While you’re a city girl, you grew up with farms and country life nearby. What do you remember most about visiting the fair? I never got to go to the state fair as a child. We lived about 3 hours from the state capital, and we never went as a family. But I did go to the county fair several times. I think my true love for the fair didn’t come until I was older and had moved away from home. In Utah, each city has their own “day” during the summer, and I truly love going to as many as I can all summer long. Springville has Art City Days, Payson has Onion Days, Midway has Swiss Days. Each one is a little bit different and unique. One of my favorites is Pleasant Grove’s Strawberry Days—mostly because I can’t get enough of the strawberries and cream. Utah has some pretty amazing strawberries, and combined with the sweet cream, it’s pure heaven. I’ve always wanted to recreate it, but it’s always been one of those things that I could never quite figure out. Then I heard a rumor that they just use soft serve ice cream that hasn’t been frozen yet, and a light went off in my head. So this time when I recreated it, I thought it was pretty darn close to the original. And even if it’s not the same, I think it might even be better.
What are some of your favorite things to do with your kids at the fair, to pass along your childhood traditions? As much as I love the rides and the cotton candy, I really get into all of the exhibits that are at the fair. I love to see the animals and the vegetable exhibits. I think it’s great that so many kids get involved with the fair through programs like 4H. What do you think county fairs have to teach children about food and where it comes from? I love that kids can go to a fair and see the vegetables and the animals —to get a look at where everything comes from. At the Utah State Fair, they have an exhibit where you can see bees working in a hive, making honey. Just to be able to see how it all works and to actually see the end product is something that is learned a lot easier when you see it first hand. At the Utah State Fair, they usually have an exhibit where kids make funny animals or creatures out of different vegetables. I don’t know why, but I love looking at them and laughing. I love seeing the creativity of kids, and it’s so apparent in that exhibit. In the same area, they usually have the giant pumpkins, too, and those are really fun. Especially for the kids.