Oh boy, do I love a state fair.
I've lived here for almost a year now, and when I found out before my move that the Oregon State Fair was in Salem, I was absolutely psyched.
Rides that flip you upside down, eating your daily calories with one treat and seeing the grounds light up when the sun goes down — what's not to love?
Don't answer that, let's stay on the positives here, people.
Carnival rides, games, food, competitions and entertainment, the Oregon State Fair has everything that a fair should. After spending a decent amount of the past 24 hours exploring the fair, here are 10 things I think you shouldn't miss:
Deep-fried caramel apples
I once went through a deep-fried food phase that got so bad my mother bought me my very own deep fryer. I'm not sure if that's embarrassing or not, but here we are.
I never considered deep frying a caramel apple, of all things, but I found one that absolutely works. The new deep-fried caramel apple was warm, sweet, crunchy and extremely messy — everything that a deep-fried treat should be.
Holy heck, y'all, go get this thing. It's only in one spot, so you must keep an eye out. And, no, I will not tell you. If I had to walk around the fair to find it, so do you.
Pro tip: Make sure to look in a mirror after you finish eating or else you will walk around the fair for five minutes with a caramel beard.
Me, I did that.
More new things at the fair: Five new attractions to check out at the Oregon State Fair
Walk On Water
If you have ever wanted to walk on water or ram against your best friend and not feel bad about it, find this attraction.
You get inside a giant inflatable ball and roll around in water, that's about all. But, still pretty cool.
Star Tower
Carnival rides are one of my favorite parts of a fair.
The Oregon State Fair has all of my favorites — like the Zipper and Kamikaze — but its newest ride, Star Tower, looked even better in person than it does in photos.
If you want to take a ride on the baby of an Extreme Scream and Wave Swinger, this ride is for you. It's hard to miss, you know since it sticks 122-feet in the air.
ANIMALS!
What's a fair without animals? What's life without animals? Here are some of the ways you can see furry friends do fun things:
Dog Town: There were not any competitions happening when I was there, but Dog Town will host four-legged athletes competing in K-9 sports and other dog attractions throughout the fair.
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Livestock Pavilion: Pay a visit to pigs, piglets, cows, goats and more in the Livestock Pavilion.
The Great American Petting Zoo: Get up close and personal with animals at this intimate petting zoo.
Time for a brew
With all the walking around, getting on rides and playing games, taking a break at the Oregon Taphouse is a must, located near the Livestock Pavilion.
Have a seat under the covered pavilion, sip on a drink and catch some live entertainment on the Taphouse Stage.
Fair concerts: 'American Idol: Live!' and more acts added to complete Oregon State Fair concert series
For a change of scenery, head over to the Oregon Wine Patio, one of the new additions to the Artisan Village.
Paint in a bus
Speaking of the Artisan Village, you can find an awesome painted bus located in the back that hosts art classes and demonstrations.
I mean, can you say Instagram?
Bugs, bugs and more bugs
Coming from someone that can barely kill a bug in her apartment without having at least one major freak out, this was not my scene.
But, for people with children and an interest in bugs, this is definitely your element — it's like walking into the movie, "A Bug's Life."
Bug-Ology is a new exhibit at the fair that is all about, you guessed it, bugs. You can look at them, eat them (in the form of edible treats) and take photos with giant, animatronic, creepy noise-making spiders, slugs, scorpions and caterpillars.
Take your kids, it's pretty rad — creepy, but rad.
Abby Luschei is the entertainment reporter for the Statesman Journal; she can be reached at aluschei@statesmanjournal.com or 503-399-6747. Follow her on Twitter @abbyluschei or facebook.com/luscheiabby.
Interested in telling a story at one of the upcoming Salem Storytellers Project events? Submit a story here: storytellersproject.com/salem/speak. Learn more here.
If you go
What: This year's Oregon State Fair features more than 40 rides, concerts, animals, competitions and more.
When: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aug. 25 and Aug. 31 to Sept. 2, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 26-30 and Sept. 3, carnival rides start operating daily at 11 a.m.
Location: Oregon State Fairgrounds, 2330 17th St. NE, Salem
Cost: $8 ages 12-64, $6 ages 6-11, $1 ages 65 and older
Information: oregonstatefair.org