The Coastal Carolina Fair 2013-A 57 Year Old Tradition

Some notable events of 1957:
- Dwight D. Eisenhower was president and the 1st to fly in a helicopter.
- The Frisbee is renamed and nationally marketed.
- Velcro was patented by George de Mestral of Switzerland.
- 61st Boston Marathon won by John J Kelley of Connecticut in 2:20:05
- Music Man, starring Robert Preston, opens on Broadway.
- Elvis Presley emerges as one of the world's first rock star.
- Leave it to Beaver premiers on CBS.
- Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story debuts on Broadway.
- "I Love Lucy," last airs on CBS-TV.
- "American Bandstand" premieres.
- Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti comes to Charleston at the instigation of Countess Alicia Paolozzi who owns a home in the city, and begins negotiations to make Charleston the American site of Menotti's Festival of Two Worlds, later called the Spoleto Festival.
- the first Coastal Carolina Fair.
And that brings us to 2013.

I made the mistake of going to the Coastal Carolina Fair on Monday...in my sandals. It was somewhat nippy on the toes after the sun made its exit, but despite my imprudent choice, I muddled through the evening warmed up by the colorful display of fair lights reflecting off the lake and the soulful country ballads of Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan.

I wouldn't of had it any other way. Sundown is when the fair takes on a personality of its own. The shadows are darker, the lights more dazzling, the sounds more raucous, and the smells more decadent. And, it was surprisingly crowded for a Monday night, at least from my perspective.

There was the usual plenty of the three reasons why people go to the fair - food, rides, and entertainment. Sorry beer lovers, one thing there won't be plenty of is beer. It is a nonalcoholic fair, but you don't need beer to have fun. This is a family-oriented event.

 

The lines moved swiftly and I didn't have to wait too long for anything. Oh, except when I ordered my "fish" gyro for $7, which was advertised as "new", and required a wait. Apparently not a popular choice among fair enthusiasts. The vendor had to get it out of the freezer and cook it up.

After it was sizzled in boiling oil, the vendor informed me, "It's good fish," which caused me to reflect on his words. Was he honestly convinced it was good fish or was he convincingly setting me up for disappointment? I have to say it was surprisingly not-fishy and paired with lettuce and tomato smothered in the house sauce wrapped in pita. Believe it or not, I have never eaten a regular gyro. When it comes to food, I do not venture into the unknown like an Anthony Bordain and eating fair food to me is like competing in a Survivor food challenge.

Here are just a few of the depraved oddities: fried bacon-wrapped pickles, Krispy Kreme sloppy Joes, deep-fried bubble gum, fried shrimp and grits, chicken-fried meatloaf, grilled doughnuts-on-a-stick, corn dogs, kebabs, elephant ears and the most popular food item at the Coastal Carolina Fair, turkey legs, but I am not revealing any new revelations here and the reoccurring word in this assortment is fried, fried, fried. I did see one vendor that sold vegetable dishes. There are three new fried delicacies. I will let you discover what they are for yourself- happy hunting.

 

 

The entertainment list for the rest of the week is as follows:
11/6 - Grand Funk Railroad - 7:30
11/7 - Jerrod Niemann - 7:30
11/8 - Britt Nicole - 8:00
11/9 - Brett Eldredge - 8:00
11/10 - Colt Ford - 5:00
For the complete list of entertainment go to Coastal Carolina Fair.

 

Confession - before heading over to the Lakefront Stage to see Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan, I wickedly indulged in a dish of pumpkin-spice funnel cakes - $7. Enjoy the pictures, they speak a thousand words. Photos by Keri Whitaker.