Go for a spin, funnel cakes. Goud-an outta here, fried cheese curds. Aw, shucks, corn dogs.

                You’re so last year’s fare.

                We should eat to live, but if you attended the Nebraska State Fair, perhaps you lived to eat. Celebrating the tagline “The Good Life on a Stick,” food vendors showcased fair favorites, as well as some newfangled treats, impaled or threaded onto a stick.

                At this year’s extravaganza, over 30 different menu items dish up either fried or chocolate-covered edibles on a stick. Catfish on a stick. Deep-fried peaches on a stick. Fried chocolate chip cookie dough on a stick. Pecan-smoked pork chops on a stick. Shrimp on a stick.

                I feel like I’m stuck in a scene from “Forrest Gump.”

                Not satisfied? You could try peanut butter and jelly, deep fried butter, or fried bananas, all – you guessed it – on a stick.

                Craving chocolate? I saw chocolate-covered Twinkies, chocolate caramel corn with nuts, Hostess-brand Ho-Hos, and rice krispie treats. Yup. All of these delectables were served on a stick.

                One vendor sold chocolate-covered bacon.  Interestingly, this may be the healthiest choice on the fairgrounds. The bacon is baked instead of fried.

                Why are Nebraskans – and their peers from other parts of the country – fascinated with fair food?

                In a world consumed by foodie catchphrases like “Bam” and “Yum-O,” in a society that embraces a bit of unusual cuisine creativity, the artery-clogging, chocolate-dripping allure of fair food draws crowds.

                The Nebraska State Fair isn’t the only expo in the country to offer interesting edibles. Just when you thought there weren’t enough food-on-a-stick options, inventive entrepreneurs developed interesting, new options.

                 In Minnesota, fairgoers could try camel meat, spaghetti and meatballs or s’mores on a stick. And in Texas, the fair’s food vendors like to compete in a game of one-upsmanship. They’ve perfected beer-battered salsa balls, deep-fried beer, chocolate covered jalapeños, and deep-fried Coca-Cola.

                The long lines at the food vendors indicate that the public is willing to indulge their appetites, and maybe, their curiosity. The self-imposed food coma comes at a cost: calories and high dollars.

                I’ll admit I’m guilty of searching out one vendor. When the fair moved to Grand Island, Scott and I wandered the grounds until we found them. But in my defense, visiting this particular booth is a family tradition. When the fair was in Lincoln, my dad’s favorite spot was the stand serving vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and rolled in chopped peanuts. And yes, it’s served on a stick.            

                What does all this skewered food say about society’s skewered outlook about food choices? Is it okay to overindulge in a beer-battered-deep-fried-dipped-in-chocolate anything during a visit to this statewide get-together? Where are the healthy options?

                Or is this a balancing act? You’ll walk off the calories perusing fair exhibits.

                The food-on-a-stick craze brings out the best of ingenuity. What’s next? Gouged goulash? Speared spinach?

                If you live to eat, you’re destined to find a treat on a stick that celebrates Nebraska’s good life when you chow down on fair fare.

                All the honey a bee gathers in its lifetime doesn’t sweeten its sting. Perhaps that Italian proverb rings true since the average worker honey bee produces around one-twelfth of a teaspoon of liquid gold in its lifetime.

                Yet, honey bees – and their byproduct – are essential to our state’s agri-based economy. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture reports that honey bees pollinate over 90 cultivated crops, like alfalfa, sweet clover, or sunflowers, with a combined yearly value of $10 billion.

                The buzz doesn’t end there. Bees also pollinate fruit and vegetable crops, benefitting cucumbers and pumpkin plants, as well as apple and cherry trees.

                Plus, those wildflower patches routed next to roadways and dotting pastures depend on the onomatopoetic insect to work their magic.

                To produce one pound of honey, bees must tap more than two million flowers. And that one pound jar (or squeeze bottle) of honey sitting on your kitchen table?  The colony of bees travelled a combined 55,000 miles, hauling pollen from flower to hive, so you could enjoy the golden goodness. To make a single ounce of honey, a bee travels an average of 1600 round trips, draining pollen from blooms and buds.

                In the United States, over 300 unique varieties of honey are produced. Each type takes on distinct characteristics depending on kinds of flowers visited.

                What’s the economic impact on the Cornhusker State? USDA estimates from 2009 show that Nebraska had 48 colonies yielding 56 pounds of honey per colony. That amounts to 2688 pounds of honey valued at $3.9 million dollars.

