Check out video from the Times of ooey, gooey fair food.

Stories by AJ Valdes, Lakewood High  
Photos by Jessica Larue,  Lakewood High

It’s pig. That’s the first thing that hits you as you enter the Florida State Fair. That musky, dank, vaguely manurelike smell of farm animal completely surrounds you, to the point that your only thought becomes fresh air.

You rush away from the animal judging area and immediately hit the midway. Instead of smell, your audio and visual senses are assaulted here, whirring rides and screaming children with booming techno and rock resounding through the entire area. Confused and disoriented, you wander from the midway straight onto the vendor avenue. My goodness, the vendors. I could weave another clever sensory comparison, but I feel one phrase sums up the vendor area: deep-fried bubble gum. I don’t know why, and I don’t know how. deep-fried bubble gum just exists, and it defines the vendor area.

Don’t let this dissuade you from going though. I’m just being overly dramatic to make you want to read more. The Florida State Fair is actually a blast. It’s a great tradition in Florida culture and though it really hasn’t changed all that much (though it did seem like there were more rides in the midway), it’s still the great, slightly dirty, event that the fair has always been. Of course, there is new stuff, like that zip line.

But the state fair is really just this: rides, folk art, bad-for-you food and animals to look at (that’s why I go every year). So, since the fair is the fair, as it should be, in lieu of an in-depth review, I thought it would be interesting to put a spotlight on three random people who work fairs for a living. I call them, quite originally and creatively, “People Who Work the Fair Spotlights.”

The paintball guys, Jesse Harshaw and Frank (photo, bottom left)
The business model: Pay Jesse to shoot Frank with a paintball gun ($20 gets you 150 paintballs). Literally the greatest idea ever thought of.
How it got started: Beginning in Miami, the game has made its way through the Florida fair circuit for two years. Has anyone ever questioned the moral appropriateness of letting people pay to shoot someone, a reporter asks. Are you nuts? The answer was a resounding no.
How it looks: The place is utterly covered in paint, the general feeling is happy, with Frank in his big protective suit egging shooters on with ninja-like reflexes and provocative dance moves.

The dog breeder, Nancy Kraus (photo, bottom middle)
Dog breed: Samoyed
How she got started: Nancy found a mentor early on after being prompted by her sister. She started breeding dogs 20 years ago and hasn’t looked back. Why Samoyeds? “I tried other breeds, I just fell in love with (Samoyeds).”
Other fun bit: Nancy has bred one champion, a male named Miracle. Here, she holds Reagan.

The scent vendor, Richard Roy (photo, bottom right)
Sells: Scents (they all smell just fantastic, no eau de farm animal) and scent bottles.
How he got started: This aromatic pastime was a hobby until Richard realized, “I could make some real money.” He set up shop and has been traveling the fair circuit for 22 years.
How he makes new smells: Richard buys fragrances and combines them until he creates new great smells. “A lot of experimentation,” he says. “I try to always have something new.”
His favorite smell: “I really like Fig Tree,” he said. Richard dislikes the sweeter smells like vanilla, he said, though he holds no grudge against fans of those scents.

IF YOU GO
Florida State Fairgrounds 4802 U.S. 301 N, Tampa. Opens at 10 a.m. Mon.-Thurs. and at 9 a.m. Fri.-Sun. Closes at 11 p.m.
Admission: $12 ages 12 and older, $6 ages 6-11 (Sat.-Sun.); $10 ages 12 and older, $5 ages 6-11 (Mon.-Fri.)
Phone: (813) 621-7821
Web: floridastatefair.com