Following a hectic morning of work, we were on the road to South Dakota by 1 p.m. Thursday afternoon, looking forward to a whirlwind trip to visit our friends Josh and Natalie. The adventure began with a stop in Parker, home of the Turner County Fair.
We arrived to a crowded fairground, with attendance buoyed by great weather and a sold-out demolition derby. Our first stop was at the Dakota Lamb stand, where thousands of skewers of cubed lamb meat called “chislic” are sold over the four day fair. We seasoned the dozen skewers with ample garlic salt before dividing the meat among ourselves and the kids.
Chislic and garlic salt: a winning combination.
Not surprisingly, the kids loved the chislic.
Before too long, the Lamers crew had arrived and we made our way to the food building for a quick dinner. Josh and Natalie were in the Grace Lutheran food line when some flames from the grill grew out of control, forcing the fire department to be called. The incident created a memorable scene but fortunately caused no damage, and the group was serving food again within a few minutes.
Noah, Ella, and Rory pose in front of a race car.
While the older kids were finishing their hamburgers and hot dogs, Emmie and I snuck off to the Salem Mennonite Youth food stand to split a small bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream. When dinner was complete, we all made our way to one of our favorite spots at the fair, the Old MacDonald Petting Zoo. After petting and photographing everything from puppies to bunnies to camels, we zigzagged through the 4-H barns to see cows, sheep, and pigs.
Emmie wasn’t sure what to think of the camel.
The McMillins, plus Rory and Ella Lamers.
When we were finished with the animals, we walked down to the fairground’s midway, featuring an above-average selection of carnival rides, food, and games. From jumping in the bouncy house to flying in the swings to twisting in the scrambler, all the kids except baby Sadie had the opportunity to partake in at least one ride.
Emmie got her first taste of cotton candy at the Turner County Fair.
Sadie was ready for bed after inhaling our Bavarian cream funnel cake.
The loud carny took Emmie from smiles to tears in just a few seconds.
Sweet corn drenched in butter made for an excellent post-dinner treat.
The girls, minus Rory and Emery, on the tractor ride back to the car.
Josh, Natalie, and the girls headed back to their home in Yankton, while Amanda, Noah, Emmie, and I continued our drive north to our first night stop in Brookings. With ice cream from Blue Bunny in Le Mars locked into Friday’s agenda, I had to make a stop Thursday night in Sioux Falls, at my favorite South Dakota soft-serve shop, B&G’s Milky Way.
Emmie and I had no problem eating our entire banana split.
Noah had a small bowl of strawberry-vanilla twist, while Amanda opted for a Heath “avalanche,” Milky Way’s equivalent of the Dairy Queen Blizzard. Our experience at the Brookings Fairfield Inn & Suites is worth noting, as we received a larger-than-expected room plus baby soap, shampoo, and a small toy alongside the pack-and-play left for Emmie.