Have Son, Will Travel: The York Fair

America's Oldest Fair is back in town!

For those who may not know, the York Fair began in 1765! The Fair is back again for its 249th year in 2014. The York Fair is held every year on the first Friday after Labor day, and runs for a little over a week. From pig races to elephant rides, you can find just about anything at the York Fair. We had an opportunity to visit the fair last night for opening day. This is one summer event that is not to be missed!

The York Fair is held at the York Fairgrounds, about a 30 minute drive from Harrisburg. We arrived on Friday night around 6pm, shortly before a large storm passed through. We typically visit the fair every year on the first day, because it is traditionally dollar day. 1$ admission and 1$ per ride, making it the best value all week in our opinion. The crowds are typically much lower as well, as there is no concert at the grandstand that day.

Our first stop this evening, was the Utz Arena, which houses the Animal Birthing Center. Here you can see animals that have just been born through out the week, including sheep, cows, pigs and more. If you come at the right time you may actually even see an animal being born! We were not that lucky this time, but we did see a calf born the day before, a lamb that was born hours before (mom still had the evidence of birth hanging from her backside...TMI?) and there was a pig in the birthing process. Also in this arena are other large animals that are on display and judged, like at the farm show. We waited out a quick heavy down pour of rain here before heading out.

After the grey clouds passed and the sun began to shine again, we headed for the most important part..the FOOD!!! I mean lets be honest, what else do you go to a fair for? You can find any kind of guilty pleasure you heart desires here, from fried oreos and red velvet funnel cakes, to blooming onions, slabs of BBQ ribs and tacos. There is food every where you turn, I'm not joking, food is every where here! I have the same thing every year despite all the tempting choices. Maybe next year I'll get something different....probably not.

(Yep those are fried cheese cubes if your wondering, they taste just like the ones at the farmshow!)

Next up was the rides! Again, it was dollar night. For 20$ Javon had enough tickets to ride all the rides he wanted with 4 tickets left over, and I even rode a few with him! There are tons of rides here, from fun houses and kiddie rides to roller coasters and thrill rides I would estimate that there is over 30-40 rides to choose from.

Last, we happened upon one of our favorite events at the perfect time! We got front row seats for the Hot Dog Pig Races! We try to catch these every year because it just too cute to miss. It's a small show featuring pig's and dachshund's with corny names racing around a small track. Javon was even picked to be a helper this year and cheer on the blue team!