The Todd Blog

This was also posted at the Greteman Group blog. Check it out here.

Last night, the GG team headed up to Hutchinson, Kansas, home of the Kansas State Fair.

We started by meeting up with in-the-trenches colleagues Jen and Angelina at the publicity office. We then set off in search of food – perhaps the most important of our fair activities. Of course, we had to partake in the renowned Pronto Pup, a favorite of many fairgoers. My peers have hyped the wheat– and rice-breaded hotdog (this breading sets it apart from its boring cousin, the corndog) to an unbelievable degree; it lived up to their lauding.

While eating, we headed over to the equestrian arts show. We were a little late and didn’t have the best view, but we were able to see some unbelievable stunts from the Cavallo family’s fifth-generation of riders. These athletes balanced on one leg, stood on shoulders and even did back flips while the horse galloped around the ring. Catch their show – it’s amazing.

You Are Getting Very Sleepy
After that, we made our way to the much-touted hypnotist show. Naturally, I volunteered. Shy, I’m not. I’m not sure how best to describe what it’s like to be under. I was very relaxed, open to suggestions and didn’t really care about looking foolish. (Hmmm. Sounds like me every day.) Largely, I was aware of what I was doing, though apparently I proudly displayed my wedding ring when approached by a woman onstage and threw a couple of chairs when asked to “lose the chairs.” I don’t remember doing either. You can see some photos of me under the influence here.

Why Can’t I Grow Pumpkins Like This?
Before we left the fairgrounds, we stopped by the agricultural displays to view some very large produce, creative scarecrows and, of course, the famous butter sculpture. None of us are sure who first decided to carve butter, but we all agreed the result is amazing.

We really hope that you can make it out to this year’s fair. It looks like the weather’s going to cooperate beautifully.

You can check out some photos from our trek here.

Every year, a few days before the fair officially kicks off, Kansas media are invited to the fairgrounds for a tour of the facilities, interviews with the organizers and opportunities to uncover some unique insights about quirky exhibitors or fanciful foods.

This year, we took the pre-show event online, making it easier for more people to attend, and opening it up to more than just the media, taking questions via Ustream and Twitter from anyone who was watching. Jen and I hosted the show, which was a ton of fun.

We talked with Denny Stoecklein, the fair’s general manager, about fair fashion, unique foods and not-to-miss events. We spoke with Greg Thompson, a Grand Drive committee member, who shared details about the youth-focused agriculture event. And Becky Rhodes from the Kansas Department of Commerce told us all about the Bluestem wine and beer garden, featuring Kansas-brewed beer and the people’s choice winetasting event.

But enough gabbing – check out the recorded version of the pre-show for yourself.

And, don’t miss KAKE’s coverage of the pre-show.

The fair starts today, so we’ll have another post this afternoon – make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed or check back!