before my awakening, i always went to the fair. the biggest draw to me was the food. barbeque of all kinds, foreign cuisine, tarts, canied apples, elephant ears, funnel cakes - all of the stuff that makes for a nice fattened herd.
for many people, the fair is the only occasion besides christmas for family gatherings. the kids love the lights and the rides and the sounds. it is merely a distraction from a dreary life and a way to suck what little loose change a person may have accumulated over the summer. no one wants to deny their kids.