State Fair -- Food Photos

I only have time for a quick post with some photos of some of the food we've eaten during the past week.

Blue Corn Tamale (with all the toppings)

Pork Chop on a Stick (after a few bites)

Baked Potato topped with Cheese, Bacon and Sour Cream

And I decided to live-on-the-edge and get a feather hair extension.  I kind of love it.  The gorgeous earrings are from my friend Brandi at Caties Blue.

The Great Pumpkin Scandal of 2011

Alaska is famous for the giant vegetables that grow here.  Each year at the State Fair, the pumpkin weigh-off is a very big deal.  The same with the cabbage weigh-off, but we'll just focus on the pumpkins for now.

A 1723 pound pumpkin (can you say HUGE?) was disqualified because of a tiny hole.  I really don't get this.  Why does a hole disqualify a pumpkin?  This was not adequately explained for me.  I guess pumpkin judging rules are quite severe.

The winning pumpkin was a mere 1287 pounds.  Still pretty unreal looking.  Not at all attractive in the traditional pumpkin sense.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I guess.

This is a photo of a completely different pumpkin, which weighed only 859 pounds.  I must have missed the bigger ones.  How could I??

If this tale really captivates you, you can read the full story here.

Pigs and Bonsai

Here are some more highlights from my stroll around the barn the other day at the Alaska State Fair.

There is something super cute about baby pigs.  Can't explain it.  It just is.  The mama pigs, not so much.

And a different set (litter?)

The bonsai display was amazing, as always.

I forgot to take a picture of the unique lunch item we found yesterday.  It was called a Chicken Parfait and not only was it clever, it was quite yummy.  In a clear plastic cup, make layers of mashed potatoes and shredded barbequed chicken.  Top it with a cherry tomato and barbeque sauce!

Later in the day --  I guess you could call it dinner -- we had the most fabulous crab bisque and shared an order of coconut crab patties.  Delicious!

In the Barn at the Alaska State Fair

Yesterday was a slow sort of day at the Alaska State Fair -- the crowd was light until after the Charlie Daniels concert.  And even then, the demographic was all wrong for the kind of things we sell. 

I took the opportunity to visit the animals in the barn.  Ever since I've gotten to know Pricilla and Abby, there is a special place in my heart for goats.

The goats were especially cute this year.  They love a little head scratch.

And fresh hay is always welcome.

How about this little cutie?

Who added this sheep to the mix?  He/she was exceptionally soft.

As I said, yesterday was slow, so we ate a lot.  We ate a seafood platter (fried, of course) and it was delicious.  We also enjoyed a bunch of Macho Nachos with the works - chicken, beans, guacamole, olives, cheese, jalapenos, sour cream and salsa.  And the day wouldn't be complete without a batch of freshly baked cookies from the Hoop 'n Hula cookie booth.  They provide hula hoops for you to practice with while you wait for your cookies to finish baking.  Quite a treat, really.

If you are interested in all the food we have to choose from, have a look at this page.  Every day involves quite a few decisions.  And just in case you were curious, we did indeed eat a bucket of donuts from the Rollin' Donuts booth the other day.  The bucket was cute and now it's empty.

Alaska State Fair -- The Weekend Report

Opening weekend at the fair is always crazy-busy.  The unseasonably cold cool weather and rain on Friday and Saturday made those days a little less crazy-busy than usual, but that's ok.  Sunday was gorgeous and warm.  The crowd was huge and in a buying mood.

I took this set of photos before we opened last Thursday.

These are our short sleeve t-shirts.  Love the colors we chose.

And our long sleeve t-shirts.  Not loving these colors as much.

Cindy's metal art is always a great attention getter.  We've already sold the sheep that you see between the 2 doors, the rooster on the ramp and one of the "Bad Dogs".

I have not yet eaten a pork-chop-on-a-stick, but I did have chicken-on-a-stick (from the same booth) last night for dinner.  It was steaming hot in my mouth, hence the stupid look on my face :)

You don't really want the whole list of stuff we ate during the first 4 days of the fair, do you?

Alaska State Fair

I've been very busy getting ready for the Alaska State Fair, which opens tomorrow.  Eek!  Our fair building is pretty much ready to do business, with just a few last minute details to take care of.  I managed to remember to take a few pictures of my jewelry displays in the booth.

Here's the main part of my display.  Above, you can see one of Cindy Shake's metal ravens, which have proven to be top sellers for us over the past few years.  They practically fly out of the building -- yes, I made a funny.  Below, I've displayed some of my hand knit scarves (on a cleverly disguised broom stick).

This is a smaller jewelry display area, which tends to be a bit dark.  I love the green lamp Carol contributed to the display.  Above is a view of our ceramic mugs, insulated travel cups and plastic water bottles (BPA free, of course).  The color selections on those items were wonderful this year.

