This week we treated ourselves to some fun in rural New Jersey and went to the Burlington County Farm Fair. My girlfriend, Brena, grew up attending, and we decided to make a night of it and invite some friends as well. Looking forward to junk food and cute animals (though not so much crowds of screaming children), I was ready to experience the fair in all its glory.

Wednesday night after work, our friends Mary and Rachel picked us up so we could drive over the Delaware and into the part of New Jersey that is, according to our Oklahoma native friends, just like Oklahoma.

All of us agreed that we were not ride people (thankfully on the same page!) and were more interested in walking around, eating fair food and petting the animals from the 4-H clubs. We got to see (and pet) goats, chickens, sheep, pigs, cows, mini horses and even alpacas! I felt a little bad for them being all cooped up and having so many people looking at and touching them, though. Some of the animals were more visibly stressed than others, so I tried not to pet the ones that seemed unhappy.

We got ridiculously large fresh-squeezed lemonades that were quite refreshing, and after seeing the animals and walking around, got dinner foods: chicken tenders and fries for me and pierogies for everyone else. They were perfectly greasy and delicious. At some point, Brena and Mary got giant ears of corn, which inspired a photo shoot.

It was the ideal summer night for a fair: warm but not too hot or humid, and with the help of bug spray, we didn’t get too attacked by mosquitos. We ended the night by watching baby pig races and splitting a funnel cake (unmissable fair cuisine). Most importantly, the fair provided a perfect backdrop to catch up with friends and break up the monotony of the work week. I’m sure we’ll be back next year!

— Hannah Gruen, advertising & events coordinator