-fried snack treats. I wasn't able to walk through animal dung, deafened by the sound of bleating sheep. I wasn't able to shell out my entire wallet to wait in line for shakey, disappointing rides. Though it may not seem like it from my description, I truly missed the fair this year. It may be riddled with rednecks and overpriced junk food, but I love the Indiana State Fair, because it sums up the Hoosier spirit like no other event can.\nMy favorite part of the fair would have to be the people watching. No matter how polite of a person you are, you can't seem to resist taking a peek at this constant train wreck, and adding your own commentary. Where else can you see a 9-year-old with a bald head, a Beefeater T-shirt and a hunk of chew in his mouth? A little game we used to play was trying to count which we found more of -- fannie packs or mullets. Though it may seem cruel to walk around and mock people, it captures the Hoosier spirit. We don't have Hollywood or the Statue of Liberty or warm beaches. We've been living in the shadow of the tall buildings of Chicago for years, so all we have to make ourselves feel good is making jokes at the expense of others. Hoosiers can always say, "At least we're not Kentucky," and raise our heads high.\nWhen you're a kid attending the fair, the $4 rides seem like the coolest thing you've ever seen. When you get older, you realize that the sparks flying out of the Ferris wheel are probably something to worry about. Most of the rides at the fair have been there at least a decade (to my memory at least) and because of it, frequent break-downs add a new level of thrill to otherwise less-than-exciting attractions. I remember when I was 12 years old, I was kicked off of the Alpine Slide for shaking it back and forth. I remember thinking, "Is there really anything that can make these rides any more dangerous?" Again, these screeching, clankety contraptions capture the spirit of this state. If it ain't broke don't fix it -- and if it is, duct tape it back up and start 'er up again. We Hoosiers never throw things out -- no matter how broken they may get. I have aunts and uncles who'd rather start their car with a screwdriver than to buy something new.\nProbably the most ridiculed part of the State Fair is the love affair with the deep frier. The old motto of the Fairgrounds is: "If you can eat it -- we can fry it!" For Hoosiers, frying corn dogs, french fries and onion rings simply wasn't good enough. We had to take healthy foods like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and fry them. We had to take already calorie-enriched junk food such as Oreos, Twinkies and candy bars and turn them into monstrosities of nutrition. In fact, I think I heard somewhere that there are enough calories in one deep fried Twinkie to heat a two-level house for half a year. This just goes to show the Hoosier spirit. Tell us we can't -- and shouldn't do something -- and sure enough we'll do it. Plus, it gives greater insight into why Indiana is the fifth fattest state (Kentucky is fourth, giving us another reason to feel better than them).\nSo, I say that yes, the corn and the animals and the music at the State Fair all capture the spirit of Indiana, but so do the rednecks and the broken-down rides and the Oreos dripping with grease. Good or bad, the State Fair is Indiana and we should all cherish it.