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The Maryland State Fair was in town and it was the last weekend of Summer. A perfect time for one last amusement ride for the kids before the schools start after Labor day. The state fair had created a lot of buzz in the local news, and we decided to check it out.
Maryland state fair is a long standing annual tradition of local farmers. Started in 1879 over a thirty-odd acre land, the fair now spans hundreds of acres. This fair is a great opportunity of the general public to experience the life on a farm – get a flavor of the food, the animals and the fun things farmers do while they celebrate the yield.
It featured events where local farmers showcased their livestock, ranging from cows, pigs, sheep, goats, horses and even alpacas. They also competed in categories of best wool, most healthy pig or cow, best home grown veggies and even raced their horses.
There was a milking station where you could see live milking of cows and how it is done on a local scale. The best part of the fair was the Birthing center. It was rare opportunity to witness the birth of calves, piglets and hatching of chicks. The calf in the picture below is literally a few minutes old trying to stand on his own feet, while the mother cow guiding her baby to achieve his goal. There are no parallels to motherly love and witnessing it live in animals, left us speechless.
On the other hand, several new born piglet brothers fighting for milk was really a one kind of an experience. To think about how strong the mother pig would be, she was carrying seven piglets, three pounds each in her stomach before the birth. It was fun to watch, but also on the other hand it crossed our minds as to how the mother would be feeling if she was on display while milking her babies. Do animals have such feelings? Would she be embarrassed? The whole birthing experience did leave a question mark in our minds.
Apart from livestock displays, there were several amusement rides. Ferris wheels, roller coasters, free-fall-drops and even haunted houses – the fair was a treat to local kids who have never been to six flags or Disneyland. The food stalls featured local food – pretty much everything was fried – even oreos! Fried Chicken, jumbo fries, onion rings, nachos with cheese, grilled cheese sandwich, cheesesteaks, along with pepsi, coke or any other non-diet beverage– yeah can’t get more American than this!
The life of a farmer is not easy. Its fun to experience it for few hours one day in a year but its something else to live it all throughout the year – and throughout the life.
Lowdown –
- The fair is in town called Timonium/ Lutherville, few miles north of Baltimore, MD.
- Public transport from Baltimore is available. The light rail from near Penn station goes directly to Timonium stop which is right besides the fair entrance.
- For folks driving, we could see a parking lot – so parking should not be a problem.
- There is a $10 entry fee for adults which excludes amusement rides. Amusement rides cost anywhere between $4 – $7 per ride and there also is an unlimited ride pass available for $20.
- The fair goes on for 11 days leading up to Labor day.