                But in Nebraska, where the honeybee reigns supreme as the official state insect, the state of this year’s honey crop could be in trouble for several reasons.

                Despite bringing in the highest price level in a number of years, early weather conditions, lower production rates, and colony collapse disorder affect the quality and amount produced.

                UNL entomologists are researching the effects of pesticides on honey bee health. They’ve determined certain varroacide and fungicide combinations can be lethal.

                My grandparents raised bees on their property on the hill, about a quarter mile from their farmstead. Although, I never saw either grandparent go near the hives, let alone wear any beekeeping gear.

                The boxes sat behind the abandoned house, along the ridge bordering a soybean field. We weren’t allowed near the hives. We’d heard the horror story about the time our Aunt Deanna paid a visit to the bees when she was young, returning home with bites all over her body.

                Grandpa said you could see the bees chasing her down the hill. I think he was kidding.

                When I think about bees and honey, I start to crave honey ice cream available only at the Nebraska State Fair. That delectable, melt-in-your-mouth ice cream features Nebraska honey. It’s one of the best parts of the trip.

                And, I’m reminded that I need a new Epipen. Thanks, allergies.

                Perhaps honey doesn’t sweeten the bee’s sting, but without the honeybee’s laborious journey, our ag processes and ecosystem would suffer.

Purple-ribbon pigs, best-of-show pies and hot headliners. Sounds like a scene acted on the silver screen, complete with Academy Award-winning soundtrack.

 While those fictional elements plot the 1945 movie “State Fair”, they also comprise the storyline for this year’s State Fair, which wrapped its new locale debut on Labor Day.

 As of September 2, over 120,000 spectators entered Grand Island’s Fonner Park. Fair officials reported the event should draw 300,000 visitors when midway lights dim Monday evening.

It’s a testament to 141-year-old event.

Those first extravaganzas took place along the Missouri River, as the fair put down stakes in Brownville, Lincoln, Nebraska City and Omaha before the Legislature picked Lincoln as the fair’s home.

Majestic architecture became a top draw. Agriculture Hall, or the Industrial Arts building, was built in 1913 and considered one of the top exhibition halls in the nation. The trapezoid-shaped, red brick structure, complete with natural skylights, Palladian windows and open trusses captured the attention of fairgoers and exhibitors.

The purpose of the fair: showcase Nebraska and all she offered.

In Lincoln, the rural social event of the year turned into a struggling affair barely capable of meeting its obligations. Attendance dipped. Execs tried a variety of ideas and incentives to entice visitors, especially those from outstate.

 Would a change in venue give the fair a much-needed boost or would it drown like a Twinkie lowered into a vat of sizzling grease?

 Scott and I visited the fair this weekend. Overall, we were impressed.

We opted to pay ten bucks for parking in a lot run by the Tehama Shrine Temple instead of using the park n’ ride system set up at sites around the city. Traffic was a bit hectic but manageable.

Then, we viewed the grounds. While the old fairgrounds offered a feeling of hominess, of familiarity, the new facilities are simply amazing.

 Tyler and Lacey participated in the FFA and 4-H market goat shows on Sunday. The livestock arena allows three rings of competition at once, and a giant display on the west wall screens the show.

 Everything – the livestock barns and the exhibition hall – seem bigger and better. I’m not sure about numbers, but it appears more competitors vied in these contests. Notably, more audience members watched. Grandstands were packed. 

The purpose of the fair: showcase 4-H and FFA members and their projects, the heart of Nebraska’s best-of-the-best competition. These displays let our state’s youth shine, whether showing the perfect dairy cow or the sweetest plate of cookies.

Despite the controversial move, Nebraskans appear to support the fair.

Perhaps curiosity drew crowds. On Sunday, hungry guests waited in lengthy lines to taste a deep-fried peach or the pecan-smoked pork chop on a stick. Throngs sauntered among the newest Ag products and filled the Rising Stars concert. Rides whirled and twirled. Favorite, reliable food stands made the move, and new exhibitors showed wares.

Next year, we will return and celebrate Nebraska’s grand affair. It’s tradition, no matter where it’s located.

Will you?

July fades into August, and for the past three weeks, county fairs have provided music, funnel cakes, and midways. The tradition continues for the next several weekends, all leading to the Nebraska State Fair at the end of August. The fair reminds me of concerts and cotton candy; it’s paradise by the midway lights. Find out more in this week’s Nebraska-isms column and share your favorite county fair memory.

A special welcome to readers of the Holt County Independent. I’m glad I have the opportunity to share my view of Nebraska with you.