By Diane Nguyen
Cotton candy, kettle corn, and funnel cakes all of these foods and more at the Clay County Fair in Spencer, IA from Sept. 12 to Sept. 20.
Everyone needs to try fair food, and the Clay County Fair is no exception. Some foods available include: strawberry smoothies, Poutine, fresh cut French fries, nutty bars, BBQ nachos, jalapeno cheese corn dog, fried mac and cheese, and last but not least Tom-Thumb Donuts.
Please be aware that there are many different food stands at the Clay County Fair where a lot of the same foods exist, but I’m not going to be biased on where the best food stands are because they are all good.
The strawberry smoothies are a must at the fair. After filling up on all the fried food the fruity refreshing taste is just what you’ll need to put some pep back in your step. Other smoothie flavors include: Strawberry Mango, Strawberry Kiwi, and Strawberry Banana.
Poutine is Canadian and one of the newer editions to the Clay County Fair. Being new, older fair food fans are scared to try it out. Poutine is French fries in a cup covered with cheese curds in the gravy. You won’t be disappointed with this fair food, once you try it you will be begging for more.
Gravy and cheese curds on top of fries too much to start for you? Then go to a fresh cut French fries stand and that’ll be just as good. They are exactly what they sound like, but taste even better. Fresh cut potatoes, tossed into the fryer, and then straight into your hands after they place them in the cup or basket you ordered. Sea salt to your taste.
Nutty bar stands are located all over the Clay County Fairgrounds. They are sold by the Spencer Y to help benefit the local Y in town. The Nutty Bars are made out of vanilla ice cream bars, hand dipped in chocolate, and then covered in nuts. Nutty bars are definitely just something sweet to help cleanse your pallet before going back into the fried food life.
BBQ Nachos from OakTree are as unhealthy as they sound. With a base of tortilla chips smothered with nacho cheese, white cheese, and bbq pulled pork. This is one of the many filling dishes at the Clay County Fair, next to turkey legs, pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, and so many more meaty food options.
Dippin’ Dots don’t have to be just found at the fair, but are definitely one of the many desert options. Dippin’ Dots are frozen dots of ice cream that’ll burn your mouth at first because of how cold they are. After the burning sensation the dots are super smooth to eat.
The jalapeno cheese corndog was a taste to be reckoned with. This corndog is a hot dog with cheese and chunks of jalapenos infused within the dog and then hand-dipped in corn dog batter. It’s not too hot that you have to wait to enjoy it, but still warm. Once you’ve taken a couple bites the heat will get to you and I LOVE my spicy food.
Fried mac and cheese bites are a perfect side dish to complement the jalapeño cheese dog. The fried mac and cheese bites are little blobs of mac and cheese, lightly fried, and then placed on the tray and straight into your hands. Fried mac and cheese bites are definitely the comfort food with a delicious crunchy twist in small pop able bites.
And definitely last but not least there are Tom Thumb Donuts. Keith Miller, a fairgoer of 30 years, says, “You have to get those last right before you leave other wise you will keep coming back to them and that’s where all the extra weight will come from.” So I did.
Tom-Thumb Donuts are mini donuts that taste like cinnamon sugar and are lighter then air. You eat one, you’ll eat another, and then another, and soon enough you’re out of Tom-Thumb Donuts before you’ll even know it. That’s why you need to get them last. Otherwise you’ll come back for more and soon enough you’ll realize that you spent all of your money on Tom-Thumb Donuts.
Now, go check out the fair. Go see some livestock. Visit the commercial buildings and spend some money. Take a look around at the shows, performances, vendors, and most importantly try some food. You won’t be disappointed.
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