Rubber Duck Tomato

This picture was taken at the Common Ground Fair in Thorndike, Maine this past weekend. This tomato just happened to grow in the shape of a rubber duck!

"Big E"ats

Continuing on my theme of visits to carnivals in different countries-- back to the United States!

At the Big E each of the states of New England is represented in a permanent pavilion that showcases the bounty of that state. (Doesn't it look like there should be two "l"s in pavilion?)

It seems that most of New England is proud to produce at least maple syrup and seafoods (except for Vermont which boasted dairy products, apples, and wool goods with their syrup, not seafood.) The unhealthy carnival food vendors were mostly all outside, while the food vendors in the state pavilions tended to offer more local, in- season, regional offerings.

Fall in New England

A leafy rainbow landscape bursts into the minds of most with the words, "autumn in New England," but many locals also associate this phrase with "The BIG E," more formally known as "The Eastern States Exposition."

The BIG E functions as a centralized state fair for all six New England states: Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. A permanent fairground was erected in West Springfield, Massachusetts and it hosts this huge festival for a few weeks every autumn. Here are a few images from the BIG E, which ended last month. I'll be posting more in the near future.

This life- sized cow is sculpted entirely in butter.

If you're vegan, here's an enormous slide, ridden by children on burlap sacks. Fun for everyone!

Hamburger Dom in Hamburg

Here's another interesting painting on a European carnival ride. This is in Saint Pauli in Hamburg, Deutschland. Hamburger Dom is the largest public festival in northern Germany.

We saw more King Kongs covered in rain- matted fake fur. That might be a cool summer job, combing his fur in the opposite direction after it rains.

To understand the scale of this carnival game, check out the man in the green shirt on the lower left.

Intergalactic miniature tow truck

German carnival eats

Rotisserie- cooked pretzel cups that get filled with a variety of saucy/ salty/ gooey things. These are like Hungarian chörege.

It seems "Mister Mais" is an American farmer. Click for evidence.

Pickled herring and fishcakes at the carnival!

Not so Kosher, not so punk.

Have you seen these German pedal cars? Everyone sitting at the bar is pedaling this vehicle through regular traffic, while drinking beer!

étrangeté: enfants avec les armes

More weirdness at the carnival in Paris: children with guns.

A Carnival in Paris!

In le Jardin des Tuileries, there is a carnival along the rue de Rivoli.

Susie, I thought you'd like this clown with a saxophone.

Yes, we are in France.

This delightful image actually represented a more dimensional object!

It's a little roller coaster!

This fair, like most contemporary carnivals, demonstrates many creative uses of fiberglass. This guy was really big.

Bat/bird man/boat

This was the first food stand that I saw.

This is in its perfect context.

This is rad, no matter where. I should go eat there tomorrow, just because I can.

Update: those churros tasted like old oil, had no cinnamon, and no creaminess inside. California churros have much better flavor and texture!

The games have interesting prizes-- cell phones, digital cameras, and other electronics. These prizes seem even more inaccessible than the stuffed animals in the rigged carnival games that I'm used to.

You could even win a crepe griddle (in theory, if not in practice.)