Lastly, my earring display, with another metal raven for protection!  Off to the left you can see a snippet of our brand new lovely pink fleece vest.  We're hoping it will be a big seller for us.

I plan to share more photos of the inside of the building and of the fairgrounds in general. And my coverage of the fair wouldn't be complete without a photo of me eating a pork-chop-on-a-stick!

Farewell to the State Fair

Sorry I have not posted more during the State Fair, but let's just say that I was simply too tired to do much of anything else during the fair.  Here's a quick look at the few photos I had a chance to take.

I always like to go to the barn and visit the animals ... especially the goats since I've become auntie to Pricilla.

None of the goaties would look at me when I had the camera ready, but I did catch this adorable little goat head through the bars of its pen.

In the other part of the barn, the giant vegetables were on display.  This year, the 1101 pound pumpkin was the featured attraction.  A little creepy if you ask me.  Considering the short growing season in Alaska, we determined that one could actually have watched this thing get bigger, right before one's eyes.

Our days at the fair would not have been complete without visits to the Kaladi Brothers Coffee booth.  It is always staffed by fun and funny young people who tend to dress goofy and never fail to produce a smile.  Even when the coffee line is a mile long.

And a close up of the Barbie doll display.  My personal favorite is the Barbie with the coffee bean bikini.

Today, Carol & I will meet at the fairgrounds to complete the packing up.  Later, Rick will join us to do the harder work and tow our trailer back home.

We had a wonderful fair.  All of our new merchandise was well received and I've already placed a new order with Alaska Serigraphics for our next event at the end of this month -- Bad Girls of the North in Fairbanks!

A Few Funny Moments to Share

While working in our booth at the Alaska State Fair, we see so many people every day.  This is a big event here and people come from all over the state to attend.  We also get a fair amount of tourists from the lower 48 and other parts of the world who just happened to be on vacation here while the fair is going on.

Today I'll share some funny moments from our days so far.

Hat Funny

A young woman was trying on several fleece hats made by Heather of Mountain Heather.  She had a heavy Korean accent, but is a local Anchorage-ite now.  They all looked great on her.  She said, "I bought one of these hats last year and love the way it looks on me.  My husband said something different".  We all chuckled and then she said, "Now I feel compelled to buy another one".  She followed that with lots of very evil sounding laughter.  We love this young woman named Pansy (isn't that a great name?).

Two Sisters Funny

These two sisters (I would guess they were in their 40's) of quite ample proportions were looking at our shirts, which we carry in sizes small through 3XL.  One sister asks the other, " Should I get this shirt in a 2XL or a 3XL"?  The other one cackles and then shouts, "Girl, look behind you!", referring to her sister's generously sized posterior.  Needless to say she bought the 3XL.


These are the moments that keep us going from year to year.  Our customers are incredibly fun.  From the father buying his teen-aged daughter a black Bad Girls hoodie to the grandmother trying to figure out which size onesie would fit her new granddaughter to a young woman choosing the right color shirt for her best friend who just moved to the lower 48.  We see them all and we love most all of them.

A Quick Tour of our Fair Booth

Here's a brief look at some more of the artists' work represented in our booth at the Alaska State Fair.

Carol's handmade soap and body care products and a selection of Lucinda's birch bark baskets:

Handmade mittens by Nancy Nolfi.  She uses recycled sweaters and vintage buttons.  The mittens are lined with fleece and many have hand embroidery.

Metal art by Cindy Shake -- it's hard to see this outdoor display because the background is the hot tub booth next door!  Be sure to check out Cindy's blog.

Some more of Cindy's metal -- these perching ravens are quite popular.

Part of my jewelry display.  My earrings are on the opposite wall and I didn't get a photo of them yet.

Time to head up to the fair for the day -- it's about a 20 mile drive for me.  See you later!

First Day of the Alaska State Fair!

Yes, the fair opens today at noon.  How do I have time to write a blog post, you ask?  How come I'm not in a panic, running in circles?  Well, I woke up early and realized that the booth is just about complete and ready for tons of customers.  I think we will have a  great opening day because our fabulous weather streak looks like it will continue for at least 2 more days!

Here are some photos I took yesterday as the booth neared completion.

Our brand new set of drinking items: ceramic mugs, travel cups and water bottles (yes, they're BPA free).  Selecting the colors for these items was another one of those extra fun tasks.

On the far right of the above photo, you can see a small selection of birch bark baskets.  We've had birch bark baskets in our booth since the beginning of time.  They are made by Ardella Hagen and her daughter Lucinda Durham.  This year, we have baskets made by Lucinda.  Ardella, one of my most favorite people in the whole world, passed away a few weeks ago.  I have given many of Ardella's baskets away as gifts and have quite a collection myself.  I miss her already.

New to the booth this year are some amazing handmade pillowcases by our friend Margaret.  She does a great job of matching fabrics into these rich combinations.  At the very top is one of her quilts.

