Fair And Carnival Food Has Reached Crazy New Levels Of Creativity

When it comes to fair and festival concessions, for the longest time, my palate stuck to the ordinary. Funnel Cakes, Elephant Ears, pizza and fries. Over time, that personal preference menu expanded. Years and years of County Fair duty for WNCO exposed me to more choices. Chili or pasta in a bread bowl became a favorite. Steak-on-a-stick is another and I grew to enjoy Calzones. The State Fair offers more vendors and more variety. I'll routinely seek out, not and ice cream sundae but a Mashed Potato Sundae complete with shredded roast beef, gravy and topped with a cherry tomato. I have been known to splurge on Cheesecake-on-a-Stick or Deep Fried Oreos. There are some spectacular-sounding items coming to State Fairs around the nation that go way beyond the ordinary. Some could tempt me. Others, the ones with edible bugs that are a big fat no for me.

State fair eats ... It's state fair season again, which means it's time to look at some of the unusual food items being offered on fairgrounds this year. Once again, vendors have gotten very creative with their culinary concoctions. Here are some of the most unusual menu items this year and where to find them:

• Arctic Bug Blast Splash (Wisconsin State Fair) – A blue raspberry slush topped with whipped cream and edible bugs, including a scorpion.
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• Soulsicle (Minnesota State Fair) – A mixture of fried chicken, candied yams, cornbread, mac-and-cheese, hot sauce, and green onions all on a stick.
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• Crispy Dilly Dog (Texas State Fair) – A dill pickle stuffed with a hot dog, coated in corndog batter and deep fried.
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• State Fair Mary (Indiana State Fair) – A 24-ounce Bloody Mary topped with waffle fries, deep-fried cheese curds, deep-fried mac-and-cheese, mini corn dogs, bacon, fried pickles, and a BBQ pulled pork slider.
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• Sun King Caramel Corn Ale (Indiana State Fair) – A beer brewed with caramel corn.
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• Bug Apple On-a-Stick (Wisconsin State Fair) – A chocolate-covered apple coated with edible crickets, worms, and ants.
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• Peanut Butter Paradise (Texas State Fair) – A deep-fried honey bun injected with caramel, layered with Reese’s pieces and Butterfinger crumbles, and topped with peanut butter cups, caramel, and powdered sugar.