State Fair 2003 – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Aug. 20, 2003 – 3 stars

Closed Aug. 17. The State Fair is composed of so many guilty pleasures the scene becomes surreal. Quite farcical and befuddling were the middle-aged cloggers happily hoofing it to a Bon Jovi remix, but, not moreso than the llama limbo where poodle trimmed llamas literally limboed with that signature limbo song blaring in their competition arena. In the Pepsi Coliseum, the organist played "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" while draft horses pulled their spit-shined carts around the ring. And then there's deep-fried everything, everywhere, producing five-star smells. Elephant ears and corn dogs send my stomach into regressive upset at the thought. The every-walk-of-life crowd carrying huge plush stuffed animal spoils from the Midway games, the colorful lights and the muffled screams from the rides create a fantastic and eccentric once-a-year piece of performance art. - Mary Lee Pappas