And a collection of Heather's hats comes next.  We have a slightly smaller selection than usual, but we expect another shipment (she lives in Fairbanks) in a few days.

More picture to come -- of Cindy's metal art, my jewelry and Carol's soap!

New T-Shirt Colors

Each year, we select new colors for our Bad Girls of the North logo t-shirts.  Carol & I are both color freaks, so this is always a fun task.  As I've told you, all of our printing is done by Alaska Serigraphics, and we select our t-shirts from Comfort Colors by Chouinard.  Their selection is vast and the quality of their shirts is superb.  They are pre-shrunk and really hold their color.  Check out the website if you ever need to print some shirts!

These are our new colors in long sleeves:  mango, lagoon blue and violet.  The other colors you see in this photo are left overs from previous years.

Our new short sleeve colors are aloe, crimson and china blue: (bad photo alert)

Of course, I once again forgot to take a photo earlier in the day.  I took these 2 right before leaving for the day at around 6pm.  We have plenty more shirts in backstock.  They live in the trailer that sites behind our little building.  Hopefully we will need every last one!

Coming soon:  shy do we sell all of this logo merchandise anyway?

Carol & The Broom

Caol always tells me she isn't cut out for cleaning, much the same way that I claim I'm not cut out for physical labor, but this is a bit much.  See what happened when she tried to do a bit of sweeping on the new ramp?  In the shadows, you can see the rest of the broom.

Douglas, Carol's husband, calls this photo "Aborted Take-Off".  No comment.

it's that time of year again

Yes, my friends, it's time for the Alaska State Fair.  For those of you have been reading my blog for a few years know that I have had a booth at the Fair since 1998.  The booth is for my 'other' business, Bad Girls of the North.  We produce craft shows in the fall.  At the fair, we sell our logo merchandise and lots of handmade crafts.

Yesterday was our first day of set-up and as luck would have it, the weather was fabulous!  Hot and sunny.  All day long.  Rick worked on extending our entrance ramp to comply with ADA regulations and Carol & I cleaned and readied the booth.

I remembered to take a picture at the end of the day.

Here's a sneak peek at our latest clothing item.  It's a pigment dyed zippered hoodie with some awesome birch tree artwork.  The models are employees at Alaska Serigraphics, the amazing local company that does all of our printing and embroidery.

You may not see me around as much over the next 2 weeks, as the fair will keep me busy from morning to nighttime.  The fair opens on August 26 and closes on Labor Day, September 6.

Red Tail Boa

Yes, we got brave. We had our picture taken while holding a Red Tail Boa. I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds while we posed for this photo. Brad's World Reptile exhibit was the best thing I've seen at the Fair in the 12 years I've been there!

That's Carol on the left with the Indiana Jones hat and I'm on the right wearing the Teddy Roosevelt hat.

A Long Story ....

... comes to a conclusion.

I'll try to explain. During last year's election, Carol had made a bet with an old (conservative) friend of ours named Gary. The bet was all about whether or not Ted Stevens would be reelected considering that he was under investigation by the FBI.

Suffice it to say that Carol won the bet. Gary was supposed to give her a diamond and platinum ring -- HA! Well, he came to the State Fair on Tuesday with his friend MaryAnn and finally delivered The Ring. Isn't it amazing???


OK, back to the Fair. There's something magical about a ferris wheel at night.

In The Barn

I met some beautiful goats at the Alaska State Fair. I have a new found fascination with goats. They're adorable and they obviously have tremendous amounts of personality. Dearest Pricilla - please don't be jealous. You and your goat family at Happy Goats Farm will always be first in my heart, but these Alaskan goats were quite irresistible. These are all Nigerian Dwarf goats, just like Pricilla!


This little one is enjoying a bit of mama's milk.



This big guy (gal?) is trouble on the hoof, for sure. In this photo, he's (she's ?) trying to eat the Grand Champion ribbon that's hanging over his pen. The ribbon was obviously NOT for good behavior.


I'll close with this almost frightening photo of an award winning giant pumpkin. It weighed in at a whopping 594 pounds.

State Fair Neighbors

The booth next door to our Bad Girls of the North building is one of the best food booths at the Fair. Rae and her crew make wonderful tamales with all sorts of non-traditional fillings like goat cheese with sun dried tomatoes and sweet corn and chiles. Rae's daughter Jennifer is on the far left and Rae is next to her. The other two women (can't remember their names!) are her invaluable assistants.

Good neighbors at the Fair are so important. At least a half dozen times during the Fair, Rae will run over to our booth with a complimentary dish of tamales, complete with a side of black beans and rice, just because. How sweet is that?

And I'll leave you with this photo of Carol doing something you just don't see every day. She's vacuuming the booth.


Stay tuned, because I visited the Barn yesterday and met some gorgeous goats. Not as gorgeous as Pricilla and Abby, of course, but gorgeous nonetheless. And I took some photos of giant Alaska vegetables.