National Peanut Festival

I missed my normal Sunday blogging last weekend, as Jim & I went to Dothan, AL to visit his sister & family for the weekend. We planned the visit to coincide with the National Peanut Festival, which Jim used to attend faithfully when he was growing up there. He had told me so much about it, and of course, I am very familiar with fairs & such growing up in Missouri & showing sheep. I attended many a county & state fair!!

Jim & I had SO MUCH FUN that weekend! We really enjoyed the company - had so much fun hanging out with ALL of them!!! We got in Friday night later than we would have liked (I had to work later than I wanted) so we just talked for a while that night & then went to bed. Saturday morning, W & T left early to go set up chairs at their church for the parade & Jim & were in charge of getting his nieces (ages 15 & 18) up & ready in time to go to breakfast at 8. SUCCESS! Jim cracked the whip & we made it in time! It was a pancake & sausage breakfast (yum!) & we enjoyed it immensely! All you can eat - but for whatever reason, I can never eat more than 2 1/2 pancakes.

After breakfast, we went to the parade which lasted for 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Because it is the PEANUT festival, right after the cops went through which are usually first, there was a cement truck which I thought was odd, until I noticed what was happening! The cement truck was dumping out a stream of roasted peanuts in the street & folks (with bags in hand) rushed out there & picked up as many as they could as fast as they could! I have never seen anything like it. And of course, I had to join in the fun, putting peanuts in my shirt (holding the tail of it to make a make-shift bowl). I looked down the street & there were people as far as the eye could see all getting their peanuts. Next year I'll be prepared & take a bag like everyone else who had obviously been to this rodeo before!!! So much fun!

After the parade, we went back to W & T house & watched the Mizzou game (# 3 in the country!!!!) along with the Auburn game & also met the boyfriend of our niece (we approve!) Then that night, we went to THE peanut festival. And here is where the pigging out begins.

I don't know why - but there is something glorious about fair corn dogs. I don't even like hot dogs really, and definitely don't buy them or eat them EVER during the year. But for whatever reason, I just don't think there is anything better than a fair corn dog. In fact, I think this all began with me back in the days of the Missouri State Fair when I would show sheep every year. There was always a corn dog & fresh lemonade stand that was set up right by the sheep pavilion. We'd hit that place up at least twice during the fair - it was tradition & I loved it.

At any rate - after downing 2 corn dogs & a fried Snickers bar (oh yeah - words can't even describe!!!), we decided to check out some exhibits which we really enjoyed ( but the sheep were gone, only goats). Then we headed to the Midway & W, T & I watched while the "kids" - Jim & his nieces rode some rides that made me want to hurl just watching them. Merry Go Rounds make me nauseous, so there was no getting me on these things.

Sunday, we got up, T cooked us a wonderful breakfast complete with biscuits, grits, bacon & eggs. We also had lunch there & then headed back to Destin. We had a Ton of fun and hope we can make it an annual tradition.