Oh man, I love fairs! I have fond memories of being loaded into a “ghost house” car ride at a fair up north of our fair state (which one, I will not say, as to keep the crowds down… ) wherein a dirty blanket hit riders in the face on the start of the tour, and broken skeletons dangled sadly and other supposedly spooky creatures teetered and ground their rusty gears. Oh, but there was so much there! The carnies! The hucksters at the games! My friend swore that he saw two carnies drunkenly brawling so fiercely that they actually fell up a flight of stairs.

I also got to pet a chicken that had fuzzy legs on my fair journey.

Seriously, a county fair is a solid blast, as long as you don’t go in expecting the pristine perfection of say a Disney Land or something… A fair is a dusty, and sometimes rusty, thing, but it is beautiful in its own way.

I’m guessing that the Boulder County Fair, running now through August 8th, is probably a nicer thing than the aforementioned fair I insisted on attending on a yearly basis up north and plan to attend again this year. But I’m sure even the brightest, sharpest, cleanest county fair still has a touch of rustic charm that makes it all worth while.

At the Boulder Fair, you can ride the standard carnival rides (be careful on the fright house, and be wary of any blankets that might hit you in the face… I think carnival fun house blankets might be full of ghosts or possibly lice.), play the thoroughfare games, and take in something as awesome as a demolition derby. Livestock shows, free concerts, and rodeo events will also take place.

A county fair is a magical thing, about this I make no joke. And the Boulder County one sounds like an actual great place to enjoy a weekend or weekday evening. Head over from 10AM-10PM daily through August 8th, and enjoy the bliss of a county fair.